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The Ghost From The Grand Banks
It is 2010. In just two years' time it will be the centennial of an event that has haunted the world: the sinking of the Titanic.
The remains of what was once the world's greatest ocean liner lie four kilometres down on the Grand Banks of the Atlantic Ocean, an endless reminder of the frailty of man's technology in the face of natural perils. But, a hundred years on, the urge to raise the wreck is irresistible.
From the West comes one solution; from the East another. Both are marvels of technological imagination; both can succeed. But there are other powers at work, and the wreck on the Grand Banks may still hold a surprise or two for those that would return her to the eyes of the world...
THE GHOST FROM THE GRAND BANKS is one of the finest works of science fiction's Grand Master; a superb marriage of subject and author, and a major SF event.
The remains of what was once the world's greatest ocean liner lie four kilometres down on the Grand Banks of the Atlantic Ocean, an endless reminder of the frailty of man's technology in the face of natural perils. But, a hundred years on, the urge to raise the wreck is irresistible.
From the West comes one solution; from the East another. Both are marvels of technological imagination; both can succeed. But there are other powers at work, and the wreck on the Grand Banks may still hold a surprise or two for those that would return her to the eyes of the world...
THE GHOST FROM THE GRAND BANKS is one of the finest works of science fiction's Grand Master; a superb marriage of subject and author, and a major SF event.
253 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1990
83 people are currently reading
1178 people want to read
About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,647 books11.6k followersStories, 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
December 2, 2013
Once upon a time there was a great author named Arthur C. Clarke who wrote some of the most incredible books. Then in the early 80's he was kidnapped and replaced by a moron who was only capable of writing trash. That is the only explantion for this book. A lot science that had nothing to do with the supposed storyline, and details about the sexual deviancies of many of the charaters that did nothing for the story. So sad that Clarke lost it.
June 21, 2024
This is my first Clarke novel. Embarrassingly. I have a few on my tbr list. Can we read as ghosts?🤔 I may be able to actually get through this list if I can read for all eternity and beyond and beyond again....
I have read that A.C. Clarke's older work is the place to be. I picked up this one with excitement due to my own fascination with Titanic. I found the writing style/characters ok in the first 50 pages and then It just seemed to go a bit flat to me. I lost the excitement and it just didn't really pull me in like I thought it would. I had to finish it naturally but it was a bit 😕. Hmm I will need to pick up another of his soon to see how I get on. Can't have this being my only experience with this man's work.
I have read that A.C. Clarke's older work is the place to be. I picked up this one with excitement due to my own fascination with Titanic. I found the writing style/characters ok in the first 50 pages and then It just seemed to go a bit flat to me. I lost the excitement and it just didn't really pull me in like I thought it would. I had to finish it naturally but it was a bit 😕. Hmm I will need to pick up another of his soon to see how I get on. Can't have this being my only experience with this man's work.
December 24, 2011
At this time of year, towards Christmas, I find myself wanting to read some Arthur C Clarke. It’s a boyhood thing: Sir Arthur’s books were one of my first loves of SF, and I would eagerly read and reread his tales as the nights drew in.
These days the nostalgia is further tempered with the sad fact that I am unlikely to read new material – unless there’s something hidden away in the Clarkives. There’s been nothing since his death in 2008, and no solo material since 1996 to my knowledge. His last novel, The Last Theorem, was co-written with that other legendary veteran, Frederik Pohl.
I still do like to read ‘the good stuff’, though. The Ghost from the Grand Banks was one of his later and perhaps lesser works, though I’m pleasingly surprised that the echo of Sir Arthur resonates throughout its pages.
Those who know a little about Sir Arthur may know that one of his passions in his later half-century was for scuba diving, though sadly limited by his ill health. His move to Sri Lanka in 1956 was evidently partly due to this. This interest in the undersea world was first made prominent in his novel The Deep Range (1957), though it was based on a short story first published in 1954.
In the Sources and Acknowledgements of the book, Sir Arthur explains his love of the sea and the ‘haunting’ (his word) of his life by the sinking of the Titanic. The actual title, ‘Ghost from the Grand Banks’ was mentioned very briefly in an earlier Clarke book, Imperial Earth, which mentions a recovered Titanic placed on display in New York.
It is therefore no surprise with such a personal passion that he returns with Ghost to the mysterious world of the Earth’s oceans.
In Ghost it is 2010. The first part of the book, which takes up about half of the novel (‘Prelude’) sets up this world of the future and introduces us to our main characters. Jason Bradley is a world-famous (and very rich) oceanic engineer who as part of the International Seabed Authority is overseeing the attempts by two salvage companies to raise the two separate sections of the submerged wreck of the Titanic from the Grand Banks it sank on for the centennial of the sinking of the ship in 2012.
The first salvage group is to raise the stern of the ship, the last part to sink, and will be paid for and filmed for Nippon-Turner, a company who has also paid for a revised version of the film An Affair to Remember to be created by Edith and Donald Craig, whose tale we are also told here. At the same time we hear of a rival salvage company, led by millionaire entrepreneur Roy Emerson and the UK company Parkinson Glass, who wish to raise the larger forward portion of the wreck to retrieve now-priceless Venetian glass artefacts believed to be preserved in the ocean depths.
The second part of the book, (‘Preparations’) tells of the laborious arrangements that have to be made before any salvage can occur. The discovery of a mysterious yet well preserved corpse in one of the sealed cabins is an intriguing development, and perhaps reflects Sir Arthur’s interest in rational explanation for the unusual at the time. Though in the end the reason for this ‘ghost’ is fairly mundane, it does provide a hook to create interest.
In the third part (‘Operations’), we have the events up to the attempt to resurrect the Titanic.
The fourth part (‘Finale’) deals with the attempts to raise the wreckage. It is a dangerous task and the explorers have to face many hazards, malfunctioning equipment and seaquakes included.
If the appearance of a ghost didn’t already suggest it, Ghost from the Grand Banks is perhaps nominally science fiction, and certainly less science-fictional than many reader would expect from the author of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Though mainly set in the near-future (at least from a 1990 perspective) the trappings of technology and science are not too fantastical and there are some hot science ideas of the time involved, although the Epilogue, set in the far future, is more typical Clarke grandeur.
As ever, in the later Clarke books, the chapters are short, rarely more than a couple of pages, but each one throwing out clever ideas – the ever-clean car windscreen, the Y2K computer bug, the idea of the Mandelbrot set, all fairly new ideas at the time of the book’s original publication but without too much relevance to the plot.
It is quite strange reading it now, concerning matters that were originally set in the near-future but now are in the past.
The characterisation is what you expect from Sir Arthur. It is brief, and some would say functional. A Clarke novel usually works for its ideas, if not for its characterisation. At its basic it’s a tale of clever, highly-motivated people with means, which makes them a little interchangeable.
When we do get background details of the character’s lives, they can be quite odd. It was a surprise to find a Clarke novel involving a high-class brothel in London, bondage and lesbianism! However, the focus is primarily on the attempts by the two competing salvage teams to raise the wreckage, one who aim to raise part of the Titanic by using glass bubbles, the other by freezing the debris in ice to raise it to the surface.
It is a book whose plot is pared to the bone, with characters to match. Superfluous detail has been removed, though there is throughout Sir Arthur’s characteristically dry humour. Those used to hefty trilogies creating a complex, detailed environment will find this a shock and perhaps be disappointed that there is clearly more to tell that is untold here.
However, in truth, this is not Sir Arthur’s best book. There is a little bit of a feeling that, despite the enthusiasm of Sir Arthur to write an ocean-based tale around the Titanic, in the end it seems somewhat half-hearted. The book was written at a time when Sir Arthur had, to most intents and purposes, pretty much retired from writing fiction, and it comes across as one of those great ideas that, in the end, may not have been worth the effort. As already mentioned, the plot is pretty basic. It lacks the broad scale of the Odyssey books, the inventiveness of Rendezvous with Rama or even the fresh enthusiasm of his early books. The ending is a little ambiguous, though its respect to exploration is clear.
At times it seems to be little more than a jumbling of Clarke’s interests at the time of writing, with a little less cohesion than we normally expect. Some parts of the plot are rather conveniently shoehorned together. Initially Edith and Donald Craig and their gifted daughter Ada seem to be there for little else but to allow a discussion of the Mandelbrot set, although in the end there’s a link to the ghost that seems a little convenient. An edited transcript of a speech given by Sir Arthur about the Mandelbrot Set in 1989 is also given as an eleven-page Appendix to the book, reflecting perhaps that the author’s interest is there rather than with the telling of the Titanic tale.
This does not sound great, and there are many who will no doubt feel a little shortchanged by this rather predictable tale. But what we do get, surprisingly strong to me on this reread, is an adventure tale suffused with that Clarkean signature tone, a combination of astute knowledge and wry observation. It is unique, and I was surprised to realise how much I miss it. It was this that made the book an engrossing read. For me, spending time with a Clarke novel is like spending time with an old friend, even when that friend can ramble a little!
In the end it is perhaps charitable to say that it is a readable tale which respects and highlights the importance of stoic heroism, the danger and the thrills involved in deep sea salvage, as well as serving to remind readers, should they need reminding, of the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic. As we approach the centenary in real life, this makes an apt means of remembrance, as indeed it does reminding us of the legacy of Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
These days the nostalgia is further tempered with the sad fact that I am unlikely to read new material – unless there’s something hidden away in the Clarkives. There’s been nothing since his death in 2008, and no solo material since 1996 to my knowledge. His last novel, The Last Theorem, was co-written with that other legendary veteran, Frederik Pohl.
I still do like to read ‘the good stuff’, though. The Ghost from the Grand Banks was one of his later and perhaps lesser works, though I’m pleasingly surprised that the echo of Sir Arthur resonates throughout its pages.
Those who know a little about Sir Arthur may know that one of his passions in his later half-century was for scuba diving, though sadly limited by his ill health. His move to Sri Lanka in 1956 was evidently partly due to this. This interest in the undersea world was first made prominent in his novel The Deep Range (1957), though it was based on a short story first published in 1954.
In the Sources and Acknowledgements of the book, Sir Arthur explains his love of the sea and the ‘haunting’ (his word) of his life by the sinking of the Titanic. The actual title, ‘Ghost from the Grand Banks’ was mentioned very briefly in an earlier Clarke book, Imperial Earth, which mentions a recovered Titanic placed on display in New York.
It is therefore no surprise with such a personal passion that he returns with Ghost to the mysterious world of the Earth’s oceans.
In Ghost it is 2010. The first part of the book, which takes up about half of the novel (‘Prelude’) sets up this world of the future and introduces us to our main characters. Jason Bradley is a world-famous (and very rich) oceanic engineer who as part of the International Seabed Authority is overseeing the attempts by two salvage companies to raise the two separate sections of the submerged wreck of the Titanic from the Grand Banks it sank on for the centennial of the sinking of the ship in 2012.
The first salvage group is to raise the stern of the ship, the last part to sink, and will be paid for and filmed for Nippon-Turner, a company who has also paid for a revised version of the film An Affair to Remember to be created by Edith and Donald Craig, whose tale we are also told here. At the same time we hear of a rival salvage company, led by millionaire entrepreneur Roy Emerson and the UK company Parkinson Glass, who wish to raise the larger forward portion of the wreck to retrieve now-priceless Venetian glass artefacts believed to be preserved in the ocean depths.
The second part of the book, (‘Preparations’) tells of the laborious arrangements that have to be made before any salvage can occur. The discovery of a mysterious yet well preserved corpse in one of the sealed cabins is an intriguing development, and perhaps reflects Sir Arthur’s interest in rational explanation for the unusual at the time. Though in the end the reason for this ‘ghost’ is fairly mundane, it does provide a hook to create interest.
In the third part (‘Operations’), we have the events up to the attempt to resurrect the Titanic.
The fourth part (‘Finale’) deals with the attempts to raise the wreckage. It is a dangerous task and the explorers have to face many hazards, malfunctioning equipment and seaquakes included.
If the appearance of a ghost didn’t already suggest it, Ghost from the Grand Banks is perhaps nominally science fiction, and certainly less science-fictional than many reader would expect from the author of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Though mainly set in the near-future (at least from a 1990 perspective) the trappings of technology and science are not too fantastical and there are some hot science ideas of the time involved, although the Epilogue, set in the far future, is more typical Clarke grandeur.
As ever, in the later Clarke books, the chapters are short, rarely more than a couple of pages, but each one throwing out clever ideas – the ever-clean car windscreen, the Y2K computer bug, the idea of the Mandelbrot set, all fairly new ideas at the time of the book’s original publication but without too much relevance to the plot.
It is quite strange reading it now, concerning matters that were originally set in the near-future but now are in the past.
The characterisation is what you expect from Sir Arthur. It is brief, and some would say functional. A Clarke novel usually works for its ideas, if not for its characterisation. At its basic it’s a tale of clever, highly-motivated people with means, which makes them a little interchangeable.
When we do get background details of the character’s lives, they can be quite odd. It was a surprise to find a Clarke novel involving a high-class brothel in London, bondage and lesbianism! However, the focus is primarily on the attempts by the two competing salvage teams to raise the wreckage, one who aim to raise part of the Titanic by using glass bubbles, the other by freezing the debris in ice to raise it to the surface.
It is a book whose plot is pared to the bone, with characters to match. Superfluous detail has been removed, though there is throughout Sir Arthur’s characteristically dry humour. Those used to hefty trilogies creating a complex, detailed environment will find this a shock and perhaps be disappointed that there is clearly more to tell that is untold here.
However, in truth, this is not Sir Arthur’s best book. There is a little bit of a feeling that, despite the enthusiasm of Sir Arthur to write an ocean-based tale around the Titanic, in the end it seems somewhat half-hearted. The book was written at a time when Sir Arthur had, to most intents and purposes, pretty much retired from writing fiction, and it comes across as one of those great ideas that, in the end, may not have been worth the effort. As already mentioned, the plot is pretty basic. It lacks the broad scale of the Odyssey books, the inventiveness of Rendezvous with Rama or even the fresh enthusiasm of his early books. The ending is a little ambiguous, though its respect to exploration is clear.
At times it seems to be little more than a jumbling of Clarke’s interests at the time of writing, with a little less cohesion than we normally expect. Some parts of the plot are rather conveniently shoehorned together. Initially Edith and Donald Craig and their gifted daughter Ada seem to be there for little else but to allow a discussion of the Mandelbrot set, although in the end there’s a link to the ghost that seems a little convenient. An edited transcript of a speech given by Sir Arthur about the Mandelbrot Set in 1989 is also given as an eleven-page Appendix to the book, reflecting perhaps that the author’s interest is there rather than with the telling of the Titanic tale.
This does not sound great, and there are many who will no doubt feel a little shortchanged by this rather predictable tale. But what we do get, surprisingly strong to me on this reread, is an adventure tale suffused with that Clarkean signature tone, a combination of astute knowledge and wry observation. It is unique, and I was surprised to realise how much I miss it. It was this that made the book an engrossing read. For me, spending time with a Clarke novel is like spending time with an old friend, even when that friend can ramble a little!
In the end it is perhaps charitable to say that it is a readable tale which respects and highlights the importance of stoic heroism, the danger and the thrills involved in deep sea salvage, as well as serving to remind readers, should they need reminding, of the tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic. As we approach the centenary in real life, this makes an apt means of remembrance, as indeed it does reminding us of the legacy of Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
August 7, 2025
I can see why he lived to be 90, whilst Hemingway blew his brains out like a bozo at 61.
😩🔫
One of them appreciates the nuances of cheese varieties!
🧀🧑🍳
What a book. Great chapter endings. 🚢
I don’t think I could predict the future scientific advancements, pop culture icons, breaking news events, publish a speculative book about it whilst being above the life expectancy, ie retired, randomly going scuba diving in Sri Lanka finding monuments…
Legend. 🐐
😩🔫
One of them appreciates the nuances of cheese varieties!
🧀🧑🍳
What a book. Great chapter endings. 🚢
I don’t think I could predict the future scientific advancements, pop culture icons, breaking news events, publish a speculative book about it whilst being above the life expectancy, ie retired, randomly going scuba diving in Sri Lanka finding monuments…
Legend. 🐐
July 26, 2017
What a mess. This is the penultimate novel ACC wrote without Gentry Lee, and it appears with it he has hit his own metaphoric iceberg and sunk to the bottom. What is the iceberg? Hubris? Lack of care? Needing to bang out a book to make a buck? Losing it mentally? Whatever it was that sunk his ability to write a coherent, much less good, novel, it certainly is shocking. I almost wonder if this was partially ghost written, it is so bad.
Why is bad? Here are some ways. First of all--ACC is fond of using spiritual or even quasi-religious references in his titles, yet he is an atheist--in fact, he is hostile to religion, most vehemently to Christianity. So then tell me--why is this book titled what it is? There are not only no ghosts--there is barely even a passing reference to anything metaphorically a ghost. So the people who died on the Titanic are the ghosts? Okay, but this is barely referenced and certainly is not the focal point of this book.
Which leads to another issue. The focal point is fuzzy. It's about the raising of the Titanic, right? So what in the world do fractals and Mandelbrot sets have to do with any of it? Nothing. It's like ACC was obsessed with M-sets, so he decided to just shoehorn in a side story about it that has absolutely no bearing on any of the main plot. It does not even have a tangential connection to it except that some characters preoccupied with M-sets meet a character who is attempting to raise the Titanic. It is as if ACC intended to make some deep meaningful connection between these two narrative lines and then forgot to actually make it mean anything at all.
Then toward the end of the book he has a character who wants to literally resurrect a corpse from the Titanic? Really? But she is perfectly preserved! Okay. So is the meat in my freezer. ACC just spends a few pages hinting that this might be done since all we are is meat and there is no soul, so why not? But then he just drops this thread and forgets it.
Then he tacks on a cheesy future ending about aliens that comes out of nowhere and has nothing to do with the rest of the book except the Titanic is still on Earth? It would be like aliens coming in to rescue Private Ryan at the end of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. The whole book 99% of the way is SF about Earth and the ocean, then he tacks on aliens because...he is ACC and he wrote 2001 so of course there can be aliens. Ugh.
None of the characters mean anything and serve simply as mouthpieces for the ideas of SF that actually exist in the novel. They are cardboard cutouts, like ACC's early novel's characters, and exactly what people point out about SF that makes it a crap genre. Yet the novel from the 1950s that is paired in the edition of this I read, THE DEEP RANGE, is also ocean SF, but in this one the character's journey is deeply and meaningfully embedded in the idea of the novel.
There are so many little things that just eat at the edges of any possibly quality in this novel: an indirect reference to Polish jokes to get you to laugh but in a way that you can't blame him for this, a reference to something happening that a character thinks is something like out of a Stephen Spielberg movie...which it is...and spoils a serious SF novel, an iceberg out of the blue surprising a character in a way that is too cheesy and unbelievable just because the novel has to end some time, comments on gender and sex that are just cheesy political grandstanding that just don't work and show how little ACC understands humanity and women especially, and just so many other amateur moments to count.
If I have not yet convinced you to not waste your time on this book, I will take one more shot at it. A good test of whether a novel is good or not is whether you would have been better off reading a nonfiction book about the topic. The answer is categorically, yes, absolutely. You will learn nothing about the ocean or the Titanic that you could not more entertainingly find in A NIGHT TO REMEMBER or SHIP OF GOLD or countless other books. In fact, you would probably be better served watching James Cameron's awful movie about the topic than you would reading this garbage.
I enjoyed EARTHLIGHT, RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA, and THE FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE. I hate this book so much because I know what ACC was capable of, and this just taints his legacy so badly.
Maybe ACC wanted to rush this out in 1990 because of the coming 100 year anniversary of the Titanic sinking? Who knows. I just hope his last novel THE HAMMER OF GOD does not read like a haphazard piece of garbage like this one did.
Why is bad? Here are some ways. First of all--ACC is fond of using spiritual or even quasi-religious references in his titles, yet he is an atheist--in fact, he is hostile to religion, most vehemently to Christianity. So then tell me--why is this book titled what it is? There are not only no ghosts--there is barely even a passing reference to anything metaphorically a ghost. So the people who died on the Titanic are the ghosts? Okay, but this is barely referenced and certainly is not the focal point of this book.
Which leads to another issue. The focal point is fuzzy. It's about the raising of the Titanic, right? So what in the world do fractals and Mandelbrot sets have to do with any of it? Nothing. It's like ACC was obsessed with M-sets, so he decided to just shoehorn in a side story about it that has absolutely no bearing on any of the main plot. It does not even have a tangential connection to it except that some characters preoccupied with M-sets meet a character who is attempting to raise the Titanic. It is as if ACC intended to make some deep meaningful connection between these two narrative lines and then forgot to actually make it mean anything at all.
Then toward the end of the book he has a character who wants to literally resurrect a corpse from the Titanic? Really? But she is perfectly preserved! Okay. So is the meat in my freezer. ACC just spends a few pages hinting that this might be done since all we are is meat and there is no soul, so why not? But then he just drops this thread and forgets it.
Then he tacks on a cheesy future ending about aliens that comes out of nowhere and has nothing to do with the rest of the book except the Titanic is still on Earth? It would be like aliens coming in to rescue Private Ryan at the end of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. The whole book 99% of the way is SF about Earth and the ocean, then he tacks on aliens because...he is ACC and he wrote 2001 so of course there can be aliens. Ugh.
None of the characters mean anything and serve simply as mouthpieces for the ideas of SF that actually exist in the novel. They are cardboard cutouts, like ACC's early novel's characters, and exactly what people point out about SF that makes it a crap genre. Yet the novel from the 1950s that is paired in the edition of this I read, THE DEEP RANGE, is also ocean SF, but in this one the character's journey is deeply and meaningfully embedded in the idea of the novel.
There are so many little things that just eat at the edges of any possibly quality in this novel: an indirect reference to Polish jokes to get you to laugh but in a way that you can't blame him for this, a reference to something happening that a character thinks is something like out of a Stephen Spielberg movie...which it is...and spoils a serious SF novel, an iceberg out of the blue surprising a character in a way that is too cheesy and unbelievable just because the novel has to end some time, comments on gender and sex that are just cheesy political grandstanding that just don't work and show how little ACC understands humanity and women especially, and just so many other amateur moments to count.
If I have not yet convinced you to not waste your time on this book, I will take one more shot at it. A good test of whether a novel is good or not is whether you would have been better off reading a nonfiction book about the topic. The answer is categorically, yes, absolutely. You will learn nothing about the ocean or the Titanic that you could not more entertainingly find in A NIGHT TO REMEMBER or SHIP OF GOLD or countless other books. In fact, you would probably be better served watching James Cameron's awful movie about the topic than you would reading this garbage.
I enjoyed EARTHLIGHT, RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA, and THE FOUNTAINS OF PARADISE. I hate this book so much because I know what ACC was capable of, and this just taints his legacy so badly.
Maybe ACC wanted to rush this out in 1990 because of the coming 100 year anniversary of the Titanic sinking? Who knows. I just hope his last novel THE HAMMER OF GOD does not read like a haphazard piece of garbage like this one did.
July 12, 2022
It's been quite a long time since I last read anything by Arthur C. Clarke. I know I read quite a few of his excellent sci-fi novels back in the 1970's including RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA, CHILDHOOD'S END, and 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. GHOST FROM THE GRAND BANKS has been sitting on my shelves for several years and I finally got around to it, but to me it was somewhat disappointing. The novel was written in 1990 but takes place in and prior to 2012, which is 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic. The novel is about two groups of people who are trying to raise the Titanic before the centennial date of its sinking. One group proposes to do this by actually freezing the water around the stern of the ship and raising it in a block of ice and then having it on display in Japan. The other group plans on using billions of small glass balls filled with air and pumped into the prow of the boat and then taking it to Florida as an amusement attraction.
Okay, so far so good. However, the story is very disjointed and is told in small chapters which introduce the players in the novel including Roy Emerson, the inventor behind the glass microspheres; Donald and Edith Craig, mathematicians with a child prodigy who is fixated on the "Mandelbrot set"; and Jason Bradley, an older experienced master of deep sea operations.
Some of the story that leads into the attempt to raise the ship is interesting including the discussions of the Mandelbrot set (M-set). I looked this up on line and found a very interesting Youtube video which explains it quite well. However, overall I didn't think the novel was written in a clear coherent way and I thought the ending was very anti-climatic. Overall, only a mild recommendation but I did really find the M-set to be fascinating.
Okay, so far so good. However, the story is very disjointed and is told in small chapters which introduce the players in the novel including Roy Emerson, the inventor behind the glass microspheres; Donald and Edith Craig, mathematicians with a child prodigy who is fixated on the "Mandelbrot set"; and Jason Bradley, an older experienced master of deep sea operations.
Some of the story that leads into the attempt to raise the ship is interesting including the discussions of the Mandelbrot set (M-set). I looked this up on line and found a very interesting Youtube video which explains it quite well. However, overall I didn't think the novel was written in a clear coherent way and I thought the ending was very anti-climatic. Overall, only a mild recommendation but I did really find the M-set to be fascinating.
November 4, 2011
......................whaaaaaat?
Well, I was really enjoying all the various elements of this story--the opposing teams working to bring the two halves of the Titanic up from it's (perhaps not so) final resting place, the Mandelbrot set, a giant octopus, windshields that repel rain with high frequency vibrations instead of wipers--and looking forward to finding out how on earth they would all fit together. Sadly, though, they just...didn't. At least not well. And then the end happened, and...I mean, huh? I guess maybe Clark was attempting to say that the wreck of the Titanic is cursed for all time or something, but that's the only thing I could get out of it, and what a weird and somewhat inept way of saying that.
Maybe I'm missing something?
Well, I was really enjoying all the various elements of this story--the opposing teams working to bring the two halves of the Titanic up from it's (perhaps not so) final resting place, the Mandelbrot set, a giant octopus, windshields that repel rain with high frequency vibrations instead of wipers--and looking forward to finding out how on earth they would all fit together. Sadly, though, they just...didn't. At least not well. And then the end happened, and...I mean, huh? I guess maybe Clark was attempting to say that the wreck of the Titanic is cursed for all time or something, but that's the only thing I could get out of it, and what a weird and somewhat inept way of saying that.
Maybe I'm missing something?
August 9, 2013
I consider myself a fan of Arthur C. Clarke, but somehow I wasn't aware The Ghost From the Grand Banks existed until I found an ebook containing this and his classic The Deep Range. What both books have in common and makes them fitting to be grouped together is that both are works of science fiction dealing with exploration--of the oceans. It seems there are millions of books about space exploration, but I can't think of anyone, other than Clarke, Frank Herbert and Verne who have used exploration of the oceans in their science fiction. That despite that it's as forbidding and difficult an environment as outer space and not much better explored than the Moon despite being three-quarters of the earth.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. This wasn't a book that got a lot of attention. Published in 1990 it's set in its near future of 2012--it's near future, our recent past. As might be expected, a lot of what Clarke predicted in terms of sociological and scientific developments turned out off the mark. Science fiction dates fast in that respect, even though Clarke has had a good record of imagining a future come true. (He's sometimes credited with the idea of geosynchronous satellites; he did popularize it in his science fiction.) But his misses didn't bother me much at all. Mentally shift the setting decades hence and much of this story about attempting to raise the Titanic still seems plausible and ingenious. And Clarke is a pleasure to read. Striking lines, elegant prose, and he's such an erudite writer. Who else can write of the glories of both the ocean and space, of Rachmaninoff and Elgar and the esoteric mathematics of the Mandelbrot set? The story itself was surprisingly poignant and bittersweet. So while I wouldn't put this at the top of Clarke's fiction along with works such as 2001 or The City and the Stars, it's certainly worth the read. Especially if you're a fan of Clarke or marine exploration.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. This wasn't a book that got a lot of attention. Published in 1990 it's set in its near future of 2012--it's near future, our recent past. As might be expected, a lot of what Clarke predicted in terms of sociological and scientific developments turned out off the mark. Science fiction dates fast in that respect, even though Clarke has had a good record of imagining a future come true. (He's sometimes credited with the idea of geosynchronous satellites; he did popularize it in his science fiction.) But his misses didn't bother me much at all. Mentally shift the setting decades hence and much of this story about attempting to raise the Titanic still seems plausible and ingenious. And Clarke is a pleasure to read. Striking lines, elegant prose, and he's such an erudite writer. Who else can write of the glories of both the ocean and space, of Rachmaninoff and Elgar and the esoteric mathematics of the Mandelbrot set? The story itself was surprisingly poignant and bittersweet. So while I wouldn't put this at the top of Clarke's fiction along with works such as 2001 or The City and the Stars, it's certainly worth the read. Especially if you're a fan of Clarke or marine exploration.
September 9, 2010
It pains me to give this novel two stars. I wasn’t expecting a masterpiece, but I was hoping for more than I got. I had greater difficulty getting into The Ghost from the Grand Banks than any other stand-alone Arthur C. Clarke novel I’ve read. There is a certain dryness to all of Clarke’s books. However, as I scribbled in the margin, this is “a chronically dry novel steeped in anticlimax.”
This book has several good moments, a couple of great ones; however, I can’t think of any character, subplot, or theme that is fully developed or satisfying. Whenever a twist or revelation occurs, it is hastily tied off so the next underdeveloped subplot can take center stage. The slightness of this novel is most apparent in how little direct attention or exploration is given to the R.M.S. Titanic. Too much of the story is spent at the surface dreaming, scheming and bantering about hypothetical technologies. Only in the last few pages does the story begin to feel meaty.
I do recommend this novel to diehard Arthur C. Clarke fans, if only because even average novels bring you closer to your favorite author. I especially enjoyed the Sources and Acknowledgments section at the back of the book. Clarke’s wry wit and galactic sense of irony come out crisp and clear when he doesn’t have to filter his ideas through characters. Below is one of several great lines where Clarke the storyteller reckons with reality.
“I would prefer not to know too much about the events of that distant summer, so that I am not handicapped by mere facts.”
This book has several good moments, a couple of great ones; however, I can’t think of any character, subplot, or theme that is fully developed or satisfying. Whenever a twist or revelation occurs, it is hastily tied off so the next underdeveloped subplot can take center stage. The slightness of this novel is most apparent in how little direct attention or exploration is given to the R.M.S. Titanic. Too much of the story is spent at the surface dreaming, scheming and bantering about hypothetical technologies. Only in the last few pages does the story begin to feel meaty.
I do recommend this novel to diehard Arthur C. Clarke fans, if only because even average novels bring you closer to your favorite author. I especially enjoyed the Sources and Acknowledgments section at the back of the book. Clarke’s wry wit and galactic sense of irony come out crisp and clear when he doesn’t have to filter his ideas through characters. Below is one of several great lines where Clarke the storyteller reckons with reality.
“I would prefer not to know too much about the events of that distant summer, so that I am not handicapped by mere facts.”
June 10, 2023
A good, solid, well written classic science fiction story.
The anniversary of the sinking of the titanic is coming up and several interested parties want to raise it for a variety of reasons. The individual characters and motivations are good, I like the way the ocean is presented in the light of almost its own character by having Jason Bradley, career diver/salvager/oceanographer in there.
The sections on Mandelbrot maths in there failed to rock my boat, or to advance the plot in a major way in my opionion, but hey, sci-fi is a way for people to explore elements of science that interest them, I get it. Besides Clarke put an octopus in, so I can forgive him most things.
Good book.
The anniversary of the sinking of the titanic is coming up and several interested parties want to raise it for a variety of reasons. The individual characters and motivations are good, I like the way the ocean is presented in the light of almost its own character by having Jason Bradley, career diver/salvager/oceanographer in there.
The sections on Mandelbrot maths in there failed to rock my boat, or to advance the plot in a major way in my opionion, but hey, sci-fi is a way for people to explore elements of science that interest them, I get it. Besides Clarke put an octopus in, so I can forgive him most things.
Good book.
March 26, 2009
I wanted to read this because it involved the Titanic and I was going through 'that kind of phase' at the time. It involved more than just that of course and I enjoyed it very much. It was a new type of idea for sci-fi for me that didn't involve spaceships and aliens, more a near-futuristic feel which I appreciate more :)
August 1, 2021
Artur Klark - Duh sa Grend Benksa
Polaris, Beograd, 1992., preveo (lepo) Zoran Jakšić
Čarls Plat u svojim uvrnutim i nepraštajućim godišnjim pregledima romana izašlih u Engleskoj i Americi koristi za najstariju generaciju pisaca naučne fantastike izraz dinosaurusi. Izraz oštar i precizan kao vrh jednorogovog dragocenog organa. Malo ih je ostalo, sigurno će izumreti, a i ponašaju se uglavnom kao daleki potomci Tyrranosaurus Rexa, žderu šta stignu, ne libeći se kolaboracija u kojima se njihov deo svodi na klimanje glavom, prostituisanja imena na naslovnim stranama edicija i časopisa, suludih
osavremenjavanja nepovratno zastarelih priča i sličnih gnusnih i bezočnih radnji posvećenih samo jednom Bogu.
Tek pokatkad, kroz koprene vremena kojima su odeljeni od sveta, od nekoga od njih prodre zalutali zrak i osvetli nas svetlom koje kao da je prolazilo kroz sporo staklo. Svetlom blago difuznim i prašinastim, ali prodornim i toplim.
Duh sa Grend Benksa kao da stiže sa jedne od Simakovih bezbrojnih paralelnih Zemalja na kojoj su negde početkom šezdesetih događaji krenuli drugim tokom. Zemlje kojoj se nije dogodila Ursula Legvin, new wave, horor i kiberpank.
Ne odnosi se ovo, naravno, na neaktuelnost Klarkovih naučnih i tehničkih informacija. Fraktali, vađenje Titanika, najsavremeniji uređaji za podmorsko istraživanje samo su deo Klarkovog arsenala za obrazovni napad na čitaoca i on to čini neprestanom paljbom iz svih raspoloživih oružja, ne prezajući ni od toga da u pogovoru čitaocu detaljno predoči koordinate sa kojih je atakovao i spisak municije koju je koristio.
Odnosi se na zaboravljeni pristup nauci, a i naučnoj fantastici, otvorenih očiju, širokog srca i ustreptale duše. Klarkovi junaci, mnogobrojni duhovni klonovi samog pisca, razlikuju se po mnogo čemu, ali, bez izuzetka, svi su odani poklonici nauke. To što u ovom, a i nekim ranijim Klarkovim romanima, priroda odnosi pobedu nad tehnološkim čudima modernog čoveka, može se posmatrati kao Klarkovo upozorenje da se ne sme biti nadmen i gord u odnosu na prirodu. Može se posmatrati kao pretnja da postoje neke stvari u koje ne bi trebalo da se uplićemo. Međutim, ja baš nisam ubeđen u to. Mislim da Klark upozorava da nauka i tehnologija treba da služe prvo prirodi, pa onda čoveku. Mislim da Klark samo smatra da svaki problem treba dovoljno prostudirati da se isključe sve neželjene posledice, bilo po prirodu, bilo po čoveka. Katastrofa prilikom vađenja Titanika, kada priroda podmorskim zemljotresom zanavek osujećuje pokušaje čoveka da sebi vrati vrhunac tehnologije početka dvadesetog veka vrhunskom tehnologijom dvadeset prvog veka, nije, po meni, Klarkovo upozorenje da ne treba vršiti takav poduhvat. Klark ne baca kletvu da ono što je priroda ledenim bregom uzela u svoja nedra ne treba dirati, jer više ne pripada čoveku. On se samo boji da čovek u svojoj oholosti i brzopletosti ne načini nešto zbog čega će se kasnije kajati. Nagriženi ozonski omotač, seča amazonskih tropskih šuma, ili problem skladištenja nuklearnog otpada dovoljno su jaki argumenti na Klarkovoj strani.
Ovakvih romana više nema. Ovakvi tekstovi mogu se pisati na pisaćoj mašini, a nikako ne na kompjuteru. Današnjeg čitaoca pisci vode kroz virtuelne prostore, nanotehnološkim instrumentima menjaju mu dušu, prskaju mu noge krvlju i drobom i nadražuju ga konkretnim sredstvima.
Da li mi je žao? Da li se s nostalgijom prisetim starih, dobrih, nevinih vremena i drugačijih knjiga nalik na ovaj relikt? Da, ali verovatno sve to više nije bitno. Mislim da je i Klark to shvatio. Mislim da je jedino tako ova knjiga i mogla da nastane.
U svakom slučaju, hvala.
(tekst objavljen u časopisu Perpetuum mobile početkom devedesetih godina)
Polaris, Beograd, 1992., preveo (lepo) Zoran Jakšić
Čarls Plat u svojim uvrnutim i nepraštajućim godišnjim pregledima romana izašlih u Engleskoj i Americi koristi za najstariju generaciju pisaca naučne fantastike izraz dinosaurusi. Izraz oštar i precizan kao vrh jednorogovog dragocenog organa. Malo ih je ostalo, sigurno će izumreti, a i ponašaju se uglavnom kao daleki potomci Tyrranosaurus Rexa, žderu šta stignu, ne libeći se kolaboracija u kojima se njihov deo svodi na klimanje glavom, prostituisanja imena na naslovnim stranama edicija i časopisa, suludih
osavremenjavanja nepovratno zastarelih priča i sličnih gnusnih i bezočnih radnji posvećenih samo jednom Bogu.
Tek pokatkad, kroz koprene vremena kojima su odeljeni od sveta, od nekoga od njih prodre zalutali zrak i osvetli nas svetlom koje kao da je prolazilo kroz sporo staklo. Svetlom blago difuznim i prašinastim, ali prodornim i toplim.
Duh sa Grend Benksa kao da stiže sa jedne od Simakovih bezbrojnih paralelnih Zemalja na kojoj su negde početkom šezdesetih događaji krenuli drugim tokom. Zemlje kojoj se nije dogodila Ursula Legvin, new wave, horor i kiberpank.
Ne odnosi se ovo, naravno, na neaktuelnost Klarkovih naučnih i tehničkih informacija. Fraktali, vađenje Titanika, najsavremeniji uređaji za podmorsko istraživanje samo su deo Klarkovog arsenala za obrazovni napad na čitaoca i on to čini neprestanom paljbom iz svih raspoloživih oružja, ne prezajući ni od toga da u pogovoru čitaocu detaljno predoči koordinate sa kojih je atakovao i spisak municije koju je koristio.
Odnosi se na zaboravljeni pristup nauci, a i naučnoj fantastici, otvorenih očiju, širokog srca i ustreptale duše. Klarkovi junaci, mnogobrojni duhovni klonovi samog pisca, razlikuju se po mnogo čemu, ali, bez izuzetka, svi su odani poklonici nauke. To što u ovom, a i nekim ranijim Klarkovim romanima, priroda odnosi pobedu nad tehnološkim čudima modernog čoveka, može se posmatrati kao Klarkovo upozorenje da se ne sme biti nadmen i gord u odnosu na prirodu. Može se posmatrati kao pretnja da postoje neke stvari u koje ne bi trebalo da se uplićemo. Međutim, ja baš nisam ubeđen u to. Mislim da Klark upozorava da nauka i tehnologija treba da služe prvo prirodi, pa onda čoveku. Mislim da Klark samo smatra da svaki problem treba dovoljno prostudirati da se isključe sve neželjene posledice, bilo po prirodu, bilo po čoveka. Katastrofa prilikom vađenja Titanika, kada priroda podmorskim zemljotresom zanavek osujećuje pokušaje čoveka da sebi vrati vrhunac tehnologije početka dvadesetog veka vrhunskom tehnologijom dvadeset prvog veka, nije, po meni, Klarkovo upozorenje da ne treba vršiti takav poduhvat. Klark ne baca kletvu da ono što je priroda ledenim bregom uzela u svoja nedra ne treba dirati, jer više ne pripada čoveku. On se samo boji da čovek u svojoj oholosti i brzopletosti ne načini nešto zbog čega će se kasnije kajati. Nagriženi ozonski omotač, seča amazonskih tropskih šuma, ili problem skladištenja nuklearnog otpada dovoljno su jaki argumenti na Klarkovoj strani.
Ovakvih romana više nema. Ovakvi tekstovi mogu se pisati na pisaćoj mašini, a nikako ne na kompjuteru. Današnjeg čitaoca pisci vode kroz virtuelne prostore, nanotehnološkim instrumentima menjaju mu dušu, prskaju mu noge krvlju i drobom i nadražuju ga konkretnim sredstvima.
Da li mi je žao? Da li se s nostalgijom prisetim starih, dobrih, nevinih vremena i drugačijih knjiga nalik na ovaj relikt? Da, ali verovatno sve to više nije bitno. Mislim da je i Klark to shvatio. Mislim da je jedino tako ova knjiga i mogla da nastane.
U svakom slučaju, hvala.
(tekst objavljen u časopisu Perpetuum mobile početkom devedesetih godina)
January 10, 2019
Dry and anticlimactic, but I loved it! Some of my bias might have been fuelled by my love for Titanic, but nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book and blew through the pages in a couple of days.
Your mileage may vary.
Your mileage may vary.
March 21, 2022
I find it hard to believe that Arthur C Clarke wrote this. Almost didn't buy it due to the less than positive reviews from some and ended up wishing I hadn't bought it. Unbelievably crap.
Read
December 31, 2020 Υπάρχουν ενδιαφέρουσες ιδέες επιστημονικής φαντασίας σε αυτό το βιβλίο. Συνδυάζει κάποια υπαρκτα πράγματα και τα προεκτεινει για να χτίσει έναν κόσμο στο κοντινό για εμάς μέλλον με διάφορες τεχνολογικές ανακαλύψεις και καινοτομίες. Όλα αυτά είναι που μου αρέσουν και περιμένω από ένα βιβλίο επιστημονικής φαντασίας. Αυτό όμως που επίσης περιμένω είναι και μια υπόθεση. Κυριολεκτικά τίποτα δεν συνδέεται με τίποτα, υπάρχουν ένα σωρό πράγματα, ιδέες και στοιχεία του κόσμου που επεξηγουνται λεπτομερώς, δεν συνδέονται όμως με τίποτα και δεν καταλήγουν πουθενά. Πραγματικά δεν υπερβάλω καθόλου δε αυτό. Ειλικρινά αυτό δεν αντιπροσωπεύει μια ιστορία αλλά ένα σύνολο ιδεών πρόχειρα κολλημένα μεταξύ τους. Δεν θα έλεγα ότι με δυσαρεστήσει πολύ, επειδή ευχαριστήθηκα τον κόσμο και μέχρι το τέλος περίμενα πως όλα κάπως θα δέσουν και θα οδηγήσουν κάπου μέχρι που κατάλαβα πως αυτό δεν θα γίνει. Εκεί κάποιος εύκολα υα απογοητευτεί.
March 28, 2014
Reading science fiction portrayals of a future that is now technically in the past is always an interesting experience. Where the author manages to make accurate predictions, one sometimes has to wonder if the prediction wasn’t self-fulfilling, in that it created the idea that inspired the development itself. In this case, though, Clarke was only reaching two decades ahead, from 1990 to 2010, and therefore didn’t feel the need to make any extreme extrapolations. As a result, while he missed the mark in many ways, his descriptions aren’t shockingly far from reality.
Fans of Clarke’s writing will find that this book includes a fair bit of what he does extremely well, namely, the descriptions of speculative technology. Clarke excels in building new technologies on solid scientific principles, so that what he describes seems entirely reasonable, even when it is actually quite incredible. In this book, he presents two different solutions to the problem of raising the Titanic, an incredible feat, if ever there were one, and both seem completely reasonable.
Unfortunately, this book is far more character driven than many of Clarke’s other tales, and this is not an area where his talents are at their best. The characters feel a bit flat, and some of their motivations seem weak or contrived. Clarke seems to recognize this, since he draws in a whole sub-plot built upon M-sets that have nothing to do with the efforts to raise the Titanic, apparently in a futile effort to flesh out several of the characters.
This is a relatively short novel, and an easy one to read. For those who are fascinated by the Titanic or deep sea exploration, Clarke’s descriptions might make it worth reading. But if you are looking for a first rate science fiction novel, give this a pass in favor of some of Clarke’s better works.
Fans of Clarke’s writing will find that this book includes a fair bit of what he does extremely well, namely, the descriptions of speculative technology. Clarke excels in building new technologies on solid scientific principles, so that what he describes seems entirely reasonable, even when it is actually quite incredible. In this book, he presents two different solutions to the problem of raising the Titanic, an incredible feat, if ever there were one, and both seem completely reasonable.
Unfortunately, this book is far more character driven than many of Clarke’s other tales, and this is not an area where his talents are at their best. The characters feel a bit flat, and some of their motivations seem weak or contrived. Clarke seems to recognize this, since he draws in a whole sub-plot built upon M-sets that have nothing to do with the efforts to raise the Titanic, apparently in a futile effort to flesh out several of the characters.
This is a relatively short novel, and an easy one to read. For those who are fascinated by the Titanic or deep sea exploration, Clarke’s descriptions might make it worth reading. But if you are looking for a first rate science fiction novel, give this a pass in favor of some of Clarke’s better works.
August 14, 2013
It's always interesting to read books that take place in a future that is now the past. Granted, this one has a much shorter timeframe - it was written in 1990 and takes place in 2010 - so things aren't all that far off, but the differences are more noticeable for it. I wonder how the story would have changed had Clarke envisioned smart phones. I was especially amused to read about the couple who made their fortune "sanitizing" old movies by removing all evidence of cigarettes. Anyway, this is about two semi-rival attempts to raise the Titanic using two very different methods. Luckily, they're each content retrieving a different half of the ship so there isn't much rivalry aside from who gets it to the surface first. And honestly, it's really not all that good. The technology is passably interesting but the characters are too thin, the disasters are too convenient, and the Mandelbrot Set theory is jammed in sideways with no apparent connection to anything else in the story. This might appeal to a Clarke or Titanic enthusiast, but if you're new to either, you'd be better off picking up something else.
July 4, 2018
I was thinking about this book today. It's not a well Arthur C. Clarke, but it was my first. I remember not being blown away by it, but it stayed well within my consciousness for months on end. This book was my introduction to science fiction despite being a mediocre read - and I'd like to thank Mr Clarke for sucking me into this fantastic world of science fiction.
Courtesy of Jen's mini reviews
Courtesy of Jen's mini reviews
March 12, 2012
Ok , a good rule of thumb for sci-fi is you can't go wrong with Arthur :pretty much holds true for this....
The story is set in 2012 , & concerns ambitious plans to raise the Titanic . Sir Arthur C loved his diving & underwater expeditions , & his enthusiasm for this - & working out the theoretical answer to "just how do you raise the Titanic?" shows through .
Reminds me quite a bit of "The Fountains of Paradise" , as it's the story of the engineering project , which is really the main "character" in the book . There is a digression at times into fractals & the Mandelbrot set , which was "in" when this was written .
Worth a go.
The story is set in 2012 , & concerns ambitious plans to raise the Titanic . Sir Arthur C loved his diving & underwater expeditions , & his enthusiasm for this - & working out the theoretical answer to "just how do you raise the Titanic?" shows through .
Reminds me quite a bit of "The Fountains of Paradise" , as it's the story of the engineering project , which is really the main "character" in the book . There is a digression at times into fractals & the Mandelbrot set , which was "in" when this was written .
Worth a go.
November 6, 2013
I'm about 15 pages from the end of this book and I'm giving up.
It's written badly. It's constructed of short (2-4 page) chapters which all follow exactly the same progression. It's full of patronising little scientific titbits where Clarke tells some convenient dimwitted stooge something the reader needs to know. It's clumsy in its building of suspence and it's clumsy in its introduction of characters. The characters don't so much feel fleshed-out as built to meet a quota. In fact, that's exactly what this reads like, a book written to meet a contractual obligation or for a quick buck.
It's written badly. It's constructed of short (2-4 page) chapters which all follow exactly the same progression. It's full of patronising little scientific titbits where Clarke tells some convenient dimwitted stooge something the reader needs to know. It's clumsy in its building of suspence and it's clumsy in its introduction of characters. The characters don't so much feel fleshed-out as built to meet a quota. In fact, that's exactly what this reads like, a book written to meet a contractual obligation or for a quick buck.
August 18, 2015
A pretty awful book in almost every respect. Profoundly bad pacing, indistinguishable characters, a nice dash of sexism here and there, and some moments that make the old Batman movie's "Shark Repellent" look entirely plausible. Other than the cockamamie plans to raise the Titanic, which are absolutely absurd, there's also a lot of bad science scattered here and there. For instance, there's the notion that the Titanic is draped in weeds, even though she's located at 12,500 feet. In short, ugh.
June 20, 2010
While not Clarke's best work it's interesting to see the technological predictions. The book was written in 1991 and is set in the present day. This was before things such as twitter or skype and yet Clarke mentions very similar things with startling accuracy.
November 27, 2020
Probably my favorite of Clarke's books. Found it in the glove compartment of a Jeep in the islands when I was 13 years old and have probably read it 13 times since. Not really SF at all, just a story about people, science, and their uneasy relationship.
January 4, 2010
all about the beauty of fractals...
June 22, 2025
New (to me) Titanic content in the year of our Lord 2025?! Thanks, Mr. Clarke.
Conceptually, the premise of 2 billionaires racing to see who can raise the Titanic wreck first and thus bring it to their respective country as a tourist attraction is honestly something that in this day and age, I wouldn't even bat an eye at. Just substitute his fictional billionaires for, like, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos or something. I'd buy it.
Arthur C. Clarke managed to take a somewhat goofy (if not unbelievable) premise and execute it seriously enough to create a story that wasn't predictable, and evolved in what felt like a controlled, but natural way, new elements and plot threads being introduced as the course of the 'Titanic Race' played out.
It was clear that he loved the worldbuilding of the different types of tech each side employed, but he never got too in the weeds with it. It was: 'we have this tech, we can conceivably use it to do this, so we're going to try.' And this left breathing room for more interesting conversations between characters about the ethics around the venture rather than conversations about feasibility. I loathe it in sci-fi when characters argue about the limitations of fictional tech. Like, bruv, who cares? So, thank you, Clarke, for sparing us from that.
Everything with the Titanic angle: the race between uber-rich guys throwing their ungodly wealth at what amounts to an ultimately unimportant dong-measuring contest feels (stupidly) prescient, the dystopian capitalism of using the wreck as a tourist attraction, and even elements of the climax (no spoilers!) felt fresh for a novel published in the early 90s.
That being said, the novel does feel disjointed in the middle because the entire subplot about the M-Set, while interesting, never once connected back to the main Titanic plot, and it really should have been its own novel, not part of this one. Clarke was obviously just as interested in this mathematical concept as he was the Titanic wreck and people's obsession with it, so it's a pity that both ideas cannibalized each other in the middle of the book rather than each being explored more fully.
Normally, when a book seems like it would make a good movie, I wonder if that's because it being a book was a misplaced medium, and in this case, I genuinely think this plot would make a far better mini-series than it did a novel. Not because Clarke is a bad writer by any means, but because the idea was so much stronger and more interesting than the characters acting it out. I have often found this to be the case with plot-driven stories, and it was definitely the case here. But someone should do this as a mini-series, seriously. This is such a good moment for exactly a story like this!
Given the recent Titan sub implosion, 'Ghost from the Grand Banks' feels eerily prophetic. But then again, maybe Clarke was just good at understanding the nature of people with more money than anyone should have. Power might reveal, but money seems like it always corrupts. And capitalism corrupts absolutely.
Conceptually, the premise of 2 billionaires racing to see who can raise the Titanic wreck first and thus bring it to their respective country as a tourist attraction is honestly something that in this day and age, I wouldn't even bat an eye at. Just substitute his fictional billionaires for, like, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos or something. I'd buy it.
Arthur C. Clarke managed to take a somewhat goofy (if not unbelievable) premise and execute it seriously enough to create a story that wasn't predictable, and evolved in what felt like a controlled, but natural way, new elements and plot threads being introduced as the course of the 'Titanic Race' played out.
It was clear that he loved the worldbuilding of the different types of tech each side employed, but he never got too in the weeds with it. It was: 'we have this tech, we can conceivably use it to do this, so we're going to try.' And this left breathing room for more interesting conversations between characters about the ethics around the venture rather than conversations about feasibility. I loathe it in sci-fi when characters argue about the limitations of fictional tech. Like, bruv, who cares? So, thank you, Clarke, for sparing us from that.
Everything with the Titanic angle: the race between uber-rich guys throwing their ungodly wealth at what amounts to an ultimately unimportant dong-measuring contest feels (stupidly) prescient, the dystopian capitalism of using the wreck as a tourist attraction, and even elements of the climax (no spoilers!) felt fresh for a novel published in the early 90s.
That being said, the novel does feel disjointed in the middle because the entire subplot about the M-Set, while interesting, never once connected back to the main Titanic plot, and it really should have been its own novel, not part of this one. Clarke was obviously just as interested in this mathematical concept as he was the Titanic wreck and people's obsession with it, so it's a pity that both ideas cannibalized each other in the middle of the book rather than each being explored more fully.
Normally, when a book seems like it would make a good movie, I wonder if that's because it being a book was a misplaced medium, and in this case, I genuinely think this plot would make a far better mini-series than it did a novel. Not because Clarke is a bad writer by any means, but because the idea was so much stronger and more interesting than the characters acting it out. I have often found this to be the case with plot-driven stories, and it was definitely the case here. But someone should do this as a mini-series, seriously. This is such a good moment for exactly a story like this!
Given the recent Titan sub implosion, 'Ghost from the Grand Banks' feels eerily prophetic. But then again, maybe Clarke was just good at understanding the nature of people with more money than anyone should have. Power might reveal, but money seems like it always corrupts. And capitalism corrupts absolutely.
October 5, 2024
Clarke is one of my favourite authors, but this was the most disappointing of his novels I've read since the Rama sequels, which I mostly contribute to the co-author anyway.
What is this book about? The raising of the Titanic? Yes, but not really. A family whose daughter becomes obsessed with a mathematical pattern? Yes, but not really. The scientific and legal situation of working on the seafloor? Yes, but not really.
Once I finished reading, all I could think was; "Is that it?". Nothing in particular happens in this story, and it's very disjointing with no chapter connecting into the next. Most chapters take place months or years apart, with different characters that barely interact.
I thought it was strange for Clarke to decide to weave both the Titanic and the Mandelbrot Set storylines into the same novel. They have nothing to do with each other and do not affect the other for the entire length. They would have been much better as separate novels, and it's clear Clarke became interested in both subjects at the same time but didn't want to take the time to write two separate novels so he included them both to each other's detriment.
The characters are bland and non-interesting, with the only one I cared about being the daughter of the two mathematicians who become obsessed with the Mandelbrot Set. However, like the rest of the novel, this part goes nowhere, is not resolved, and ends poorly. The only part I liked was the discussion of the science of how to raise the Titanic, which is an interesting premise, but it unfortunately gets bogged down by legal discussions in the novel. Not exactly the type of discussion I like to read about in Science Fiction.
Lastly, there is an epilogue that is among the most laughably bad pieces of fiction I have ever read. It has nothing to do with the rest of the story (apart from a short sentence), is bizarrely inaccurate for Clarke's writings, and does not fit into the tone of the novel at all. It concerns an alien who finds the Titanic millions of years into the future and one of the observations it has regarding the ship made me unreasonably angry with Clarke. It mentions that a species that has travelled into space, like humans, would never build anything out of something as basic as iron. Why would Clarke write this? Why would he think that a highly evolved being wouldn't understand that a species would build things out of iron before moving on to more advanced materials?
3/10
What is this book about? The raising of the Titanic? Yes, but not really. A family whose daughter becomes obsessed with a mathematical pattern? Yes, but not really. The scientific and legal situation of working on the seafloor? Yes, but not really.
Once I finished reading, all I could think was; "Is that it?". Nothing in particular happens in this story, and it's very disjointing with no chapter connecting into the next. Most chapters take place months or years apart, with different characters that barely interact.
I thought it was strange for Clarke to decide to weave both the Titanic and the Mandelbrot Set storylines into the same novel. They have nothing to do with each other and do not affect the other for the entire length. They would have been much better as separate novels, and it's clear Clarke became interested in both subjects at the same time but didn't want to take the time to write two separate novels so he included them both to each other's detriment.
The characters are bland and non-interesting, with the only one I cared about being the daughter of the two mathematicians who become obsessed with the Mandelbrot Set. However, like the rest of the novel, this part goes nowhere, is not resolved, and ends poorly. The only part I liked was the discussion of the science of how to raise the Titanic, which is an interesting premise, but it unfortunately gets bogged down by legal discussions in the novel. Not exactly the type of discussion I like to read about in Science Fiction.
Lastly, there is an epilogue that is among the most laughably bad pieces of fiction I have ever read. It has nothing to do with the rest of the story (apart from a short sentence), is bizarrely inaccurate for Clarke's writings, and does not fit into the tone of the novel at all. It concerns an alien who finds the Titanic millions of years into the future and one of the observations it has regarding the ship made me unreasonably angry with Clarke. It mentions that a species that has travelled into space, like humans, would never build anything out of something as basic as iron. Why would Clarke write this? Why would he think that a highly evolved being wouldn't understand that a species would build things out of iron before moving on to more advanced materials?
3/10
May 31, 2025
The Ghost from the Grand Banks by Arthur C. Clarke is a science fiction novel that explores the ambitious efforts to raise the Titanic from the ocean floor in the early 21st century, blending themes of technology, human ambition, and the unpredictability of nature. Here are the five main takeaways from the novel:
1. Human Ambition and Technological Hubris: The novel highlights humanity's relentless drive to conquer challenges through advanced technology, as seen in the competing efforts to salvage the Titanic. However, Clarke underscores the limitations of human control, as unpredictable factors like weather and the Mandelbrot Set (a mathematical concept used to model complexity) disrupt even the best-laid plans.
2. The Enduring Allure of the Titanic: The Titanic remains a powerful symbol of human triumph and tragedy, captivating people across generations. Clarke uses its mystique to explore why certain historical events hold enduring fascination, driving individuals and corporations to invest immense resources in its recovery.
3. The Role of Mathematics in Understanding Complexity: The novel introduces the Mandelbrot Set as a metaphor for the chaotic and unpredictable nature of reality. Clarke illustrates how complex systems, whether natural (like storms) or human-made (like salvage operations), can defy straightforward prediction and control.
4. Environmental and Ethical Challenges: The competing projects to raise the Titanic face not only technical hurdles but also environmental and ethical dilemmas. Clarke raises questions about the cost of such endeavors, both in terms of resources and potential harm to the ocean ecosystem, reflecting broader concerns about humanity's impact on the planet.
5. The Intersection of Past and Future: By setting the story in 2012 (the Titanic’s centenary), Clarke juxtaposes historical tragedy with futuristic technology. The novel explores how the past continues to shape human aspirations and how future innovations, like deep-sea engineering and artificial intelligence, are used to revisit and reinterpret history.
These takeaways capture Clarke’s blend of speculative science, philosophical inquiry, and cautionary storytelling about humanity’s relationship with technology and history.
1. Human Ambition and Technological Hubris: The novel highlights humanity's relentless drive to conquer challenges through advanced technology, as seen in the competing efforts to salvage the Titanic. However, Clarke underscores the limitations of human control, as unpredictable factors like weather and the Mandelbrot Set (a mathematical concept used to model complexity) disrupt even the best-laid plans.
2. The Enduring Allure of the Titanic: The Titanic remains a powerful symbol of human triumph and tragedy, captivating people across generations. Clarke uses its mystique to explore why certain historical events hold enduring fascination, driving individuals and corporations to invest immense resources in its recovery.
3. The Role of Mathematics in Understanding Complexity: The novel introduces the Mandelbrot Set as a metaphor for the chaotic and unpredictable nature of reality. Clarke illustrates how complex systems, whether natural (like storms) or human-made (like salvage operations), can defy straightforward prediction and control.
4. Environmental and Ethical Challenges: The competing projects to raise the Titanic face not only technical hurdles but also environmental and ethical dilemmas. Clarke raises questions about the cost of such endeavors, both in terms of resources and potential harm to the ocean ecosystem, reflecting broader concerns about humanity's impact on the planet.
5. The Intersection of Past and Future: By setting the story in 2012 (the Titanic’s centenary), Clarke juxtaposes historical tragedy with futuristic technology. The novel explores how the past continues to shape human aspirations and how future innovations, like deep-sea engineering and artificial intelligence, are used to revisit and reinterpret history.
These takeaways capture Clarke’s blend of speculative science, philosophical inquiry, and cautionary storytelling about humanity’s relationship with technology and history.
September 30, 2023
It pains me to feel so negative about a Clarke novel, but The Ghost from the Grand Banks lacks focus.
As a regular reader of Clarke's work I know, even expect, his meandering ways that more often than not tend to stray from the story at hand, becoming more interested in exploring his future settings and the positive impact humans could have on the environment if only we could change our idea of society.
And usually that works well for me, I love exploring these future Utopias, as helpless naïve as they seem.
However, here Clake is writing about a, then, near future set only a couple years before the centennial of the Titanic's sinking, in which a couple enterprising people hatch the plan to raise the Titanic. There's a lot of topical references made throughout the book, including a nod to Cussler's novel, and a quite catty remark about the late L. Ron Hubbard.
Clarke's writing is witty as usual, with lots of British humour, mixed with intelligent commentary on recent scientifc findings, there's nothing really wrong on that side.
But the writing feels off, even for Clarke. He takes for example the first third of the book to introduce character upon character, many of whom subsequently have few to no bearing on story.
Then the whole book is cut up into short mini chapters with a max length of maybe ten pages, with some of them seeming to have no real connection to former chapters, which led to me spending a lot of time trying to figure out what's going.
In the end of the 200+ pages only a mere fifty or so appear to really concern themselves with the Titanic and the character's diverse approaches at how to lift her, whereas the rest was simply not interesting enough to hold my attention as a reader.
As a regular reader of Clarke's work I know, even expect, his meandering ways that more often than not tend to stray from the story at hand, becoming more interested in exploring his future settings and the positive impact humans could have on the environment if only we could change our idea of society.
And usually that works well for me, I love exploring these future Utopias, as helpless naïve as they seem.
However, here Clake is writing about a, then, near future set only a couple years before the centennial of the Titanic's sinking, in which a couple enterprising people hatch the plan to raise the Titanic. There's a lot of topical references made throughout the book, including a nod to Cussler's novel, and a quite catty remark about the late L. Ron Hubbard.
Clarke's writing is witty as usual, with lots of British humour, mixed with intelligent commentary on recent scientifc findings, there's nothing really wrong on that side.
But the writing feels off, even for Clarke. He takes for example the first third of the book to introduce character upon character, many of whom subsequently have few to no bearing on story.
Then the whole book is cut up into short mini chapters with a max length of maybe ten pages, with some of them seeming to have no real connection to former chapters, which led to me spending a lot of time trying to figure out what's going.
In the end of the 200+ pages only a mere fifty or so appear to really concern themselves with the Titanic and the character's diverse approaches at how to lift her, whereas the rest was simply not interesting enough to hold my attention as a reader.
December 18, 2022
I purchased my copy of this book used at a Friends of the LSU Library book sale earlier this year, for the princely sum of one buck. I probably should have saved my buck for some other use. Over the years I have read through most of Mr. AC Clarke's catalogue in a wandering fashion and enjoyed most of it. This book, apparently written near the end of his career, seems like the product of a different (and vastly less talented) author. It is a veritable dog's breakfast of random ideas that were "hot" when the book was published in 1990, all loosely nailed to the framework of a tale about two competing organizations racing to raise the wreck of the Titanic by the 100 year anniversary of the ship's sinking. A lot of the book is taken up with characters discussing fractal geometry and the Mandelbrot set, topics that have no correlation to the story line. It seems like Clarke's rationale for writing the book was, "I have a passionate interest in the Titanic and in fractal geometry, so I'll write a book where these completely unrelated topics are mashed together". The result is pretty much a train wreck. Three out of five stars.
January 18, 2024
Less of a novel than a lengthy series of events
The late Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote less of a story here than he did a realistic sequence of events of what might have happened if two wealthy groups of people had attempted to raise The TITANIC on its 100th anniversary--at least, realistic from the viewpoint of the mid-1990s when he wrote it. The problem is the story doesn't really end, despite the stupidly pointless deaths of a few people we get to know during the course of events--clearly an intentional choice on Clarke's part.
From the viewpoint of 2024, certain aspects of the future of 2012 come off as kind of comical, like using algorithms to remove smoking scenes from classic movies, or how the Y2K bug got resolved. That's part of the charm of reading older SF, though, uncovering what the authors of an earlier time got right and what they got wrong.
As a hard SF story from a hard SF author, it's enjoyable but inessential--unless you're fascinated by The TITANIC, undersea exploration, or Mandelbrot numbers.
The late Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote less of a story here than he did a realistic sequence of events of what might have happened if two wealthy groups of people had attempted to raise The TITANIC on its 100th anniversary--at least, realistic from the viewpoint of the mid-1990s when he wrote it. The problem is the story doesn't really end, despite the stupidly pointless deaths of a few people we get to know during the course of events--clearly an intentional choice on Clarke's part.
From the viewpoint of 2024, certain aspects of the future of 2012 come off as kind of comical, like using algorithms to remove smoking scenes from classic movies, or how the Y2K bug got resolved. That's part of the charm of reading older SF, though, uncovering what the authors of an earlier time got right and what they got wrong.
As a hard SF story from a hard SF author, it's enjoyable but inessential--unless you're fascinated by The TITANIC, undersea exploration, or Mandelbrot numbers.
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