The Other Side of the Sky presents a glimpse of our future: a future where reality is no longer contained in earthly dimensions, where man has learned to exist with the knowledge that he is not alone in the universe. These stories of other planets and galactic adventures show Arthur C. Clarke at the peak of his powers: sometimes disturbing, always intriguing.
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Book Description
A collection of 24 stories by ¿One of the truly prophetic figures of the space age¿ (New Yorker).
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Arthur C. Clarke was born in Minehead in 1917. During the Second World War he served as a radar instructor for the RAF, rising to the rank of flight-lieutenant. After the war, he entered King¿s college, London taking, in 1948, his Bsc in physics and mathematics with first class honours.One of the most respected of all science-fiction writers, he has won Kalinga Prize, the Aviation Space-Writers¿ Prize and the Westinghouse Science Writing Prize. He also shared an Oscar nomination with Stanley Kubrick for the screenplay of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was based on his story, ¿The Sentinel¿. He has lived in Sri Lanka since 1956.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The stories in this book are wonderful, & the great thing about them is how varied they are. It is all here - tragedy, mystery, humour, and Love. The collection gets off to a great start with The Nine Billion Names of God - a story which just goes to show that the strangest religions may have something in them, even if they are not entirely correct.....Then there is The Wall of Darkness, a haunting story indeed. Cosmic Casanova and No Morning After weigh in with a great bit of SF humour.
Surely the best story in this collection is The Star. Unfortunately I cannot say much about it without giving away the plot; suffice to say that it's very disturbing, especially the end, but is a must-read for SF fans. Out of the Sun is an implausible story if ever there was one, but truth is stranger than fiction I guess. Finally there is The Songs of Distant Earth, which may well sound familiar to you, as this is the embryonic short story which grew into a full-length Clarke novel of the same name. Well, there it is folks. This is a collection of superb and original stories. If anyone out there is an SF fan, and finds nothing in this volume to their liking, I'll eat my socks.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars
7 reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic Collection
21 April 2006
By Arthur W. Jordin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
The Other Side of the Sky (1958) is a collection of classic SF stories and one fantasy. They range in time from tomorrow to a distant future.
The first story, The Nine Billion Names of God, is a tale of the supernatural, yet is probably the most famous story in this volume. A Tibetan monastery makes arrangements to acquire an Automatic Sequence Computer and two technicians to maintain it. The monks are compiling a list of all the names of God so that the universe can finally terminate.
The following stories tell of a royal stowaway, the building of the first space stations (and the founding of the Vacuum-Breathers Club), a wall with only one side, a future security leak, the end of the world, and the race to the Moon. Others tell of the non-invasion of Earth, the super gadget from the future, the gorgeous woman at journey's end, the most famous of novae, a strange solar phenomenon, and the coming of the Dark Nebula. This collection concludes with The Songs of Distant Earth, a tale of the infatuation of a native girl with a visiting spaceman.
This collection is probably the most representative of the author's works. These stories were written early in his career, yet subsequent tales usually expanded upon similar themes. Although the number of stories about the world's end seems excessive, remember that those were ominous times.
Highly recommended for Clarke fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of human reactions to advances in science and technology.
-Arthur W. Jordin
The first story, The Nine Billion Names of God, is a tale of the supernatural, yet is probably the most famous story in this volume. A Tibetan monastery makes arrangements to acquire an Automatic Sequence Computer and two technicians to maintain it. The monks are compiling a list of all the names of God so that the universe can finally terminate.
The following stories tell of a royal stowaway, the building of the first space stations (and the founding of the Vacuum-Breathers Club), a wall with only one side, a future security leak, the end of the world, and the race to the Moon. Others tell of the non-invasion of Earth, the super gadget from the future, the gorgeous woman at journey's end, the most famous of novae, a strange solar phenomenon, and the coming of the Dark Nebula. This collection concludes with The Songs of Distant Earth, a tale of the infatuation of a native girl with a visiting spaceman.
This collection is probably the most representative of the author's works. These stories were written early in his career, yet subsequent tales usually expanded upon similar themes. Although the number of stories about the world's end seems excessive, remember that those were ominous times.
Highly recommended for Clarke fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of human reactions to advances in science and technology.
-Arthur W. Jordin
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
6 July 2000
By Bill R. Moore
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I agree, Clarke is better suited to the novel, but he is also a brilliant short story writer. The Nine Billion Names of God, as everyone knows, is one of the best SF short stories ever written, and has actually led several people to carry out the exploits in the story in real life, so compelling is the idea behind it. Not to be overlooked in this collection, are such masterpieces as the chilling Wall of Darkness, The Star (which is also one of the best ever), and All The Time In The World, yet another great story. Also included, among others, is A Venture To The Moon, a fictional pre-Apollo account of the first manned mission to the moon that is told is such striking detail that it comes off nearly as a documentary (and a factual one at that). Regardless of what facet of Clarke's writing that you enjoy the most, there is bound to be something here that you'll like.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Clarke doesn't play to the short story
6 Dec 1997
By brookoben@usa.net
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
While Clarke managed to keep a science ficton bond between all his stories, some were tripped up with their lack of length. The first impression you get is The Nine Billion Names of God. While it is a good first impression, Clarke can't expand as well as he is able to in an extended novel. The short story doesn't play to his abilities and the rich characterization he does so well. Other stories manage to be boundless in their explorations of science but the reader only gets a glimpse at the people who can enrich them. The fault in The Other Side of the Sky is not Clarke's writing, but his choice of medium.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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