Posted on 03/18/2008 3:02:47 PM PDT by fishtank
No links though.
Of the many things I could say in praise in Clarke, I think it stands out that he was such a CLEAR writer. So very helpful when his works were of the science fact/ fiction type and educated many.
Who are the other two??? I hope Frank Herbert is there.
Have to give Clarke immense credit for pulling off Childhood’s End, his most acclaimed work, in which he ends the human race as we know it and destroys the planet earth - with a sense of wonder and hopefullness. Neat trick.
Edgar Rice Burroughs was more of a godfather of sci fi.
Heinlein and Asimov, I believe.
Of course, Herbert is great as well, and definitely deserves to be in their company.
Was one of them L. Ron Hubbard?? (Just kidding.)
To each his own I guess, the 6 Dune books rank up there as high as Tolkien's LOTR for me. If it wasn't for Dune, we wouldn't have had Star Wars. :)
None of Star Wars was original. Darth Vader was a rip off of the original Dr. Doom, and half the plot was ripped off from Kirby’s New Gods series.
Childhoods End
I liked Rendezvous with Rama also
I didn’t come up with it, it’s just a popular saying in the sci-fi community. I’d personally find it very difficult to narrow it down to just three sci-fi “gods.” In addition to those mentioned already, I also love Philip K. Dick, Orson Scott Card and so many others.
YouTube text version: Early man is dying because he is starving. Alien monolith gives man "intelligence" and wants to see us again when we have "grown up". We learn how to use tools, stop starving and end up going to the moon. We find another alien monolith buried on the moon and uncover it. Sunlight hits monolith, monolith sends signal to BIG monolith/stargate-type thingy around Jupiter, astronaut flies into stargate and comes back to earth as a "Star Child/"Savior".
The End
That is a GREAT quote.
That is a GREAT quote.
For a so called atheist, the plot offered a fresh insight to the soul and mind of a Jesuit and, if there is one in Clarke's universe, the apparent capriciousness of God.
Oh God, there were so many stars you could have used. What was the need to give these people to the fire, that the symbol of their passing might shine above Bethlehem?
BTW lots of Clarke's short writings gave me pause to think.
Does anyone around recall a Clarke shorty story where the scientists get the idea to hooked up a the computers in the world into one great super computer to ask it all the questions that puzzle mankind.
They finally get the wiring done and there is this one single switch to link together all the computers. The switch is closed and the head scientist ask the question: "Is there a God?"
"There is now," replies the computer and a lightning bolt flashes, sealing the switch closed forever.
He will be missed.
May he rest in peace.
He turned his back on the Space Program and the Apollo Moon Landings were cancelled. His support was instrumental to get it going and his withdrawal equally instrumental in its end.
Before I die, I expect to see man return to the moon and at least a landing on Mars.
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