Across the Sea of Stars

by Arthur C. Clarke, Clifton Fadiman (introduction)

Earthlight 1955 novel
Childhood's End 1953 novel
The Sentinel 1951 story
Time's Arrow 1950 story
Technical Error 1946 story
Superiority 1951 story
Rescue Party 1946 novelette
History Lesson 1949 story
Hide & Seek 1949 story
Armaments Race/Tales from the White Hart 1954 story
Breaking Strain 1949 novelette
"If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth..." 1951 story
Inheritance 1947 story
Jupiter Five 1953 novelette
The Next Tenants/Tales from the White Hart 1957 story
The Pacifist/Tales from the White Hart 1956 story
The Reluctant Orchid/Tales from the White Hart 1956 story
Silence, Please!/Tales from the White Hart 1950 story
The Fires Within 1947 story
Encounter in the Dawn 1953 story
Introduction essay by Clifton Fadiman

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Classics, Speculative Fiction

584 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Stories, works of noted British writer, scientist, and underwater explorer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.

He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.

Reviews

[Maura W.]

I had to take it back to the library. I will finish it someday!

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 novels and 18 short stories. A Science Fiction Book Club selection.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know that Cixin Liu grew up reading the Golden Age sci-fi writers... But this book, maybe more than any, shows where he got many of his ideas from.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The short stories are great at the front of this anthology, but both novels suffer from long narrative passages with no action. I found myself getting bored, especially towards the end of both.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting set of stories. I picked this up because I wanted to read Childhood's End. but was actually disappointing by the story. I found the short stories and Earthlight to be much more interesting. I had previously read Tales From The White Hart, and didn't care for them, so my review ignores them.

[Todd Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun sci-fi.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another omnibus of Clarke's work. Excellent. Contains Childhood's End, which is Clarke's ultimate masterpiece in my opinion.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during the summer at the cottage up in SW Michigan. Some of the stories and novellas had been read before during childhood.