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The View from Serendip

by Arthur C. Clarke

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 113 ratings · 5 reviews

A collection of essays which the author calls 'a first approximation to an autobiography'.

Mass Market Paperback, 0 pages

Published January 12th 1984 by Ballantine Books (first published January 1st 1977)

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Sep 01, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The central theme around which this collection of shorter non-fiction is organized is the serendipity which led Clarke to, literally, permanently move to Serendip (an obsolete name for Sri Lanka). As such, it neatly covers, in roughly chronological order, the major events of both the world and his world from the late 1950s through the mid 1970s. Among the more entertaining chapters are those reluctantly devoted to predicting the future, which Clarke does as well as any of his peers. Which is to...more The central theme around which this collection of shorter non-fiction is organized is the serendipity which led Clarke to, literally, permanently move to Serendip (an obsolete name for Sri Lanka). As such, it neatly covers, in roughly chronological order, the major events of both the world and his world from the late 1950s through the mid 1970s. Among the more entertaining chapters are those reluctantly devoted to predicting the future, which Clarke does as well as any of his peers. Which is to say, about 50/50 on a good day. For example, he clearly envisions smart phones and a communications network which shares many salient features with the Internet. On the other hand, despite making a good case for it, we have yet to see the video-phone become commonplace; perhaps it's merely a matter of time. The same can be said of telecommuting which, although not called such, is touted as an all-purpose tonic for what ails society. Even more seemingly far-fetched is the idea of purely synthetic foods or consumer goods which are engineered to last for generations.

What is most striking for anyone who has followed the arc of his writing across the years, is evidence of how his youthful optimism slowly, but inexorably, gave way to the pessimism reflected in his last novels. Thus, a young man who was essentially touting a "plentiful Earth" scenario had, by the early 70s, modified his views to be more cautionary: "...if you take me too seriously, you'll go broke -- but if you don't take me seriously enough, your children will go broke." This tempering of his optimism would, sadly, become progressively less cheerful over the following several decades. He did not become as embittered as, say, Mark Twain, but the truth revealed by the years did take its toll.

Fans of Clarke will, undoubtedly, find much to enjoy in this collection. Whether describing treasure-hunting among the Sri Lankan coral reefs; the intricacies of that country's customs and policies; his unsuspecting involvement in the development of a range of technologies (most notably communications satellites); his reasons for writing what he does and not writing what he does not; the making of his one cinematic masterpiece ("2001"); or the story of failed works which never saw the light of day; through all, Clarke reveals himself to his fans on a more personal level than is possible within the context of a science fiction novel.(less)

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Dec 11, 2010 Jake rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arthur-c-clarke, history, science, biography

Not too long ago I was forced to hide in the basement of my local public library during a tornado warning. During the two hours the staff and several of us patrons hid from the twister that never came, I snooped through the library’s stockpile of used books. This yard sale collection is rolled out every couple of months to provide much-needed funds for library operations. Anyhow, while snooping I discovered a copy of Arthur C. Clarke’s hard-to-find opus The View from Serendip.

I asked a library v...more Not too long ago I was forced to hide in the basement of my local public library during a tornado warning. During the two hours the staff and several of us patrons hid from the twister that never came, I snooped through the library’s stockpile of used books. This yard sale collection is rolled out every couple of months to provide much-needed funds for library operations. Anyhow, while snooping I discovered a copy of Arthur C. Clarke’s hard-to-find opus The View from Serendip.

I asked a library volunteer if, in the event we survived the non-existent tornado, I could take this out-of-print book upstairs and buy it right away…Y’know, instead of waiting for the next book sale when someone else might grab it first. The library volunteer uttered a rather curt reply: “No. And don’t take books off these shelves. I’m trying to keep them organized.” Smarting from her rebuke, I put the book back and resolved to hide in a friendlier part of the library’s basement while no tornados touched down anywhere in the county.

A couple of months later there was a properly sanctioned library book sale. Brushing past several suspicious elderly women, I nabbed the book first. (I’m sure those grandmothers were headed towards it. I saw that “Sir Arthur C. Clarke is dreamy!” look in their eyes.) And that’s the story of how I scored a good-condition hardcover of The View of Serendip for a single dollar. Hooray for used book sales at public libraries!

I’ve shared the above story in lieu of a review that would inevitably wind up being a love fest for one of my favorite authors. But I’ll add this: The View From Serendip is one of those great books that reminds me of the worthy writings of the late Carl Sagan. In contrast to the stereotype of godless scientists performing insidious research, this book reveals the scientific mind I more commonly encounter: one which is ethical, hope-driven, and which has a passionate desire to see humanity grow, mature, and prosper.
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May 24, 2011 Kevin Groosalugg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This came with another Clarke book I bought, I don't know that I would have bought it on it's own. But it was very intersting. Written in the 70s, he was dead on about a lot of technological advances such as palm pilots, iphones, and the internet. It also provided some nice biographical information about him which was interesting. Some of his dates were off, but he had a pretty good vision of the near future.

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Dec 13, 2010 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting how Arthur c Clark saw the future

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Feb 27, 2009 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fine example of the pure mastery that was Arthur C Clarke. He left his mark on liturate with everyone of his stories and his spirit lives on through his life's work. Stimulating both scientists and dreamers he has had and will always have a profound impact on the way we view the universe around (and under) us.

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May 19, 2013 Stephanie Burns marked it as cook-burns-library

May 16, 2013 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Shelves: myread

May 06, 2013 Kunal Sen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 03, 2013 Don Sakers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science, biography

Apr 30, 2013 Steven Prow rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 23, 2013 Kerry Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 18, 2013 Serendipidy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 16, 2013 Spencer Parks marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Shelves: science-fiction

Mar 26, 2013 B.H. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: f-sf

Mar 16, 2013 Ginger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 03, 2013 Gabriel Devenyi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 01, 2013 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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About Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. He spent the first half of his life in England, where he served in World War Two as a radar operator, before emigrating to Ceylon in 1956. He is best known for the novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-created with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more

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