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肖芯薪褌邪薪褘 褉邪褟
袧芯胁褘泄 褉芯屑邪薪 泻褉褍锌薪械泄褕械谐芯 邪薪谐谢懈泄褋泻芯谐芯 锌懈褋邪褌械谢褟 褎邪薪褌邪褋褌邪, 褍褔械薪芯谐芯 懈 锌芯锌褍谢褟褉懈蟹邪褌芯褉邪 薪邪褍泻懈. 袨褋薪芯胁薪褍褞 泻邪薪胁褍 褉芯屑邪薪邪 褋芯褋褌邪胁谢褟械褌 褋芯芯褉褍卸械薪懈械 芦泻芯褋屑懈褔械褋泻芯谐芯 谢懈褎褌邪禄 写谢褟 褋胁褟蟹懈 褋芯 褋锌褍褌薪懈泻芯屑, 薪邪褏芯写褟褖懈屑褋褟 锌芯褋褌芯褟薪薪芯 薪邪写 芯写薪芯泄 褌芯褔泻芯泄 袟械屑谢懈.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
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About the author
Arthur C. Clarke
1,617听books11.2k听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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May 16, 2022
SF Masterworks #34 - Clarke does it again! This is the third SFmasterworks by him I have read, and once again I was totally immersed in a future reality that was so complete, so real, so well thought out.. so good!
Visionary engineer Vannevar Morgan wants to build a 'space elevator' that would enable very affordable transport of cargo into space and beyond. For any normal writer that's enough of a story, but Clarke adds in complications of political considerations, a historic site, religion and personal differences. He turns a future story of an innovative engineer into the story of a 22nd visionary pushing at, and test the status quo of his 22nd century reality Smashing! Super! 9 out of 12.
2020 read
Visionary engineer Vannevar Morgan wants to build a 'space elevator' that would enable very affordable transport of cargo into space and beyond. For any normal writer that's enough of a story, but Clarke adds in complications of political considerations, a historic site, religion and personal differences. He turns a future story of an innovative engineer into the story of a 22nd visionary pushing at, and test the status quo of his 22nd century reality Smashing! Super! 9 out of 12.
2020 read
October 11, 2020
The Fountains of Paradise, Arthur C. Clarke
Characters: Vannemar Morga
Abstracts: Vannemar Morgan's dream of linking Earth with the stars requires a 24,000-mile-high space elevator. But first he must solve a million technical, political, and economic problems.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 卮丕賳夭丿賴賲 賲丕賴 丿爻丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 1978賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
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丕蹖丿賴鈥� 蹖 芦丌爻丕賳爻賵乇 賮囟丕蹖蹖禄貙 丕夭 禺賵丿 芦讴賱丕乇讴禄 亘賵丿賴貙 丕賲丕 诏賵蹖丕 倬蹖卮 丕夭 丕蹖卮丕賳 賳蹖夭貙 卮禺氐 丿蹖诏乇蹖貙 亘賴 丕蹖賳 賲賵囟賵毓 賮讴乇 讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿貙 賲賵囟賵毓 乇丕 亘賴 賯賱賲 禺賵丿 芦讴賱丕乇讴禄貙 丕夭 賲丐禺乇賴 蹖 讴鬲丕亘 賳賯賱 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�: 芦丕蹖賳 賲賮賴賵賲 噩丕賱亘貙 賳禺爻鬲 丿乇 芦賲噩賱賴 爻丕蹖賳爻禄 賵 丿乇 鬲丕乇蹖禺 乇賵夭 蹖丕夭丿賴賲 賲丕賴 賮賵乇蹖賴 爻丕賱 1966賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 賲胤乇丨 卮丿貨 丕賲丕 倬爻 丕夭 賲丿鬲蹖貙 丌卮讴丕乇 卮丿貙 讴賴 (賲賴賳丿爻 乇賵爻蹖)貙 丿乇 爻丕賱 1960賲蹖賱丕丿蹖貙 胤蹖 賲賯丕賱賴鈥� 丕蹖 趩賳蹖賳 趩蹖夭蹖 乇丕 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿賴貙 丿乇 胤賵賱 爻丕賱颅賴丕蹖 亘诏匕卮鬲賴貙 賮毓丕賱蹖鬲鈥屬囏й� (賳馗乇蹖- 毓賱賲蹖)貙 賵 賲丨丕爻亘丕鬲 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖貙 丿乇 丕蹖賳亘丕乇賴 丕賳噩丕賲 诏乇賮鬲賴 丕爻鬲貨 亘賴 賳馗乇賲 夭賲丕賳 鬲賮讴乇 跇乇賮 賵 丕賯丿丕賲 賱丕夭賲 賮乇丕 乇爻蹖丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 丕爻鬲賮丕丿賴 丕夭 亘乇噩 賲丿丕乇蹖貙 亘乇丕蹖 丿爻鬲蹖丕亘蹖 亘賴 賮囟丕 賳蹖夭貙 亘賴 氐賵乇鬲 賲賯丕賱賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴丕賲賱丕賸 毓賱賲蹖貙 丿乇 爻丕賱 1976賲蹖賱丕丿蹖貙 鬲賵爻胤 鬲毓丿丕丿蹖 丕夭 丿丕賳卮賲賳丿丕賳貙 賲賵乇丿 亘乇乇爻蹖 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴貙 丕賱亘鬲賴 鬲毓丿丕丿蹖 丕夭 丿賵爻鬲丕賳賲貙 亘賴 丕蹖賳 賳讴鬲賴 丕卮丕乇賴 讴乇丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 讴賴 趩賳蹖賳 亘乇噩蹖貙 鬲丨鬲 鬲兀孬蹖乇 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖 噩丕匕亘賴 蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖 賵 賲丕賴貙 丿趩丕乇 丨乇讴丕鬲 乇賮鬲 賵 亘乇诏卮鬲蹖貙 丿乇 噩賴鬲 (卮賲丕賱- 噩賳賵亘) 禺賵丕賴丿 卮丿貨 丿乇 丕蹖賳 氐賵乇鬲 卮丕蹖丿 (鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖) 賲丨賱 趩賳丿丕賳 禺賵亘蹖 賳亘丕卮丿貙 丕賲丕 亘丕夭賴賲 亘賴鬲乇 丕夭 亘賯蹖賴 賲讴丕賳鈥屬囏� 禺賵丕賴丿 亘賵丿貨 賵 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 賳讴鬲賴 毓噩蹖亘 丕蹖賳 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 爻丕賱鈥屬囏� 倬蹖卮 丕夭 丌賳鈥屭┵� 亘賴 賲賵囟賵毓 乇賲丕賳 亘蹖賳丿蹖卮賲貙 賳丕禺賵丿丌诏丕賴 賲丨賱 賲賵乇丿賳馗乇貙 丿乇 賵噩賵丿賲 賳賯卮 亘爻鬲賴 亘賵丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 禺丕賳賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴賴 丿乇 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 爻賵丕丨賱 (爻乇蹖賱丕賳讴丕) 禺乇蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賲貙 亘賴 賳賯胤賴 (丨丿丕讴孬乇 孬亘丕鬲 賲丿丕乇 孬丕亘鬲)貙 亘爻蹖丕乇 賳夭丿蹖讴 亘賵丿貨 丿賵爻鬲 丿丕乇賲 丿乇 丿賵乇丕賳 倬蹖乇蹖 賵 丿乇 禺丕賳賴 蹖 丌乇丕賲賲貙 乇卮丿 趩賳蹖賳 亘乇噩蹖 乇丕 丿乇 丌爻賲丕賳 鬲賲丕卮丕 讴賳賲禄貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱 丕夭 賲丐禺乇賴 讴鬲丕亘
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1 Kalidasa - 讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕
2 Ranapura - 乇丕賳丕倬賵乇丕
3 鈥� 鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖: 丕蹖賳 讴卮賵乇 賵噩賵丿 禺丕乇噩蹖 賳丿丕乇丿貨 丕賲丕 丿乇 丨丿賵丿 賳賵丿 丿乇氐丿 芦卮亘蹖賴 噩夭蹖乇賴 爻蹖賱丕賳禄貙 蹖丕 芦爻乇蹖賱丕賳讴丕禄蹖 丕賲乇賵夭蹖 丕爻鬲貨 芦鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖禄 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 卮毓乇 賵 賳馗賲貙 賲鬲乇丕丿賮 丿卮鬲 賵 氐丨乇丕 丕爻鬲貙 賵 鬲賱賮馗 氐丨蹖丨 賵 讴賱丕爻蹖讴 亘丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 丌賳: 芦鬲倬-乇賵亘-丌-賳蹖禄 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘж簇� 芦賲蹖賱鬲賵賳禄 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘 趩賴丕乇賲 丕夭 芦亘賴卮鬲 诏賲颅卮丿賴禄 賲蹖鈥屭堐屬嗀�: 芦丕夭 賴賳丿賵爻鬲丕賳 賵 卮亘賴 噩夭蹖乇賴 夭乇蹖賳 賵 丿賵乇鬲乇蹖賳 噩夭蹖乇賴 賴賳丿貙 鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖...禄 賲毓丕丿賱 丌賳 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 賮丕乇爻蹖 芦爻乇丕賳丿蹖亘禄 丕爻鬲貨
卮乇丨 丕夭 賲賯丿賲賴 讴鬲丕亘 賳賯賱 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲
4 yakagala - 蹖丕讴丕诏丕賱丕: 诏丕賱丕(鬲乇讴蹖) 賴賲丕賳 讴賱丕鬲貙 蹖丕 賯賱毓賴 (毓乇亘蹖) 丕爻鬲
5 Serkanda - 爻乇蹖讴丕賳丿丕
6 Vennevar Morgan - 賵賳賵丕乇 賲賵乇诏丕賳
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 19/07/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Characters: Vannemar Morga
Abstracts: Vannemar Morgan's dream of linking Earth with the stars requires a 24,000-mile-high space elevator. But first he must solve a million technical, political, and economic problems.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 卮丕賳夭丿賴賲 賲丕賴 丿爻丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 1978賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳 蹖讴: 趩卮賲賴 颅賴丕蹖 亘賴卮鬲貙 乇賲丕賳 毓賱賲蹖 鈥� 鬲禺蹖賱蹖 / 丌乇鬲賵乇 爻蹖. 讴賱丕乇讴貙 鬲乇噩賲賴: 賲丨賲丿 賯氐丕毓貙 賳卮乇: 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賳卮乇 丕賮賯鈥徹� 趩丕倬 賳禺爻鬲 爻丕賱 1357貙 丕蹖賳 趩丕倬 1380貙 丿乇 309 氐.貙 鈥徺佖辟堌池�: 賲噩賲賵毓賴 丌孬丕乇 毓賱賲蹖 - 鬲禺蹖鈥嵸勠屫� 10貙 卮丕亘讴 丕蹖讴爻964674222貙 毓賳賵丕賳 丿蹖诏乇: 賮賵丕乇賴 颅賴丕蹖 亘賴卮鬲貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 毓賱賲蹖 鬲禺蹖賱蹖 丕夭 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕賳诏賱蹖爻蹖 - 爻丿賴 20賲
丿丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 禺蹖丕賱 丕賳诏蹖夭 丕夭 芦丌乇鬲賵乇 爻蹖 讴賱丕乇讴禄貙 讴賴 爻賴 丿賵乇賴颅 蹖 夭賲丕賳蹖 乇丕 卮丕賲賱 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丿乇 賮氐賱賴丕蹖 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 丕夭 讴鬲丕亘貙 丿賵 丿賵乇賴鈥� 蹖 夭賲丕賳蹖 亘賴 賲賵丕夭丕鬲 賴賲 倬蹖卮 賲蹖鈥屫辟堎嗀� 讴賴 丿乇 賳賵毓 禺賵丿 鬲讴賳蹖讴 噩丕賱亘蹖 亘乇丕蹖 乇賵丕蹖鬲 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 爻鬲貨 蹖讴 亘禺卮 丕夭 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 乇禺丿丕丿賴丕蹖 丿賵乇丕賳 倬丕丿卮丕賴蹖 芦讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕禄 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 氐丿 爻丕賱 倬爻 丕夭 賲蹖賱丕丿 芦賲爻蹖丨禄貙 丿乇 芦乇丕賳丕倬賵乇丕禄 倬丕蹖鬲禺鬲 芦鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖禄 亘賴 倬丕丿卮丕賴蹖 乇爻蹖丿貙 賵 亘禺卮 丿蹖诏乇 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 丿乇 爻丿賴 蹖 亘蹖爻鬲颅 賵 蹖讴賲 賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 賲蹖鈥屭柏必� 芦讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕禄貙 丿乇 讴賵賴爻鬲丕賳 芦蹖丕讴丕诏丕賱丕禄貙 丿跇 賲爻鬲丨讴賲 禺賵丿 乇丕 亘賳丕 賳賴丕丿賴貙 賵 賯氐丿 丌賳 丿丕乇丿貙 鬲丕 禺賵丿 乇丕 賴賲倬丕蹖 禺丿丕蹖丕賳 爻丕夭丿貨 亘賴 賴賲蹖賳 賲賳馗賵乇 丕夭 賲毓賲丕乇蹖 丕蹖乇丕賳蹖貙 丿乇禺賵丕爻鬲 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 鬲丕 丿乇 芦亘丕睾颅賴丕蹖 讴丕賲蹖丕亘蹖禄貙 亘乇丕蹖卮 賮賵丕乇賴 亘爻丕夭丿貨 賲丨賮馗賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴賴 丌亘 亘賴 賮賵丕乇賴鈥� 賴丕 賲蹖鈥屫必池з嗀� 亘丕 鬲賱丕卮 氐丿賴丕 亘乇丿賴 倬乇 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 賵 賮賵丕乇賴颅 賴丕 亘賴 賴賵丕 亘乇禺丕爻鬲賴貙 爻倬爻 禺丕賲賵卮 賲蹖鈥屫簇嗀� 賳賯胤賴 賲賯丕亘賱 丿跇 芦讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕禄貙 讴賵賴爻鬲丕賳 賲賯丿爻 芦爻乇蹖讴丕賳丿丕禄 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴貙 讴賴 噩丕蹖诏丕賴 乇丕賴亘丕賳貙 賵 乇賵丨丕賳蹖 丕毓馗賲 丕爻鬲貨 丿賵 賴夭丕乇 爻丕賱 亘毓丿 芦賵賳賵丕乇 賲賵乇诏丕賳禄 賯氐丿 丿丕乇丿貙 讴賵賴爻鬲丕賳 賲賯丿爻 乇丕 亘賴 賲乇讴夭 賲賳馗賵賲賴鈥� 蹖 卮賲爻蹖 鬲亘丿蹖賱 讴賳丿貨 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 倬賱賴 丕夭 倬賱讴丕賳蹖 讴賴 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏� 乇丕 亘賴 賮囟丕 賲蹖鈥屫必池з嗀� 賯乇丕乇 丕爻鬲 亘乇 亘賱賳丿丕蹖 芦爻乇蹖讴丕賳丿丕禄 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮賵丿貨 芦爻乇蹖讴丕賳丿丕禄 賳乇丿亘丕賳 爻蹖丕乇丕鬲 禺賵丕賴丿 卮丿貨 丌禺乇蹖賳 丿賵乇賴鈥� 蹖 夭賲丕賳蹖 丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 丿賵賴夭丕乇 爻丕賱 倬爻 丕夭 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮丿賳 芦丌爻丕賳爻賵乇 賮囟丕蹖蹖禄 丕爻鬲貨 夭賲丕賳蹖讴賴 夭賲蹖賳 乇丕貙 夭賲爻鬲丕賳蹖 爻禺鬲 丿乇亘乇 诏乇賮鬲賴貙 賴賵卮賲賳丿丕賳蹖 丕夭 丌賳鈥� 爻賵蹖 賲賳馗賵賲賴 蹖 卮賲爻蹖貙 亘賴 丿蹖丿丕乇 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏� 丌賲丿賴貙 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 丌賳鈥屬囏� 亘賴 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 丕蹖爻鬲诏丕賴 賮囟丕蹖蹖 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏ж� 賳诏丕賴 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 賲蹖鈥屬矩必池�: 芦趩乇丕 丕蹖賳 丕蹖爻鬲诏丕賴 亘乇噩 讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕 賳丕賲 诏乇賮鬲賴 丕爻鬲貙 丿乇 丨丕賱蹖 讴賴 丿賵賴夭丕乇 爻丕賱 亘毓丿 丕夭 賲乇诏 讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕 爻丕禺鬲賴 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲責禄貨 乇丕爻鬲蹖 趩乇丕責
丕蹖丿賴鈥� 蹖 芦丌爻丕賳爻賵乇 賮囟丕蹖蹖禄貙 丕夭 禺賵丿 芦讴賱丕乇讴禄 亘賵丿賴貙 丕賲丕 诏賵蹖丕 倬蹖卮 丕夭 丕蹖卮丕賳 賳蹖夭貙 卮禺氐 丿蹖诏乇蹖貙 亘賴 丕蹖賳 賲賵囟賵毓 賮讴乇 讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿貙 賲賵囟賵毓 乇丕 亘賴 賯賱賲 禺賵丿 芦讴賱丕乇讴禄貙 丕夭 賲丐禺乇賴 蹖 讴鬲丕亘 賳賯賱 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗁�: 芦丕蹖賳 賲賮賴賵賲 噩丕賱亘貙 賳禺爻鬲 丿乇 芦賲噩賱賴 爻丕蹖賳爻禄 賵 丿乇 鬲丕乇蹖禺 乇賵夭 蹖丕夭丿賴賲 賲丕賴 賮賵乇蹖賴 爻丕賱 1966賲蹖賱丕丿蹖 賲胤乇丨 卮丿貨 丕賲丕 倬爻 丕夭 賲丿鬲蹖貙 丌卮讴丕乇 卮丿貙 讴賴 (賲賴賳丿爻 乇賵爻蹖)貙 丿乇 爻丕賱 1960賲蹖賱丕丿蹖貙 胤蹖 賲賯丕賱賴鈥� 丕蹖 趩賳蹖賳 趩蹖夭蹖 乇丕 倬蹖卮賳賴丕丿 讴乇丿賴 亘賵丿賴貙 丿乇 胤賵賱 爻丕賱颅賴丕蹖 亘诏匕卮鬲賴貙 賮毓丕賱蹖鬲鈥屬囏й� (賳馗乇蹖- 毓賱賲蹖)貙 賵 賲丨丕爻亘丕鬲 亘爻蹖丕乇蹖貙 丿乇 丕蹖賳亘丕乇賴 丕賳噩丕賲 诏乇賮鬲賴 丕爻鬲貨 亘賴 賳馗乇賲 夭賲丕賳 鬲賮讴乇 跇乇賮 賵 丕賯丿丕賲 賱丕夭賲 賮乇丕 乇爻蹖丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 丕爻鬲賮丕丿賴 丕夭 亘乇噩 賲丿丕乇蹖貙 亘乇丕蹖 丿爻鬲蹖丕亘蹖 亘賴 賮囟丕 賳蹖夭貙 亘賴 氐賵乇鬲 賲賯丕賱賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴丕賲賱丕賸 毓賱賲蹖貙 丿乇 爻丕賱 1976賲蹖賱丕丿蹖貙 鬲賵爻胤 鬲毓丿丕丿蹖 丕夭 丿丕賳卮賲賳丿丕賳貙 賲賵乇丿 亘乇乇爻蹖 賯乇丕乇 诏乇賮鬲賴貙 丕賱亘鬲賴 鬲毓丿丕丿蹖 丕夭 丿賵爻鬲丕賳賲貙 亘賴 丕蹖賳 賳讴鬲賴 丕卮丕乇賴 讴乇丿賴鈥� 丕賳丿貙 讴賴 趩賳蹖賳 亘乇噩蹖貙 鬲丨鬲 鬲兀孬蹖乇 賳蹖乇賵賴丕蹖 噩丕匕亘賴 蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖 賵 賲丕賴貙 丿趩丕乇 丨乇讴丕鬲 乇賮鬲 賵 亘乇诏卮鬲蹖貙 丿乇 噩賴鬲 (卮賲丕賱- 噩賳賵亘) 禺賵丕賴丿 卮丿貨 丿乇 丕蹖賳 氐賵乇鬲 卮丕蹖丿 (鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖) 賲丨賱 趩賳丿丕賳 禺賵亘蹖 賳亘丕卮丿貙 丕賲丕 亘丕夭賴賲 亘賴鬲乇 丕夭 亘賯蹖賴 賲讴丕賳鈥屬囏� 禺賵丕賴丿 亘賵丿貨 賵 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 賳讴鬲賴 毓噩蹖亘 丕蹖賳 丕爻鬲貙 讴賴 爻丕賱鈥屬囏� 倬蹖卮 丕夭 丌賳鈥屭┵� 亘賴 賲賵囟賵毓 乇賲丕賳 亘蹖賳丿蹖卮賲貙 賳丕禺賵丿丌诏丕賴 賲丨賱 賲賵乇丿賳馗乇貙 丿乇 賵噩賵丿賲 賳賯卮 亘爻鬲賴 亘賵丿賴 丕爻鬲貨 禺丕賳賴鈥� 丕蹖 讴賴 丿乇 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 爻賵丕丨賱 (爻乇蹖賱丕賳讴丕) 禺乇蹖丿賴鈥� 丕賲貙 亘賴 賳賯胤賴 (丨丿丕讴孬乇 孬亘丕鬲 賲丿丕乇 孬丕亘鬲)貙 亘爻蹖丕乇 賳夭丿蹖讴 亘賵丿貨 丿賵爻鬲 丿丕乇賲 丿乇 丿賵乇丕賳 倬蹖乇蹖 賵 丿乇 禺丕賳賴 蹖 丌乇丕賲賲貙 乇卮丿 趩賳蹖賳 亘乇噩蹖 乇丕 丿乇 丌爻賲丕賳 鬲賲丕卮丕 讴賳賲禄貨 倬丕蹖丕賳 賳賯賱 丕夭 賲丐禺乇賴 讴鬲丕亘
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1 Kalidasa - 讴丕賱蹖丿丕爻丕
2 Ranapura - 乇丕賳丕倬賵乇丕
3 鈥� 鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖: 丕蹖賳 讴卮賵乇 賵噩賵丿 禺丕乇噩蹖 賳丿丕乇丿貨 丕賲丕 丿乇 丨丿賵丿 賳賵丿 丿乇氐丿 芦卮亘蹖賴 噩夭蹖乇賴 爻蹖賱丕賳禄貙 蹖丕 芦爻乇蹖賱丕賳讴丕禄蹖 丕賲乇賵夭蹖 丕爻鬲貨 芦鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖禄 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 卮毓乇 賵 賳馗賲貙 賲鬲乇丕丿賮 丿卮鬲 賵 氐丨乇丕 丕爻鬲貙 賵 鬲賱賮馗 氐丨蹖丨 賵 讴賱丕爻蹖讴 亘丕爻鬲丕賳蹖 丌賳: 芦鬲倬-乇賵亘-丌-賳蹖禄 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘж簇� 芦賲蹖賱鬲賵賳禄 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘 趩賴丕乇賲 丕夭 芦亘賴卮鬲 诏賲颅卮丿賴禄 賲蹖鈥屭堐屬嗀�: 芦丕夭 賴賳丿賵爻鬲丕賳 賵 卮亘賴 噩夭蹖乇賴 夭乇蹖賳 賵 丿賵乇鬲乇蹖賳 噩夭蹖乇賴 賴賳丿貙 鬲倬乇賵亘丕賳蹖...禄 賲毓丕丿賱 丌賳 丿乇 夭亘丕賳 賮丕乇爻蹖 芦爻乇丕賳丿蹖亘禄 丕爻鬲貨
卮乇丨 丕夭 賲賯丿賲賴 讴鬲丕亘 賳賯賱 卮丿賴 丕爻鬲
4 yakagala - 蹖丕讴丕诏丕賱丕: 诏丕賱丕(鬲乇讴蹖) 賴賲丕賳 讴賱丕鬲貙 蹖丕 賯賱毓賴 (毓乇亘蹖) 丕爻鬲
5 Serkanda - 爻乇蹖讴丕賳丿丕
6 Vennevar Morgan - 賵賳賵丕乇 賲賵乇诏丕賳
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 19/07/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
April 1, 2019
First published in 1979, Fountains of Paradise is one of Grandmaster Sir Arthur C. Clarke鈥檚 later books, but in its themes and style is reminiscent of some of his best work.
Telling the story of an elevator into space, this also describes a flashback related story thousands of years earlier as a Sri Lankan king builds a palace high on the mountain top. Both celestial projects stretch the limits of human achievement and engineering ability and Clarke鈥檚 unique talent ties the two stories together.
Much of the narrative is devoted to explanations of the problems and obstacles to overcome for such a marvel of technology and engineering. Clarke also sets this in the near future and describes other preeminent projects like a bridge across Gibraltar. Essentially, this is a filament tether connecting the mountain top to an orbiting satellite and we can easily transport people and supplies hundreds of kilometers into low space. Clarke鈥檚 scientific imagination and vision are again on exhibition. This one also features better characterization than what we usually expect from him.
Recalling his other works and , this also made me think of Poul Anderson鈥檚 1983 publication .
Good SF, this won both the Hugo and Nebula.
Telling the story of an elevator into space, this also describes a flashback related story thousands of years earlier as a Sri Lankan king builds a palace high on the mountain top. Both celestial projects stretch the limits of human achievement and engineering ability and Clarke鈥檚 unique talent ties the two stories together.
Much of the narrative is devoted to explanations of the problems and obstacles to overcome for such a marvel of technology and engineering. Clarke also sets this in the near future and describes other preeminent projects like a bridge across Gibraltar. Essentially, this is a filament tether connecting the mountain top to an orbiting satellite and we can easily transport people and supplies hundreds of kilometers into low space. Clarke鈥檚 scientific imagination and vision are again on exhibition. This one also features better characterization than what we usually expect from him.
Recalling his other works and , this also made me think of Poul Anderson鈥檚 1983 publication .
Good SF, this won both the Hugo and Nebula.
August 19, 2008
I was disappointed in this book, though I confess that part of it is my fault. Clarke didn't tell the story that I wanted him to tell, and this is always an unfair expectation on the part of the reader. "If you want a particular story, you should write it yourself." is the rightful reply of the writer. But I'm only human, and when I get figs when I was expecting chocolate, I'm disappointed (even if I like figs, which I do).
'The Fountains of Paradise' is about mankind's first attempt to construct a space elevator. It would perhaps be more precise to say that it is about one man's attempt to construct a space elevator, as Clarke suffers from his usual failing of trying to tell grand world transforming stories from the viewpoint of a single individual who has limited social interaction. The result is that the largest enterprise ever undertaken by man is made to feel like it's a small business with perhaps five employees.
But that would not have particularly disappointed me had not the whole matter been made to seem so easy. One of my particular and growing pet peeves is science fiction that makes the conquest of space seem like it ought to be a trivial matter. I'm increasingly of the conviction that science fiction - which had been and ought to still be at the forefront of encouraging us to set our sights on the heavens, grow up, and leave the nest - is instead becoming a hindrance to us. We are increasingly becoming content with shoddy poorly realized visions of the stars that serve to make the real painful and difficult work of space exploration seem just that much less attractive. In the stories, it is always so easy. We flit across the unimaginable gulfs between stars not with the comparative ease with which we crossed the oceans (much less a real sense of the difficulty involved), but with the ease that we drive down to the corner convenience store. If it seems hard to get from here to there, we find alien artifacts that do the hard work for us. If we despair at our ability to cope, well then we are uplifted from our ignorance by passing benevolent alien patrons. We break the laws of physics with the power of plot, and we settle into the easy fantasies of human hubris rather than face up to the immensity of Old Man Space with some sort of maturity.
Part of the problem is that only the last one third of the book actually concerns the construction of the space elevator. By the time the construction of the space elevator is really joined, its completion is a foregone conclusion and the great problems are dispensed with off stage in favor of smaller scale and more personnel tragedies and triumphs. It is as if the project the artist has conceived is too grand of scale for his imagination, and so he deals with something that isn't. The result ends up seeming less grand than even, for example, the story of the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable.()
But the biggest disappointment is that the first two thirds of the book don't deal directly with the construction of the tower at all, but instead deal with the protagonist's struggle to obtain permission to build the space elevator on land currently occupied by an unwilling Buddhist monastery. This part of the story is more engaging than the last third but ultimately Clarke forces it to resolve down to just another story about the supposed conflict between reason and faith. Despite the fact that these first 200 pages have the structure of a good 20 page short story, they would make for pretty good reading in Clarke's capable hands except that in the midst of this he finds himself unable to avoid picking up the trite hammer to nail his point home.
Given how I've already confessed that I hoped this would be the story of the titanic struggle to conquer near space, you can perhaps imagine my dismay when Clarke trots out that most tired of easy sci-fi escapes - the Alien Messiah. Interspersed with this conflict between reason and faith in the form of the passively truculent monks standing in the way of human progress, Clarke adds an utterly unnecessary plot element of an alien visitor who is made to represent the last word in this metaconflict. Exactly why Clarke thought the story was well served by such a ham-handed device, I'm not sure because without it I think the story and the conflict is more thought provoking and its precise meaning more difficult to tease out. I will grant that as Alien Messiah's go this one is pretty original and well disguised. Instead of an actual alien, it's the AI of survey probe of alien manufacture. And it does not in fact bequeath the usual super-science on the otherwise helpless mankind and thereby usher in an age of peace, abundance, and justice. However, other than that it's a pretty typical Alien Messiah that saves mankind from itself and I was hoping at the outset that we could perhaps for once have a story without the intervention of a super-alien at all.
In this case, the salvation takes the form of eliminating all religions from the Earth. Instead of bestowing on mankind the usual technological wisdom, it dispences philosophy.
I kid you not. Arthur C. Clarke - avowed atheist - imagines an alien from on high come to Earth and pronounce in its irrefutable superhuman wisdom, that Arthur C. Clarke has been right all along and all religions are hooey. Now who could have guessed that twist? It's such a jarringly humorous and incongruous episode in the middle of the rest of the story that I really didn't know what to make of it. Is Clarke trying to be nasty here? Or, is he trying to make a joke? Is he convincing himself, or does he have some motive for deliberately advancing an extremely weak argument involving among other things the misuse of Ockham's razor, a failure to really consider the different role of infinite and finite numbers, a red herring, and a failure to consider the cosmological and theological import of the big bang?
Whatever Clarke's larger intent, within the setting Clarke's technological prophet is taken with such seriousness that we are told virtually all religious belief ceases and human spiritual activity reaches an atheistic eschaton. Just like that, a new age dawns. Exactly why the unambiguous refutation of Thomas Aquinas would accomplish this is not really addressed, but for me as a computer scientist it does raise an interesting question of the presumed sophont class of the probe in question that it was able in under an hour to exceed the mental activities of "billions of words of pious gibberish with which apparently intelligent men had addled their minds for centuries." That is a god-like intelligence indeed! As Clarke puts it, "For the first time we knew what we'd always suspected, that ours was not the only intelligence in the universe, and that out among the stars were far older and perhaps far wiser civilizations."
And if Clarke's imaginary alien probe doesn't convince you that super-wise aliens will come along and usher in paradise on this Earth, well just what would? When I started the book I was most afraid I would be annoyed with the rampant use of unobtanium and handwavium in the construction of the space elevator. Little did I realize that the unobtainium in the elevator filaments would pale in comparison to the unobtainium in the philosophical constructs.
Still, for all that Clarke's digressions may annoy (or may stimulate depending on your philosophical inclinations), the first two thirds is still a good story. It's so good that when Clarke wraps this first story arc up, the remaining novel seems anticlimactic. The first part is so much better and more fully conceived that it as if the second shorter story arc is tacked on to fill out the story to a more respectable length. Much as I wanted the story to be about the second part, Clarke didn't seem to know what to do with it. So, in the end I got a good story, but it was far from the one that I wanted.
'The Fountains of Paradise' is about mankind's first attempt to construct a space elevator. It would perhaps be more precise to say that it is about one man's attempt to construct a space elevator, as Clarke suffers from his usual failing of trying to tell grand world transforming stories from the viewpoint of a single individual who has limited social interaction. The result is that the largest enterprise ever undertaken by man is made to feel like it's a small business with perhaps five employees.
But that would not have particularly disappointed me had not the whole matter been made to seem so easy. One of my particular and growing pet peeves is science fiction that makes the conquest of space seem like it ought to be a trivial matter. I'm increasingly of the conviction that science fiction - which had been and ought to still be at the forefront of encouraging us to set our sights on the heavens, grow up, and leave the nest - is instead becoming a hindrance to us. We are increasingly becoming content with shoddy poorly realized visions of the stars that serve to make the real painful and difficult work of space exploration seem just that much less attractive. In the stories, it is always so easy. We flit across the unimaginable gulfs between stars not with the comparative ease with which we crossed the oceans (much less a real sense of the difficulty involved), but with the ease that we drive down to the corner convenience store. If it seems hard to get from here to there, we find alien artifacts that do the hard work for us. If we despair at our ability to cope, well then we are uplifted from our ignorance by passing benevolent alien patrons. We break the laws of physics with the power of plot, and we settle into the easy fantasies of human hubris rather than face up to the immensity of Old Man Space with some sort of maturity.
Part of the problem is that only the last one third of the book actually concerns the construction of the space elevator. By the time the construction of the space elevator is really joined, its completion is a foregone conclusion and the great problems are dispensed with off stage in favor of smaller scale and more personnel tragedies and triumphs. It is as if the project the artist has conceived is too grand of scale for his imagination, and so he deals with something that isn't. The result ends up seeming less grand than even, for example, the story of the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable.()
But the biggest disappointment is that the first two thirds of the book don't deal directly with the construction of the tower at all, but instead deal with the protagonist's struggle to obtain permission to build the space elevator on land currently occupied by an unwilling Buddhist monastery. This part of the story is more engaging than the last third but ultimately Clarke forces it to resolve down to just another story about the supposed conflict between reason and faith. Despite the fact that these first 200 pages have the structure of a good 20 page short story, they would make for pretty good reading in Clarke's capable hands except that in the midst of this he finds himself unable to avoid picking up the trite hammer to nail his point home.
Given how I've already confessed that I hoped this would be the story of the titanic struggle to conquer near space, you can perhaps imagine my dismay when Clarke trots out that most tired of easy sci-fi escapes - the Alien Messiah. Interspersed with this conflict between reason and faith in the form of the passively truculent monks standing in the way of human progress, Clarke adds an utterly unnecessary plot element of an alien visitor who is made to represent the last word in this metaconflict. Exactly why Clarke thought the story was well served by such a ham-handed device, I'm not sure because without it I think the story and the conflict is more thought provoking and its precise meaning more difficult to tease out. I will grant that as Alien Messiah's go this one is pretty original and well disguised. Instead of an actual alien, it's the AI of survey probe of alien manufacture. And it does not in fact bequeath the usual super-science on the otherwise helpless mankind and thereby usher in an age of peace, abundance, and justice. However, other than that it's a pretty typical Alien Messiah that saves mankind from itself and I was hoping at the outset that we could perhaps for once have a story without the intervention of a super-alien at all.
In this case, the salvation takes the form of eliminating all religions from the Earth. Instead of bestowing on mankind the usual technological wisdom, it dispences philosophy.
I kid you not. Arthur C. Clarke - avowed atheist - imagines an alien from on high come to Earth and pronounce in its irrefutable superhuman wisdom, that Arthur C. Clarke has been right all along and all religions are hooey. Now who could have guessed that twist? It's such a jarringly humorous and incongruous episode in the middle of the rest of the story that I really didn't know what to make of it. Is Clarke trying to be nasty here? Or, is he trying to make a joke? Is he convincing himself, or does he have some motive for deliberately advancing an extremely weak argument involving among other things the misuse of Ockham's razor, a failure to really consider the different role of infinite and finite numbers, a red herring, and a failure to consider the cosmological and theological import of the big bang?
Whatever Clarke's larger intent, within the setting Clarke's technological prophet is taken with such seriousness that we are told virtually all religious belief ceases and human spiritual activity reaches an atheistic eschaton. Just like that, a new age dawns. Exactly why the unambiguous refutation of Thomas Aquinas would accomplish this is not really addressed, but for me as a computer scientist it does raise an interesting question of the presumed sophont class of the probe in question that it was able in under an hour to exceed the mental activities of "billions of words of pious gibberish with which apparently intelligent men had addled their minds for centuries." That is a god-like intelligence indeed! As Clarke puts it, "For the first time we knew what we'd always suspected, that ours was not the only intelligence in the universe, and that out among the stars were far older and perhaps far wiser civilizations."
And if Clarke's imaginary alien probe doesn't convince you that super-wise aliens will come along and usher in paradise on this Earth, well just what would? When I started the book I was most afraid I would be annoyed with the rampant use of unobtanium and handwavium in the construction of the space elevator. Little did I realize that the unobtainium in the elevator filaments would pale in comparison to the unobtainium in the philosophical constructs.
Still, for all that Clarke's digressions may annoy (or may stimulate depending on your philosophical inclinations), the first two thirds is still a good story. It's so good that when Clarke wraps this first story arc up, the remaining novel seems anticlimactic. The first part is so much better and more fully conceived that it as if the second shorter story arc is tacked on to fill out the story to a more respectable length. Much as I wanted the story to be about the second part, Clarke didn't seem to know what to do with it. So, in the end I got a good story, but it was far from the one that I wanted.
January 17, 2015
Following the resounding success of my , I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I鈥檝e decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my list.
This is the reading list that follows the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I loved reading the Locus Sci-Fi Award winners so I'm going to crack on with the Hugo winners next (but only the post-1980 winners, I'll follow up with pre-1980 another time).
Quick - write a review before the toddler gets home!
So... The Fountains of Paradise wasn't what I was expecting. I'm not quite sure what exactly I was expecting, because I'd never read anything by Arthur C Clarke before, but Space Elevators are a staple of space-opera, a sub-genre I'm particularly fond of - so I guess I was expecting more... melodrama?
I said (repeatedly) in my comments while reading that this story is measured, peaceful, even Zen. Now, while I did enjoy those aspects, I didn't find them terribly gripping. Despite the wonderful engineering feat described, I never felt riveted (please excuse the terrible pun).
For anyone (like me) who doesn't know much about this book:
The story is about the greatest engineer of his generation, Van. His masterwork to date was the Gibraltar bridge, so huge it's simply referred to as The Bridge. Now he's got plans for an even bigger bridge - a bridge to the stars - in the form of a space elevator. The only mountaintop site on Earth suitable for this incredible project is already occupied... by an ancient Buddhist temple. The story follows how Van comes to evict the tenants, and then later his involvement in a rescue mission during the construction of the elevator.
We also get a flashback to some ancient history around the location of the elevator, and a flashforward to mirror the distant future when the elevator is, itself ancient.
So, what's to like?
It's accessible - the language, structure and characters are all easy to grab hold of. It's a quick read - it's not a big book. The pure love of engineering, and passion for the idea of a space elevator evident is interesting, powerful, and charming. The tone throughout is mature; thoughtful, contemplative and peaceful.
It's kind of like a charismatic lecturer using an engineer's biography to try and get students to relate to the real-world issues around major projects. Not entirely successful, but you appreciate the effort.
And what's not to like?
The story is interesting, but not 'dramatic' in the traditional sense. Van has no close friends or family. Nobody's life is at risk if his project doesn't get off the ground. It's a fight for an idea... a wonderful idea, but there's no heart-and-soul at stake. The plot is broadly bisected into getting the project started, and the rescue mission. The first challenge is overcome via a deus-ex-fluke. The second has the potential for great heart-string drama, but ducks every bullet - the victim being rescued is not someone we care about, the method of rescue is mostly routine and sedate, the moments of crisis en-route are solved logically and methodically, and the final climax is one of peaceful acceptance... I applaud the mindset of Van throughout these trials - but his careful competence does suck the risk-factor out of the equation. This is Van the man, he gets the job done, now let's look at the scenery...
As a far-future tale, this feels dated. Apart from the crystal-nanowire the Elevator is built of, there's very little development out into broader technological/social/political progression. This feels like the 80s... with a space elevator.
...And the final score?
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars... I definitely 'liked it' but I didn't 'really like it'. At no point was I not enjoying The Fountains of Paradise, but the overall experience lacked ooomph. In the end I settled on 3 stars because I just didn't have the conviction for 4.
Not a bad introduction, I think, to Arthur C. Clarke.
In no way has it put me off reading more when the opportunity arises.
What would you compare it too?
Hmm... tough for me because I don't read much from that era. Asimov is the only peer I've read, and they certainly have some stylistic elements common. Some similarities to Larry Niven too. A modern writer in the same headspace may be Greg Egan?
P.S. - why is there no proper cover for this book? only a photo of a book at a weird angle..? - Huzzah! Librarian David has now fixed this - thanks.
After this I read: Q Pootle 5
October 7, 2023
Sir Arthur C. Clarke introduces the world to the concept of the space elevator in The Fountains of Paradise. The story itself concerns the technology, process, and obstacles to building this megastructure, with a parallel story in the distant past of earthbound building projects on the future proposed elevator site.
Overall, entertaining, but surprisingly light on the politics necessary for any project this massive and expensive, so today it seems a bit naive. Also, the bonus first contact story was interesting but unnecessary.
Overall, entertaining, but surprisingly light on the politics necessary for any project this massive and expensive, so today it seems a bit naive. Also, the bonus first contact story was interesting but unnecessary.
July 4, 2018
Vannevar Morgan, the Chief Engineer of the Terran Construction Corporation, dreams of building a bridge that links Earth to the stars. The 鈥渟pace elevator鈥� is preferable over rocket travel because it is less expensive and less damaging to the environment.
A mountain on the island of Taprobane is the only location capable of holding the elevator, and that location is currently inhabited by Buddhist monks that have no desire to leave. Morgan must convince or coerce the monks to leave in order to fulfill his dream and build a bridge to the sky.
The Fountains of Paradise is about the impermanence of religion, achievement, and life; but also about perseverance and thriving against impermanence. This book is deserving of the Hugo and Nebula Awards that it received.
A mountain on the island of Taprobane is the only location capable of holding the elevator, and that location is currently inhabited by Buddhist monks that have no desire to leave. Morgan must convince or coerce the monks to leave in order to fulfill his dream and build a bridge to the sky.
The Fountains of Paradise is about the impermanence of religion, achievement, and life; but also about perseverance and thriving against impermanence. This book is deserving of the Hugo and Nebula Awards that it received.
June 29, 2024
A moment of silence, if you would, for a book whose binding fell apart. The last few chapters were read in autumn, pages fluttering from the whole.
Words brought together
to the masses, for ever
--undone by bad glue.
The Fountains of Paradise was the one last heavy hitter from Clarke that I hadn't read until now. I remember reading somewhere that it was written as a response to science fiction being made at the time that wasn't true science fiction. Published in 1979, Jedi only knows to what he was referring. Science fiction, though, is a very broad term. If a story uses the science known at the time, it is rightly considered a science fiction, even if that science seems absurd today. Frankenstein is widely considered the first science fiction novel, but it's a story about reanimating the dead through electricity, much like those twitching toads Mary Shelley had heard about.
The thought of a space elevator always sounded absurd to me, but after reading what is essentially a novel-length essay on its feasibility . . . I'm intrigued. It's doubtful it would ever happen on Earth, but Clarke hurdles that thought as well having it tested elsewhere first. Clarke's ideas were always far ahead of his time, and one could argue he was the impetus for every human technology that ever exited our atmosphere. He was the British equivalent of Jules Verne in his descriptions of devices and places that did not yet exist, but could exist--with a little elbow grease.
Clarke was as talented a writer as he was a futurist. If his characters were stronger, I think he might be mentioned in the same breath as Huxley or even Orwell. I enjoyed this book, but I think it would definitely only be recommended for a particular crowd--the true science fiction fan.
Words brought together
to the masses, for ever
--undone by bad glue.
The Fountains of Paradise was the one last heavy hitter from Clarke that I hadn't read until now. I remember reading somewhere that it was written as a response to science fiction being made at the time that wasn't true science fiction. Published in 1979, Jedi only knows to what he was referring. Science fiction, though, is a very broad term. If a story uses the science known at the time, it is rightly considered a science fiction, even if that science seems absurd today. Frankenstein is widely considered the first science fiction novel, but it's a story about reanimating the dead through electricity, much like those twitching toads Mary Shelley had heard about.
The thought of a space elevator always sounded absurd to me, but after reading what is essentially a novel-length essay on its feasibility . . . I'm intrigued. It's doubtful it would ever happen on Earth, but Clarke hurdles that thought as well having it tested elsewhere first. Clarke's ideas were always far ahead of his time, and one could argue he was the impetus for every human technology that ever exited our atmosphere. He was the British equivalent of Jules Verne in his descriptions of devices and places that did not yet exist, but could exist--with a little elbow grease.
Clarke was as talented a writer as he was a futurist. If his characters were stronger, I think he might be mentioned in the same breath as Huxley or even Orwell. I enjoyed this book, but I think it would definitely only be recommended for a particular crowd--the true science fiction fan.
June 25, 2010
4.5 to 5.0 stars. Definitely one of Clarke's best novels, which is saying something given his tremendous body of work. The novel, as most of Clarke's work, was respectful of the scientific basis required for the story but never let itself get bogged down in overly long technical explanations. A superb story that once again reaffirms that man can do just about anythign if he sets his mind to it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1980)
Winner: Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1980)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1980)
Nominee: British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel (1980)
Winner: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1980)
Winner: Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1980)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1980)
Nominee: British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel (1980)
December 16, 2024
效褍写械褋薪邪 薪邪褍褔薪邪 褎邪薪褌邪褋褌懈泻邪! 鈥炐ば拘窖傂靶叫秆傂� 薪邪 褉邪褟鈥� 械 屑薪芯谐芯 褍胁谢械泻邪褌械谢薪芯 薪邪锌懈褋邪薪 褉芯屑邪薪, 邪 懈 懈屑邪 褋褌褉邪褏芯褌械薪 谐谢邪胁械薪 谐械褉芯泄 - 斜谢械褋褌褟褖懈褟褌 懈薪卸械薪械褉 袙邪薪 袦芯褉谐邪薪. 袛械泄褋褌胁懈械褌芯 褋械 褉邪蟹胁懈胁邪 胁 斜谢懈蟹泻芯褌芯 斜褗写械褖械, 胁 泻芯械褌芯 褔芯胁械褔械褋褌胁芯褌芯 械 屑邪谢泻芯 锌芯-薪邪锌褉械写薪邪谢芯, 邪 懈 袦邪褉褋 胁械褔械 械 泻芯谢芯薪懈蟹懈褉邪薪邪...
袦芯褉谐邪薪 械 芯褋褗褖械褋褌胁懈谢 锌褉芯械泻褌 蟹邪 屑械卸写褍泻芯薪褌懈薪械薪褌邪谢械薪 鈥炐撔感毖€邪谢褌邪褉褋泻懈 屑芯褋褌鈥�, 褋胁褗褉蟹胁邪褖 袝胁褉芯锌邪 懈 袗褎褉懈泻邪, 薪芯 胁械褔械 蟹邪屑懈褋谢褟 褋谢械写胁邪褖邪褌邪 褋懈 谐械薪懈邪谢薪邪 懈写械褟, 蟹邪 泻芯褟褌芯 械 谐芯褌芯胁 写邪 写邪写械 胁褋懈褔泻芯 芯褌 褋械斜械 褋懈. 袗 褌褟 械 蟹邪 褋褗蟹写邪胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 袣芯褋屑懈褔械褋泻懈 邪褋邪薪褋褜芯褉, 泻芯泄褌芯 写邪 屑芯卸械 写邪 懈蟹胁械卸写邪 褏芯褉邪 懈 褌芯胁邪褉懈 胁 芯褉斜懈褌邪... 邪 薪褟泻芯泄 写械薪 屑芯卸械 斜懈 写邪 斜褗写械 懈 胁 芯褋薪芯胁邪褌邪 薪邪 褋褗蟹写邪胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 鈥炐夹狙佈� 泻褗屑 袟胁械蟹写懈褌械鈥�. 小锌芯褉械写 懈薪卸械薪械褉邪, 懈写械邪谢薪芯褌芯 屑褟褋褌芯, 薪邪 泻芯械褌芯 写邪 褋褌邪褉褌懈褉邪 褋胁芯褟 褋胁褉褗褏邪屑斜懈褑懈芯蟹械薪 锌褉芯械泻褌, 械 褋褌褉邪薪邪褌邪 孝械泄锌褉芯斜械泄薪. 孝邪屑, 锌褉械写懈 褏懈谢褟写芯谢械褌懈褟, 写褉械胁械薪 胁谢邪写械褌械谢 械 懈蟹谐褉邪写懈谢 褋胁芯懈褌械 鈥炐ば拘窖傂靶叫� 薪邪 袪邪褟鈥�, 邪 锌褗泻 泻褗屑 薪邪褋褌芯褟褖懈褟 屑芯屑械薪褌 褋械 薪邪屑懈褉邪 屑邪薪邪褋褌懈褉 薪邪 褉械谢懈谐懈芯蟹薪邪 芯斜褖薪芯褋褌... 袟邪 褌芯胁邪 泻谢褞褔芯胁芯 蟹邪 褋褞卸械褌邪 屑褟褋褌芯 袗褉褌褗褉 袣谢邪褉泻 褋械 械 胁写褗褏薪芯胁懈谢 芯褌 谢褞斜懈屑邪褌邪 褋懈 楔褉懈 袥邪薪泻邪, 胁 泻芯褟褌芯 械 卸懈胁褟谢 写褗谢谐懈 谐芯写懈薪懈. 袙 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪 褋褉械褖邪屑械 芯褖械 懈薪褌械褉械褋薪懈 芯斜褉邪蟹懈, 泻邪褌芯 斜懈胁褕懈褟 锌芯褋谢邪薪懈泻 袪邪写卸邪褋懈薪谐褏械, 褋屑械谢邪褌邪 褉械锌芯褉褌械褉泻邪 袦邪泻褋懈薪 袛褞胁邪谢 懈 写褉褍谐懈. 袣邪泻褌芯 胁懈薪邪谐懈, 袣谢邪褉泻 胁锌械褔邪褌谢褟胁邪 褔懈褌邪褌械谢懈褌械 褋 屑邪褖邪斜薪芯褌芯 褋懈 屑懈褋谢械薪械 懈 胁懈蟹懈褟 蟹邪 斜褗写械褖械褌芯...
袦芯褉谐邪薪 械 芯褋褗褖械褋褌胁懈谢 锌褉芯械泻褌 蟹邪 屑械卸写褍泻芯薪褌懈薪械薪褌邪谢械薪 鈥炐撔感毖€邪谢褌邪褉褋泻懈 屑芯褋褌鈥�, 褋胁褗褉蟹胁邪褖 袝胁褉芯锌邪 懈 袗褎褉懈泻邪, 薪芯 胁械褔械 蟹邪屑懈褋谢褟 褋谢械写胁邪褖邪褌邪 褋懈 谐械薪懈邪谢薪邪 懈写械褟, 蟹邪 泻芯褟褌芯 械 谐芯褌芯胁 写邪 写邪写械 胁褋懈褔泻芯 芯褌 褋械斜械 褋懈. 袗 褌褟 械 蟹邪 褋褗蟹写邪胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 袣芯褋屑懈褔械褋泻懈 邪褋邪薪褋褜芯褉, 泻芯泄褌芯 写邪 屑芯卸械 写邪 懈蟹胁械卸写邪 褏芯褉邪 懈 褌芯胁邪褉懈 胁 芯褉斜懈褌邪... 邪 薪褟泻芯泄 写械薪 屑芯卸械 斜懈 写邪 斜褗写械 懈 胁 芯褋薪芯胁邪褌邪 薪邪 褋褗蟹写邪胁邪薪械褌芯 薪邪 鈥炐夹狙佈� 泻褗屑 袟胁械蟹写懈褌械鈥�. 小锌芯褉械写 懈薪卸械薪械褉邪, 懈写械邪谢薪芯褌芯 屑褟褋褌芯, 薪邪 泻芯械褌芯 写邪 褋褌邪褉褌懈褉邪 褋胁芯褟 褋胁褉褗褏邪屑斜懈褑懈芯蟹械薪 锌褉芯械泻褌, 械 褋褌褉邪薪邪褌邪 孝械泄锌褉芯斜械泄薪. 孝邪屑, 锌褉械写懈 褏懈谢褟写芯谢械褌懈褟, 写褉械胁械薪 胁谢邪写械褌械谢 械 懈蟹谐褉邪写懈谢 褋胁芯懈褌械 鈥炐ば拘窖傂靶叫� 薪邪 袪邪褟鈥�, 邪 锌褗泻 泻褗屑 薪邪褋褌芯褟褖懈褟 屑芯屑械薪褌 褋械 薪邪屑懈褉邪 屑邪薪邪褋褌懈褉 薪邪 褉械谢懈谐懈芯蟹薪邪 芯斜褖薪芯褋褌... 袟邪 褌芯胁邪 泻谢褞褔芯胁芯 蟹邪 褋褞卸械褌邪 屑褟褋褌芯 袗褉褌褗褉 袣谢邪褉泻 褋械 械 胁写褗褏薪芯胁懈谢 芯褌 谢褞斜懈屑邪褌邪 褋懈 楔褉懈 袥邪薪泻邪, 胁 泻芯褟褌芯 械 卸懈胁褟谢 写褗谢谐懈 谐芯写懈薪懈. 袙 泻薪懈谐邪褌邪 褋褉械褖邪屑械 芯褖械 懈薪褌械褉械褋薪懈 芯斜褉邪蟹懈, 泻邪褌芯 斜懈胁褕懈褟 锌芯褋谢邪薪懈泻 袪邪写卸邪褋懈薪谐褏械, 褋屑械谢邪褌邪 褉械锌芯褉褌械褉泻邪 袦邪泻褋懈薪 袛褞胁邪谢 懈 写褉褍谐懈. 袣邪泻褌芯 胁懈薪邪谐懈, 袣谢邪褉泻 胁锌械褔邪褌谢褟胁邪 褔懈褌邪褌械谢懈褌械 褋 屑邪褖邪斜薪芯褌芯 褋懈 屑懈褋谢械薪械 懈 胁懈蟹懈褟 蟹邪 斜褗写械褖械褌芯...
April 21, 2016
Where I've recently read one or two Hugo-winning novels recently that I may or may not have exactly wished were winners, I have no qualms in announcing that this 1980 winner is a real winner.
It's a true pleasure to read on several levels. While the official "story" sometimes feels a bit tacked on and ethereal, the themes and the characters and the science is all top-shelf goodness.
The themes and feels are well known for fans of A. C. Clarke. He has a serious devotion to space elevators, the reduction in superstition and religion, a truly hopeful outlook on life, and a serious devotion to space elevators.
The characters here are especially awesome. Ram is the eternal can-do man, the scientist-engineer hero that battles technical issues, economists, politicians, pop scientists, and sheer bad luck. Sometimes this hero arc is an old cliche in SF, but here, I felt none of it. He was a real joy to follow. Even better was place and history AS character, with ancient mountain palaces, kings, and the weight of time and even the help of religion, leading to the final foundation of this admittedly awesome space elevator. We were able to revel gloriously in setting and history as the novel built up to the crescendo within "The Stairway To Heaven". This is theme and novel structure firmly in control of a master storyteller, and I am giddy even now just thinking about it. :)
But never fear, if you're worried that nothing much happens, because the novel is full of ideas and conflict of an intellectual and engineering perspective. A robot probe sent from an alien race comes and tells us that we're idiots, which should come as no surprise to anyone reading this review, but more importantly, it serves as a very smart impetus for us to get off our asses and solve our problems before we get the "real" introduction to the galactic races. Yay! If only I could wish for such a fortunate event for us!
The novel ends on some pretty cool action, in case you adrenaline junkies were wondering, but this novel is not really one of those novels. It's a smart and gorgeous growth and maturation of a grand Space Elevator and everything that it means for us. As a goal, there are few realistic short-term goals as beautiful or useful.
I loved it, and saw in retrospect that this novel is one of the primary conversations in hard science SF through the years. Kim Stanley Robinson continues and responds to this novel directly in his Mars trilogy. Stephen Baxter gives great nods to it. It's still a dream for us all. Me too.
We really shouldn't forget one of Asimov's old axims... don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Let's get out there, people!
It's a true pleasure to read on several levels. While the official "story" sometimes feels a bit tacked on and ethereal, the themes and the characters and the science is all top-shelf goodness.
The themes and feels are well known for fans of A. C. Clarke. He has a serious devotion to space elevators, the reduction in superstition and religion, a truly hopeful outlook on life, and a serious devotion to space elevators.
The characters here are especially awesome. Ram is the eternal can-do man, the scientist-engineer hero that battles technical issues, economists, politicians, pop scientists, and sheer bad luck. Sometimes this hero arc is an old cliche in SF, but here, I felt none of it. He was a real joy to follow. Even better was place and history AS character, with ancient mountain palaces, kings, and the weight of time and even the help of religion, leading to the final foundation of this admittedly awesome space elevator. We were able to revel gloriously in setting and history as the novel built up to the crescendo within "The Stairway To Heaven". This is theme and novel structure firmly in control of a master storyteller, and I am giddy even now just thinking about it. :)
But never fear, if you're worried that nothing much happens, because the novel is full of ideas and conflict of an intellectual and engineering perspective. A robot probe sent from an alien race comes and tells us that we're idiots, which should come as no surprise to anyone reading this review, but more importantly, it serves as a very smart impetus for us to get off our asses and solve our problems before we get the "real" introduction to the galactic races. Yay! If only I could wish for such a fortunate event for us!
The novel ends on some pretty cool action, in case you adrenaline junkies were wondering, but this novel is not really one of those novels. It's a smart and gorgeous growth and maturation of a grand Space Elevator and everything that it means for us. As a goal, there are few realistic short-term goals as beautiful or useful.
I loved it, and saw in retrospect that this novel is one of the primary conversations in hard science SF through the years. Kim Stanley Robinson continues and responds to this novel directly in his Mars trilogy. Stephen Baxter gives great nods to it. It's still a dream for us all. Me too.
We really shouldn't forget one of Asimov's old axims... don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Let's get out there, people!
March 16, 2009
Arthur C. Clarke once wrote a rather dull short story, which just happened to suggest the idea of geostationary satellites over 20 years before there were any. This is a rather dull novel, which presents a detailed plan for building a space elevator.
Well, I hope history repeats itself...
Well, I hope history repeats itself...
December 14, 2018
Space Elevators. Elevators that take people from the surface of Earth all the way across thousands of kilometers to orbit.
Sounds fun yeah?
Not to me.
To me it sounds like spending twenty hours packed into a crowded and fart-infused metal room, trying to avoid eye contact while enduring an unending audio loop of Top Twenty Chart Hits - Pan Pipe Interpretations.
Yet while the term 'Space Elevator' doesn't exactly drip with excitement, Clarke, in his skilled way, spins an engaging and entertaining (if at times a little dry) story. The Fountains of Paradise neatly juxtaposes the attempts to build humanity's first space elevator with the Sri Lankan Empire of the cruel king Kalidasa, a usurper of the Sri Lankan throne who during his rule built a pleasure palace whose beauty challenged that of heavenly paradise (the fountains in the title refer to the water gardens in the palace).
Set in a semi-fictional Sri Lanka (here known as Taprobane), the story mainly concerns Vannemar Morgan, a world renowned engineer, and his attempts to get support for an audacious project- the linking of Earth鈥檚 surface to orbit via a near monomolecular diamond cable, a cable that will allow for freight and people to be taken to orbit without the use of expensive rocketry.
Clarke鈥檚 fictional Sri Lanka, being close to the equator, is a natural spot for such an elevator, and the mountain known as Sri Kanda is by virtue of its height and location the best place on earth to connect the cable.
There is however, one problem. At the summit of the mountain sits a Buddhist monastery, a sacred site that has been occupied for millennia. The buddhist monks, and their abbot Venerable Bodhidharma Mahanayake Thero are not for budging, and will not allow the elevator to be built on their mountain. Morgan must fight both their intransigence, and the monumental technical problems he faces in building a structure tens of thousands of kilometres long.
The sections concerning the King Kalidasa and his palace are great. Clarke spent many, many years in Sri Lanka (An older colleague of mine who lived there used to see him wandering the beaches near Colombo) and he brings its history and environment to life.
As King Kalidasa builds his palace the Buddhist monastery on the peak nearby is ever present. The disapproval of the monks and the influence of their spiritually powerful leader perpetually hangs over Kalidasa, nicely echoing their influence over Morgan and the space elevator in the future.
While the historical sections brim with life, however, the sections concerning Morgan are a little less exciting. Towards the end I found myself skipping ahead to see if the ill fate that Clarke had telegraphed for his protagonist early in the book was as I suspected. It was, and I was disappointed that his character arc was so obviously inevitable.
Oh, and did I mention that first contact with aliens has already occurred in Clarke鈥檚 universe? An epoch defining event like discovering other intelligent life (or in this case, them discovering us) would seem to deserve more than a mention, but it barely influences the narrative at all, or the motives of the characters, and seemed to me to have been included solely so that Clarke could include an interesting coda at the book鈥檚 end from centuries after the central events in the novel.
The far-future coda did wrap things up nicely however, even if it seemed a little tacked on. Overall this was an engaging, but not spectacular story that despite its flaws made spending tens of hours watching numbers slowly creep up on an space elevator floor counter seem more exciting than I had initially expected.
Three stars.
Sounds fun yeah?
Not to me.
To me it sounds like spending twenty hours packed into a crowded and fart-infused metal room, trying to avoid eye contact while enduring an unending audio loop of Top Twenty Chart Hits - Pan Pipe Interpretations.
Yet while the term 'Space Elevator' doesn't exactly drip with excitement, Clarke, in his skilled way, spins an engaging and entertaining (if at times a little dry) story. The Fountains of Paradise neatly juxtaposes the attempts to build humanity's first space elevator with the Sri Lankan Empire of the cruel king Kalidasa, a usurper of the Sri Lankan throne who during his rule built a pleasure palace whose beauty challenged that of heavenly paradise (the fountains in the title refer to the water gardens in the palace).
Set in a semi-fictional Sri Lanka (here known as Taprobane), the story mainly concerns Vannemar Morgan, a world renowned engineer, and his attempts to get support for an audacious project- the linking of Earth鈥檚 surface to orbit via a near monomolecular diamond cable, a cable that will allow for freight and people to be taken to orbit without the use of expensive rocketry.
Clarke鈥檚 fictional Sri Lanka, being close to the equator, is a natural spot for such an elevator, and the mountain known as Sri Kanda is by virtue of its height and location the best place on earth to connect the cable.
There is however, one problem. At the summit of the mountain sits a Buddhist monastery, a sacred site that has been occupied for millennia. The buddhist monks, and their abbot Venerable Bodhidharma Mahanayake Thero are not for budging, and will not allow the elevator to be built on their mountain. Morgan must fight both their intransigence, and the monumental technical problems he faces in building a structure tens of thousands of kilometres long.
The sections concerning the King Kalidasa and his palace are great. Clarke spent many, many years in Sri Lanka (An older colleague of mine who lived there used to see him wandering the beaches near Colombo) and he brings its history and environment to life.
As King Kalidasa builds his palace the Buddhist monastery on the peak nearby is ever present. The disapproval of the monks and the influence of their spiritually powerful leader perpetually hangs over Kalidasa, nicely echoing their influence over Morgan and the space elevator in the future.
While the historical sections brim with life, however, the sections concerning Morgan are a little less exciting. Towards the end I found myself skipping ahead to see if the ill fate that Clarke had telegraphed for his protagonist early in the book was as I suspected. It was, and I was disappointed that his character arc was so obviously inevitable.
Oh, and did I mention that first contact with aliens has already occurred in Clarke鈥檚 universe? An epoch defining event like discovering other intelligent life (or in this case, them discovering us) would seem to deserve more than a mention, but it barely influences the narrative at all, or the motives of the characters, and seemed to me to have been included solely so that Clarke could include an interesting coda at the book鈥檚 end from centuries after the central events in the novel.
The far-future coda did wrap things up nicely however, even if it seemed a little tacked on. Overall this was an engaging, but not spectacular story that despite its flaws made spending tens of hours watching numbers slowly creep up on an space elevator floor counter seem more exciting than I had initially expected.
Three stars.
August 6, 2015
When I was a kid, Arthur C. Clarke's 'The Fountains of Paradise' was one of my favorite books. I must've read it more than half a dozen times, checking it out from the library. The book has to do with the creation of a space elevator, and though I haven't read it, now, in over 30 years, I remember it dealing beautifully and sensitively with the conflicts between traditionalism and social and technological progress. It follows one scientist's 'impossible dream' to fulfillment, and although the ending is bittersweet, it is full of optimism: of the belief that innovation will truly make our world and our lives better, and that one brilliant person can, at the end, make a difference.
April 22, 2016
"There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is goldHmm... not an entirely appropriate Led Zep reference I suppose but I got to start the review somewhere, and the phrase "Stairway to heaven" does appear in the book, but regrettably not the guitar solo.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven"
It is quite often pleasant to go into a book without knowing anything about it. Not exactly the case with this one, I knew it is about space elevators, it's not exactly an obscure book by an unknown author but beside the two words "space elevator" I have no idea what else to expect. I vaguely remember attempting to read this book in my teens but could not get into it, I found it to be very dry. On this occasion, the pages just fly by very pleasantly.
This is a "near future hard sf" set in the year 2142, with some early chapters set 2000 years earlier for effect. Basically, it is the story of the first implementation of a space elevator, and idea conceived in the 60s but yet to become reality as - among other reasons - the super-strong cables required can not be produced at an affordable cost just yet. I love the idea of space elevators, they seem to be much more elegant than noisy rockets. The idea that some kind of satellite keeps the elevator cables taut by its geosynchronous orbit, I can just imagine the cables going up and up into the sky seemingly fixed on nothing because you can not see the satellite it is hooked on. If my inexpert description makes no sense to you, you may want to Google space elevators. Two recent sci-fi books I read feature this mode of interplanetary transportation, Alastair Reynolds' and Kim Stanley Robinson's . Both are excellent books, well worth reading. In both books the space elevator is not the focus of the story, it is something in daily use, which makes the idea even more vivid for me.
Clarke is, of course, a giant of the sf genre, but I suspect he does not get enough credit for his fiction writing skills. While it is true that his prose lacks the poetic or literary quality of Iain M. Banks, Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe etc. and that his characters tend to be underdeveloped. However, his writing is clear, accessible and visual. The Fountains of Paradise is written with Clarke's customary attention to details, especially where science is concerned. He examines the idea of the space elevator from all possible angles, technical, political, religious, social etc. He even dreamed up a few plausible contingencies that may occur. His humanity, compassion, and optimism are also present in this book. The main protagonist Dr. Vannevar Morgan is another one of Clarke's stock stubborn heroic scientist archetype, we don't really get to know him in depth but he does drive the plot forward effectively without hindering the entertainment value of the book. Nobody really reads Arthur C. Clarke for the characterization.
There is even a bit of what seems like self-referential humour in the book:
鈥淚 once saw an old space movie at the Sydney Art Museum that had a shuttle craft of some kind with a circular observation lounge. Just what we need.鈥� 鈥淒o you remember its name?鈥� 鈥淥h鈥攍et鈥檚 think鈥攕omething like Space Wars 2000. I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l be able to trace it.鈥�
(I think it's a reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey)
My only criticism of The Fountains of Paradise is the alien "Starholmers" who seem to have been shoehorned into the story unnecessarily. Aliens are great for space operas, first contacts or alien invasion stories but in this book they are not the focus of the story, they just make a sort of cameo appearance and somehow subtract from the level of realism of the book. Another minor gripe is a rescue scene late in the book which goes on too long for my taste. The ending is nice and poignant, though.
The Fountains of Paradise is a classic and a quick read, definitely a must-read.
_______________________
A couple of gratuitous pictures:
January 2, 2020
A truly breathtaking work of speculative fiction; the scenes set 400km above the Earth's surface actually triggered my vertigo at one point! Clarke's imagination is nothing less than visionary, all the moreso as it is based in real hard science. Astonishing and highly recommended to fans of hard SF (the climax might even appeal to the Space Opera crowd).
June 7, 2015
I've been a sci-fi fan from as far back as I can remember and I've read the major works of most of the better authors over the years. However, I bought this book years ago and, for some reason, it's sat languishing on my bookshelves, unread and getting dustier by the year. The book won the two major sci-fi awards, the Hugo and the Nebula, back when it was published in 1979, but the cover blurb never grabbed my interest enough to read it over the years.
So I finally got around to reading it and was pleasantly surprised. The book takes place in the early part of the 22nd Century and deals with the attempt by an engineer, Vannevar Morgan, to gather support and financial backing to build a space elevator, a giant structure that rises from the ground and links to a satellite in geostationary orbit 22,000 miles from the surface of the Earth. Once built, payloads could then be lifted to orbit at a fraction of the cost of using rockets.
To be honest, at first the book was a little slow moving as it detailed the political maneuvering to gather support for the project and to secure the ideal place to anchor it to. I will give Clarke kudos for not getting too bogged down in the technical details of the project. I've read a number of hard science books where the author has been so enamored with the technology he's describing that the book eventually becomes mind numbing from all the tech babble. Clarke keeps it simple and gives enough details to make the project sound feasible without overwhelming the reader with tech. The pace definitely picks up in the last sections of the book and I couldn't put it down.
The characterizations are good and I eventually found myself liking the characters and being interested in what happens to them.
The book has also aged well and there are few anachronisms in it. Most of books written before 1990 didn't anticipate the explosion in information technology that occured and you'll often find characters in some of those books still buying print newspapers or even using typewriters in what is supposedly the 21st century. There's nothing as glaringly out of place in this book.
The book is also very optimistic (and perhaps a little naive). No wars are occuring and religious strife has been eliminated in Clarke's future vision. Mankind is getting along with each other and expanding throughout the solar system with it's sights on the stars. It's a nice thought that we could get it together within 100 years.
So I finally got around to reading it and was pleasantly surprised. The book takes place in the early part of the 22nd Century and deals with the attempt by an engineer, Vannevar Morgan, to gather support and financial backing to build a space elevator, a giant structure that rises from the ground and links to a satellite in geostationary orbit 22,000 miles from the surface of the Earth. Once built, payloads could then be lifted to orbit at a fraction of the cost of using rockets.
To be honest, at first the book was a little slow moving as it detailed the political maneuvering to gather support for the project and to secure the ideal place to anchor it to. I will give Clarke kudos for not getting too bogged down in the technical details of the project. I've read a number of hard science books where the author has been so enamored with the technology he's describing that the book eventually becomes mind numbing from all the tech babble. Clarke keeps it simple and gives enough details to make the project sound feasible without overwhelming the reader with tech. The pace definitely picks up in the last sections of the book and I couldn't put it down.
The characterizations are good and I eventually found myself liking the characters and being interested in what happens to them.
The book has also aged well and there are few anachronisms in it. Most of books written before 1990 didn't anticipate the explosion in information technology that occured and you'll often find characters in some of those books still buying print newspapers or even using typewriters in what is supposedly the 21st century. There's nothing as glaringly out of place in this book.
The book is also very optimistic (and perhaps a little naive). No wars are occuring and religious strife has been eliminated in Clarke's future vision. Mankind is getting along with each other and expanding throughout the solar system with it's sights on the stars. It's a nice thought that we could get it together within 100 years.
March 24, 2021
Me sigue pasando lo mismo con cada libro de Clarke: grandes ideas pero ejecuciones no tan buenas.
En esta ocasi贸n el gancho es bastante atractivo: el protagonista, responsable de la construcci贸n del puente entre Europa y 脕frica (a trav茅s de Gibraltar, imaginaros el chollo que tienen los monos con tanto turista), considera que es posible crear una Torre que una la Tierra con una 贸rbita estacionaria para ahorrarnos tanto combustible en cohetes (dadle unos a帽os a Elon Musk para que lo haga).
Hasta ah铆 la historia parece atractiva, pero resulta que la torre tiene que ser construida en un punto exacto que es una monta帽a sagrada del sudeste asi谩tico ocupada por unos monjes que se niegan a abandonar. Y el bueno de Clarke se entretiene un 70% del libro en contarnos las historias y leyendas alrededor de esa monta帽a y los monjes y los tira y aflojas para poder construir la torre.
Al final le mete algo de acci贸n y los personajes interact煤an con la torre y consigue que te interese un poco lo que ocurre. Pero me sigo quedando con la sensaci贸n de una gran idea desaprovechada.
En esta ocasi贸n el gancho es bastante atractivo: el protagonista, responsable de la construcci贸n del puente entre Europa y 脕frica (a trav茅s de Gibraltar, imaginaros el chollo que tienen los monos con tanto turista), considera que es posible crear una Torre que una la Tierra con una 贸rbita estacionaria para ahorrarnos tanto combustible en cohetes (dadle unos a帽os a Elon Musk para que lo haga).
Hasta ah铆 la historia parece atractiva, pero resulta que la torre tiene que ser construida en un punto exacto que es una monta帽a sagrada del sudeste asi谩tico ocupada por unos monjes que se niegan a abandonar. Y el bueno de Clarke se entretiene un 70% del libro en contarnos las historias y leyendas alrededor de esa monta帽a y los monjes y los tira y aflojas para poder construir la torre.
Al final le mete algo de acci贸n y los personajes interact煤an con la torre y consigue que te interese un poco lo que ocurre. Pero me sigo quedando con la sensaci贸n de una gran idea desaprovechada.
September 10, 2016
Where should I start, If I could give it 4.5 stars I would, I really enjoyed the book, and after labouring for a month on my previous book, zipped through this (despite there still being sport on English TV).
I haven't read an A C Clarke book for a few years and this book just reminded me why I like him so much as an author, and why I have so many of his books (to re-read, OMG when will I get the time).
His descriptive powers are superb and I defy you not to be transferred to Taprobane, or to see the "elevator".
Just a great book !!
I haven't read an A C Clarke book for a few years and this book just reminded me why I like him so much as an author, and why I have so many of his books (to re-read, OMG when will I get the time).
His descriptive powers are superb and I defy you not to be transferred to Taprobane, or to see the "elevator".
Just a great book !!
June 23, 2024
陌yi bir bilimkurgu kitab谋 okuman谋n keyfini ba艧ka hi莽bir t眉r kitaptan alam谋yorum. Bunun nedenlerini tekrar etmeyeyim. (bkz. Asimov- Son Soru, Arthur Clarke-脟ocuklu臒un Sonu).
Cennetin 脟e艧meleri鈥檔i okumak uzun zamand谋r akl谋mdayd谋. Asl谋nda kitab谋n konusunu y谋llar 枚nce ilk duydu臒umda komik gelmi艧ti. Nas谋l yani uzaya asans枚r m眉 olurmu艧? Yani o kadar 莽ok uzay filminde, dizisinde, kitab谋nda galaksiler aras谋 seyahati m眉mk眉n k谋lan warp teknolojisi varken, asans枚r ne alaka? Yine de听 bilimkurgu okumay谋 枚zleyen b眉nyeye iyi gelir diye d眉艧眉nd眉m. Yan谋lm谋艧谋m. Asans枚r眉n yap谋m s眉reciyle ilgili 莽ok fazla teknik detay vard谋, can谋m s谋k谋ld谋 ve kitap s眉r眉nd眉 elimde. Clarke kitab谋n kaynaklar ve te艧ekk眉r b枚l眉m眉nde 艧枚yle ifade etmi艧 bu konuyu 鈥渂u kitap (umuyorum ki) bir romandan ziyade bir m眉hendislik tezi oldu臒u i莽in teknik ayr谋nt谋lara girmek isteyenleri bu konuya ili艧kin, say谋lar谋 giderek artmakta olan di臒er kaynaklara y枚nlendirece臒im鈥︹€� Ve uzay asans枚r眉 fikrinin nas谋l olu艧tu臒una dair di臒er bilim insanlar谋n谋n yazd谋臒谋 makalelerden bahsetmi艧. Roman谋n bu teknik k谋s谋mlar谋n谋 es ge莽erek kurgusal y枚n眉ne ge莽ersek biraz keyif alabiliriz belki.
Bundan sonras谋 spo.. i莽erir.
Kitapta 眉莽 ayr谋 hik芒ye var. Asans枚r眉n yap谋m谋 ana tema. 陌kinci hikaye asans枚r眉n kurulaca臒谋 yerde binlerce y谋l 枚nce ya艧am谋艧 kral谋n ve tap谋na臒谋n hikayesi. 脺莽眉nc眉s眉 ise y谋ld谋zadac谋臒谋 denilen uzak bir gezegenin sakinlerinin d眉nya ile ba臒lant谋s谋.
2100鈥檒眉 y谋llarday谋z. Ay鈥檇a ve Mars鈥檛a kolonilerimiz var. Buralara, halen 莽evre kirlili臒i yaratan ve 莽ok maliyetli olan roketlerle ula艧谋yoruz. 陌klimi kontrol edebiliyoruz. V眉cutlar谋m谋z谋n i莽ine yada d谋艧谋na takt谋臒谋m谋z 莽ip benzeri aletlerle sa臒l谋臒谋m谋z s眉rekli kontrol alt谋nda. Tabii ki internet benzeri teknolojiler sayesinde haberle艧me 莽ok geli艧mi艧. Ekstra bi farkl谋l谋k yok g眉n眉m眉zden.
陌n艧aat m眉hendisi Morgan, vakti zaman谋nda听Cebelitar谋k Bo臒az谋鈥檔a bir k枚pr眉 yapm谋艧 ve 莽ok me艧hur olmu艧. Uzay asans枚r眉 onun fikri. D眉nya y枚r眉ngesinde bir istasyon kurarak ordan hem a艧a臒谋ya hem de uzaya do臒ru e艧zamanl谋 olarak iki kule yapma gibi 莽谋lg谋n bir projesi var. 36 bin km uzunlu臒undaki asans枚r hipertel denilen nanoteknoloji 眉r眉n眉 bir maddeden yap谋l谋nca kule kendi a臒谋rl谋臒谋n谋 ta艧谋yabilecek. 听Morgan projesine ba艧layabilmek i莽in 枚ncelikle mali, politik ve dini bir s眉r眉 engeli a艧谋yor. Sonras谋nda da asans枚r眉n yap谋m谋ndaki zorluklarla u臒ra艧谋yor.
Di臒er iki yan hik芒ye k谋sa k谋sa b枚l眉mler halinde aralara serpi艧tirilmi艧. Asans枚r yap谋m谋 ile ilgili teknik unsurlardansa buralar谋 okumak daha keyifliydi. Ayr谋ca kitaptaki son da 莽ok ho艧uma gitti. Binlerce y谋l sonra g眉ne艧teki baz谋 bozulmalar sonucunda insanlar d眉nyay谋 terk etmi艧ler. Kimileri Mars鈥檃 kimileri Ven眉s鈥檈 yerle艧mi艧. Baz谋lar谋 da d眉nya 莽evresinde dolanan yapay uyduda ya艧谋yor. D眉nyadan ka莽谋艧, ekvatorun 莽e艧itli noktalar谋na yap谋lan bir s眉r眉 uzay asans枚r眉 ile ger莽ekle艧mi艧. Tarih,听Morgan'谋n hakk谋n谋 teslim etmi艧 yani.
Elim titreye titreye 3 y谋ld谋z vericem. M眉hendislik bilimlerine ilgi duyanlar keyifle okuyacakt谋r. Beni bilimsel s眉re莽lerden 莽ok son 眉r眉nlerin hayat谋m谋za etkisi ilgilendiriyor da.听
Cennetin 脟e艧meleri鈥檔i okumak uzun zamand谋r akl谋mdayd谋. Asl谋nda kitab谋n konusunu y谋llar 枚nce ilk duydu臒umda komik gelmi艧ti. Nas谋l yani uzaya asans枚r m眉 olurmu艧? Yani o kadar 莽ok uzay filminde, dizisinde, kitab谋nda galaksiler aras谋 seyahati m眉mk眉n k谋lan warp teknolojisi varken, asans枚r ne alaka? Yine de听 bilimkurgu okumay谋 枚zleyen b眉nyeye iyi gelir diye d眉艧眉nd眉m. Yan谋lm谋艧谋m. Asans枚r眉n yap谋m s眉reciyle ilgili 莽ok fazla teknik detay vard谋, can谋m s谋k谋ld谋 ve kitap s眉r眉nd眉 elimde. Clarke kitab谋n kaynaklar ve te艧ekk眉r b枚l眉m眉nde 艧枚yle ifade etmi艧 bu konuyu 鈥渂u kitap (umuyorum ki) bir romandan ziyade bir m眉hendislik tezi oldu臒u i莽in teknik ayr谋nt谋lara girmek isteyenleri bu konuya ili艧kin, say谋lar谋 giderek artmakta olan di臒er kaynaklara y枚nlendirece臒im鈥︹€� Ve uzay asans枚r眉 fikrinin nas谋l olu艧tu臒una dair di臒er bilim insanlar谋n谋n yazd谋臒谋 makalelerden bahsetmi艧. Roman谋n bu teknik k谋s谋mlar谋n谋 es ge莽erek kurgusal y枚n眉ne ge莽ersek biraz keyif alabiliriz belki.
Bundan sonras谋 spo.. i莽erir.
Kitapta 眉莽 ayr谋 hik芒ye var. Asans枚r眉n yap谋m谋 ana tema. 陌kinci hikaye asans枚r眉n kurulaca臒谋 yerde binlerce y谋l 枚nce ya艧am谋艧 kral谋n ve tap谋na臒谋n hikayesi. 脺莽眉nc眉s眉 ise y谋ld谋zadac谋臒谋 denilen uzak bir gezegenin sakinlerinin d眉nya ile ba臒lant谋s谋.
2100鈥檒眉 y谋llarday谋z. Ay鈥檇a ve Mars鈥檛a kolonilerimiz var. Buralara, halen 莽evre kirlili臒i yaratan ve 莽ok maliyetli olan roketlerle ula艧谋yoruz. 陌klimi kontrol edebiliyoruz. V眉cutlar谋m谋z谋n i莽ine yada d谋艧谋na takt谋臒谋m谋z 莽ip benzeri aletlerle sa臒l谋臒谋m谋z s眉rekli kontrol alt谋nda. Tabii ki internet benzeri teknolojiler sayesinde haberle艧me 莽ok geli艧mi艧. Ekstra bi farkl谋l谋k yok g眉n眉m眉zden.
陌n艧aat m眉hendisi Morgan, vakti zaman谋nda听Cebelitar谋k Bo臒az谋鈥檔a bir k枚pr眉 yapm谋艧 ve 莽ok me艧hur olmu艧. Uzay asans枚r眉 onun fikri. D眉nya y枚r眉ngesinde bir istasyon kurarak ordan hem a艧a臒谋ya hem de uzaya do臒ru e艧zamanl谋 olarak iki kule yapma gibi 莽谋lg谋n bir projesi var. 36 bin km uzunlu臒undaki asans枚r hipertel denilen nanoteknoloji 眉r眉n眉 bir maddeden yap谋l谋nca kule kendi a臒谋rl谋臒谋n谋 ta艧谋yabilecek. 听Morgan projesine ba艧layabilmek i莽in 枚ncelikle mali, politik ve dini bir s眉r眉 engeli a艧谋yor. Sonras谋nda da asans枚r眉n yap谋m谋ndaki zorluklarla u臒ra艧谋yor.
Di臒er iki yan hik芒ye k谋sa k谋sa b枚l眉mler halinde aralara serpi艧tirilmi艧. Asans枚r yap谋m谋 ile ilgili teknik unsurlardansa buralar谋 okumak daha keyifliydi. Ayr谋ca kitaptaki son da 莽ok ho艧uma gitti. Binlerce y谋l sonra g眉ne艧teki baz谋 bozulmalar sonucunda insanlar d眉nyay谋 terk etmi艧ler. Kimileri Mars鈥檃 kimileri Ven眉s鈥檈 yerle艧mi艧. Baz谋lar谋 da d眉nya 莽evresinde dolanan yapay uyduda ya艧谋yor. D眉nyadan ka莽谋艧, ekvatorun 莽e艧itli noktalar谋na yap谋lan bir s眉r眉 uzay asans枚r眉 ile ger莽ekle艧mi艧. Tarih,听Morgan'谋n hakk谋n谋 teslim etmi艧 yani.
Elim titreye titreye 3 y谋ld谋z vericem. M眉hendislik bilimlerine ilgi duyanlar keyifle okuyacakt谋r. Beni bilimsel s眉re莽lerden 莽ok son 眉r眉nlerin hayat谋m谋za etkisi ilgilendiriyor da.听
March 16, 2025
Check out a spoiler light discussion with Robin from Bookspin
A novel that mostly revolves around a renowned engineer who takes on a project to build a space elevator, but there is way more to it than that. In the beginning of the book, we get some historical context about the area where this space elevator is going to be built, this also relates to future events and ties in myths from this ancient civilization. At the end of the book, you get a glimpse of the future and why this project was so important. I think the engineering, myth and overall plot are the strong points in this one. The crisis that happens during the core of the book seemed like filler at times but was still fairly entertaining.
A novel that mostly revolves around a renowned engineer who takes on a project to build a space elevator, but there is way more to it than that. In the beginning of the book, we get some historical context about the area where this space elevator is going to be built, this also relates to future events and ties in myths from this ancient civilization. At the end of the book, you get a glimpse of the future and why this project was so important. I think the engineering, myth and overall plot are the strong points in this one. The crisis that happens during the core of the book seemed like filler at times but was still fairly entertaining.
November 14, 2021
if you like this review, i now have website:
.??? childhood: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
i remember this book as a kid, i think i got it hardcover through science fiction book club, but have read it at least 3 times as an adult (since 17). this is a comforting, engaging, typically arthur c clarke future: conflict is between man capital M and the constraints of the universe- and incidentally, of course, the religious forces- but science trumps them all. sf as engineering fiction written by engineers for engineers. something naive or just hopeful, in this interpretation of the future, something i am sentimental about. i like the hope, the dream, the rational utopia, even as it seems thin and improbable to mature, widely read me, years later (decades...)... also that the narrative is divided by showing the contemporary era of building this elevator to the stars, and the historical era of constructing the king鈥檚 garden and the fountains of paradise. here are some other clarke though i do have some separate reviews (2001 in particular)...
by Arthur C. Clarke
there is this movie, there is this book鈥� neither is complete without the other. stanley kubrick鈥檚 masterpiece and this radical elaboration of one of clarke鈥檚 short stories. developed together. written concurrently. if you want to be amazed by understated awe of images- watch the film. if you want to understand what you just saw- read the book. (see dedicated reviews)...
four stars:
by Arthur C. Clarke (probably before 17)
written deliberately against science fantasy of 鈥榮tar wars鈥�, this is the beauty, the awe, the wonder, of actual scientific extrapolation. i like this for the elegiac promised future for earth and how we might change, yet be the same, ever as we go out to the galaxy鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke (mostly before 17)
every short story ever published by this man who defined the earlier possibilities of science fiction- but not just a cheerleader for sf, he wrote some masterpieces not entirely triumphal eg. nine billion names of god, the star. all required reading if you love sf.
three stars- these following works are all read before my adult cutoff date of 17, but rather than create a new shelf continue here. these are also all rated by memory, so are mostly less than immediate judgement. on the other, all of them are pleasant memories...
by Arthur C. Clarke (before 17)
it is not about evolution for clarke- it is all about transcendence鈥� (see dedicated review)....
by Arthur C. Clarke
what direction will humankind go: ever outward, ever inward鈥�? version 2 of Against the Fall of Night
by Arthur C. Clarke
utopia and its discontents鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke
version 1 of The City and the Stars
by Arthur C. Clarke
first read this before my personal golden age of science fiction, i was 12鈥�
two stars-
by Arthur C. Clarke
big dumb object鈥�? not my favourite, not enough to read on sequels.
(Space Odyssey, #4) by Arthur C. Clarke
sequels gradually diminish returns鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke
catastrophe on a moon bus? okay鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke
characters? we don鈥檛 need no stinkin鈥� characters!
nonfiction on arthur c clarke (probably when at university)-
.??? childhood: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
i remember this book as a kid, i think i got it hardcover through science fiction book club, but have read it at least 3 times as an adult (since 17). this is a comforting, engaging, typically arthur c clarke future: conflict is between man capital M and the constraints of the universe- and incidentally, of course, the religious forces- but science trumps them all. sf as engineering fiction written by engineers for engineers. something naive or just hopeful, in this interpretation of the future, something i am sentimental about. i like the hope, the dream, the rational utopia, even as it seems thin and improbable to mature, widely read me, years later (decades...)... also that the narrative is divided by showing the contemporary era of building this elevator to the stars, and the historical era of constructing the king鈥檚 garden and the fountains of paradise. here are some other clarke though i do have some separate reviews (2001 in particular)...
by Arthur C. Clarke
there is this movie, there is this book鈥� neither is complete without the other. stanley kubrick鈥檚 masterpiece and this radical elaboration of one of clarke鈥檚 short stories. developed together. written concurrently. if you want to be amazed by understated awe of images- watch the film. if you want to understand what you just saw- read the book. (see dedicated reviews)...
four stars:
by Arthur C. Clarke (probably before 17)
written deliberately against science fantasy of 鈥榮tar wars鈥�, this is the beauty, the awe, the wonder, of actual scientific extrapolation. i like this for the elegiac promised future for earth and how we might change, yet be the same, ever as we go out to the galaxy鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke (mostly before 17)
every short story ever published by this man who defined the earlier possibilities of science fiction- but not just a cheerleader for sf, he wrote some masterpieces not entirely triumphal eg. nine billion names of god, the star. all required reading if you love sf.
three stars- these following works are all read before my adult cutoff date of 17, but rather than create a new shelf continue here. these are also all rated by memory, so are mostly less than immediate judgement. on the other, all of them are pleasant memories...
by Arthur C. Clarke (before 17)
it is not about evolution for clarke- it is all about transcendence鈥� (see dedicated review)....
by Arthur C. Clarke
what direction will humankind go: ever outward, ever inward鈥�? version 2 of Against the Fall of Night
by Arthur C. Clarke
utopia and its discontents鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke
version 1 of The City and the Stars
by Arthur C. Clarke
first read this before my personal golden age of science fiction, i was 12鈥�
two stars-
by Arthur C. Clarke
big dumb object鈥�? not my favourite, not enough to read on sequels.
(Space Odyssey, #4) by Arthur C. Clarke
sequels gradually diminish returns鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke
catastrophe on a moon bus? okay鈥�
by Arthur C. Clarke
characters? we don鈥檛 need no stinkin鈥� characters!
nonfiction on arthur c clarke (probably when at university)-
April 1, 2018
This was a boring book. Solid, as far as the story and writing goes, yes, which is why the 3 stars and not 2. (Although if we鈥檙e really honest, it鈥檚 more like a 2.5 stars). Boring nonetheless.
Phew. With that off my chest, I can now attempt to coherently talk about the rest of it. Hindsight is 20/20, and now I feel that this is probably not the best book to start discovering Arthur C. Clarke. Yes, I am saying I have not read anything by him before. Space Odyssey or RAMA books might have been a better start. Alas, here I am.
Character: 3
Vanavar Morgan. Architect of great renown, the builder of Gibraltar bridge is making a Space Elevator. All the other characters were more of a support cast, so the rating mainly reflects how I felt about Van. And, if I am honest, he was all right. He was a person, like any one of us who has a specific skill set to accomplish something no one before him thought of. He plays some political games, some relationship building games and a lot of experimentation as he proceeds with his obsession of the space elevator. He鈥檚 a good person, I felt, despite his desire to relocate monks from their thousands of years old home. He鈥檚 seeking to make a name for himself, sure but his idea will benefit humanity for decades to come, if not longer. He desires to be recognized as a celebrity, so up you might say he鈥檚 a bit vain, but in the end the value of his project targets all of us on the planet, so can we really blame someone for wanting to get some credit, where credit is due? Besides that, Vanavar is not interesting, he鈥檚 better described as mechanical and methodical. I got the sense that Clarke cared more about the elevator then some character development.
Plot: 3
I did like historical flashbacks and the tie in of an ancient civilization as the plot unfolded. That was cool, although I felt a bit indifferent about the locale, if I鈥檓 being honest. I knew nothing about the area, so it felt very foreign and detached to me with names that were hard to pronounce. Now, if the story was more compelling and drama driven, I would have probably went online and researched the history to be able to immerse more, but it wasn鈥檛 so I didn鈥檛 feel compelled to do any research and just chugged along with the words.
I really loved the space probe looking for other civilizations that was smart enough to learn and communicate with us on friendly terms. This meant there were other civilizations out there and we, as species, could expect visitors. When, who knows. But the thought of it must have been comforting to the people in the novel. We are NOT alone. Now, some reviewers did not like the very atheistic tastes of the probe, but I found I didn鈥檛 mind it. In fact what else would the probe see when it tried to learn things about us? Existence of a God is a sort of a planetary obsession and has been for ever. It was nice to have someone just to come and give the answer. Now the debate could be over and humanity can move on to the next obsession. Space travel and space elevator.
What mind boggled me, however is that we colonized Mars, but didn鈥檛 go past that? It鈥檚 just casually thrown in there as a fact and that鈥檚 it. should鈥檝e been more content there.
The ending (no spoilers) was just a big let down to me. It should have been an emotionally charged ride, but it just wasn鈥檛.
Setting: 2
I liked the glimpse at the near future. Things are familiar yet different. Some passages date the novel, but understandably so, no harm, no foul there. I guess, the whole thing was just so focused on the actual elevator, materials needed to build it, political and legal affairs around getting approval etc that I did not feel the connection to the actual people that I wanted to feel. It was just an overall dry prose, that had me slogging through pages with little to no emotion. I wish Clarke focused a little more on his characters. I get the hard sci-fi concept of the book, and that could still remain but it would have benefitted from being a bit longer with some more character development to make me care more about Van as a human, not just as a brilliant architect.
Overall, I would suggest you skip this one. Let鈥檚 say I just took one for the team.
Roman 鈥淩agnar鈥�
Phew. With that off my chest, I can now attempt to coherently talk about the rest of it. Hindsight is 20/20, and now I feel that this is probably not the best book to start discovering Arthur C. Clarke. Yes, I am saying I have not read anything by him before. Space Odyssey or RAMA books might have been a better start. Alas, here I am.
Character: 3
Vanavar Morgan. Architect of great renown, the builder of Gibraltar bridge is making a Space Elevator. All the other characters were more of a support cast, so the rating mainly reflects how I felt about Van. And, if I am honest, he was all right. He was a person, like any one of us who has a specific skill set to accomplish something no one before him thought of. He plays some political games, some relationship building games and a lot of experimentation as he proceeds with his obsession of the space elevator. He鈥檚 a good person, I felt, despite his desire to relocate monks from their thousands of years old home. He鈥檚 seeking to make a name for himself, sure but his idea will benefit humanity for decades to come, if not longer. He desires to be recognized as a celebrity, so up you might say he鈥檚 a bit vain, but in the end the value of his project targets all of us on the planet, so can we really blame someone for wanting to get some credit, where credit is due? Besides that, Vanavar is not interesting, he鈥檚 better described as mechanical and methodical. I got the sense that Clarke cared more about the elevator then some character development.
Plot: 3
I did like historical flashbacks and the tie in of an ancient civilization as the plot unfolded. That was cool, although I felt a bit indifferent about the locale, if I鈥檓 being honest. I knew nothing about the area, so it felt very foreign and detached to me with names that were hard to pronounce. Now, if the story was more compelling and drama driven, I would have probably went online and researched the history to be able to immerse more, but it wasn鈥檛 so I didn鈥檛 feel compelled to do any research and just chugged along with the words.
I really loved the space probe looking for other civilizations that was smart enough to learn and communicate with us on friendly terms. This meant there were other civilizations out there and we, as species, could expect visitors. When, who knows. But the thought of it must have been comforting to the people in the novel. We are NOT alone. Now, some reviewers did not like the very atheistic tastes of the probe, but I found I didn鈥檛 mind it. In fact what else would the probe see when it tried to learn things about us? Existence of a God is a sort of a planetary obsession and has been for ever. It was nice to have someone just to come and give the answer. Now the debate could be over and humanity can move on to the next obsession. Space travel and space elevator.
What mind boggled me, however is that we colonized Mars, but didn鈥檛 go past that? It鈥檚 just casually thrown in there as a fact and that鈥檚 it. should鈥檝e been more content there.
The ending (no spoilers) was just a big let down to me. It should have been an emotionally charged ride, but it just wasn鈥檛.
Setting: 2
I liked the glimpse at the near future. Things are familiar yet different. Some passages date the novel, but understandably so, no harm, no foul there. I guess, the whole thing was just so focused on the actual elevator, materials needed to build it, political and legal affairs around getting approval etc that I did not feel the connection to the actual people that I wanted to feel. It was just an overall dry prose, that had me slogging through pages with little to no emotion. I wish Clarke focused a little more on his characters. I get the hard sci-fi concept of the book, and that could still remain but it would have benefitted from being a bit longer with some more character development to make me care more about Van as a human, not just as a brilliant architect.
Overall, I would suggest you skip this one. Let鈥檚 say I just took one for the team.
Roman 鈥淩agnar鈥�
February 24, 2020
韦慰 蠈谓蔚喂蟻慰 蟿慰蠀 渭畏蠂伪谓喂魏慰蠉 螔维谓蔚渭伪蟻 螠蠈蟻纬魏伪谓 蔚委谓伪喂 谓伪 蟽蠀谓未苇蟽蔚喂 蟿畏 螕畏 渭蔚 蟿伪 伪蟽蟿苇蟻喂伪 渭蔚 苇谓伪 未喂伪蟽蟿畏渭喂魏蠈 伪谓蔚位魏蠀蟽蟿萎蟻伪 蠉蠄慰蠀蟼 36.000 蠂喂位喂慰渭苇蟿蟻蠅谓. 螤蟻蠋蟿伪 蠈渭蠅蟼, 蟺蟻苇蟺蔚喂 谓伪 蔚蟺喂位蠉蟽蔚喂 伪蟻魏蔚蟿维 蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏维, 蟺慰位喂蟿喂魏维, 慰喂魏慰谓慰渭喂魏维 魏伪喂 胃蟻畏蟽魏蔚蠀蟿喂魏维 蟺蟻慰尾位萎渭伪蟿伪.
螆谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟽蠉蟽蟿畏谓伪 渭蠈谓慰 蟽蔚 蠁伪谓 蟿畏蟼 蔚蟺喂蟽蟿畏渭慰谓喂魏萎蟼 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪蟼 魏伪喂 胃伪 伪蟺苇蟿蟻蔚蟺伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾伪蟽蟿蔚委 蟽蟿伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏维 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蟽蠀纬魏蔚魏蟻喂渭苇谓畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏.
螖喂伪尾维蟽蟿蔚 伪谓伪位蠀蟿喂魏维 蟿畏谓 维蟺慰蠄萎 渭慰蠀 蟽蟿慰 .
螆谓伪 尾喂尾位委慰 蟺慰蠀 胃伪 蟽蠉蟽蟿畏谓伪 渭蠈谓慰 蟽蔚 蠁伪谓 蟿畏蟼 蔚蟺喂蟽蟿畏渭慰谓喂魏萎蟼 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪蟼 魏伪喂 胃伪 伪蟺苇蟿蟻蔚蟺伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾伪蟽蟿蔚委 蟽蟿伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏维 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蟽蠀纬魏蔚魏蟻喂渭苇谓畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏.
螖喂伪尾维蟽蟿蔚 伪谓伪位蠀蟿喂魏维 蟿畏谓 维蟺慰蠄萎 渭慰蠀 蟽蟿慰 .
November 6, 2020
This is a classic SF novel by . published in 1979, it won both Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as was nominated for Locus. I read is as a part of monthly reading for November 2020 at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group.
I actually read a Russian translation of this novel around 1988-1990 in the magazine 孝械褏薪懈泻邪-屑芯谢芯写械卸懈. It was a rare case of a relatively new Anglophone SF (the translated abridged version was published in 1980) 鈥� both censorship and desire not to pay author鈥檚 royalties usually limited supply of English SF to pre-1972 works. Here, I guess several reverences of the author toward the USSR plus that the main idea of the story (a space elevator) was initially suggested by Yuri Artsutanov, led to this (unusual by the times) decision to publish. A bad thing was that the novel is far rom Clarke鈥檚 best, and read by a 12-year me, it actually lowered my desire to read SF, especially by the author.
This is a story that envelops a scientific idea to bring it to the general public. This time it is an idea of building a line from Sri-Lanka to a geostationary satellite above it, which will function as an elevator. This idea was later repeated many times, so that most SF fans don鈥檛 need the text above to understand was a space elevator is.
As often with such stories, the wrapping of the idea with some kind of protagonists鈥� stories, their traumas and ambitions, their conflicts and victories, is more an afterthought than a true plot. Characters are fine, but readers can hardly care for them.
The same goes for the Chief Engineer (Land) of the Terran Construction Corporation Vannemar Morgan, who is the protagonist here. He is a chief constructor behind the new World Wander - the Ultimate Bridge, which linked Europe and Africa via Gibraltar. And now he has a dream to build another bridge 鈥� to the sky. He is opposed by the current rocket-based space travel on one hand and by monks in the ancient temple, which is located on the best spot for the lift on another. The 鈥榗urrent鈥� story is from time to time is interrupted by the history of Sri-Lanka, a rare for 1979 active usage of non-Western history in a SF book.
While overall I see more things to like upon a re-read, I still assume it an average novel, both overall and among Clarke鈥檚 works.
I actually read a Russian translation of this novel around 1988-1990 in the magazine 孝械褏薪懈泻邪-屑芯谢芯写械卸懈. It was a rare case of a relatively new Anglophone SF (the translated abridged version was published in 1980) 鈥� both censorship and desire not to pay author鈥檚 royalties usually limited supply of English SF to pre-1972 works. Here, I guess several reverences of the author toward the USSR plus that the main idea of the story (a space elevator) was initially suggested by Yuri Artsutanov, led to this (unusual by the times) decision to publish. A bad thing was that the novel is far rom Clarke鈥檚 best, and read by a 12-year me, it actually lowered my desire to read SF, especially by the author.
This is a story that envelops a scientific idea to bring it to the general public. This time it is an idea of building a line from Sri-Lanka to a geostationary satellite above it, which will function as an elevator. This idea was later repeated many times, so that most SF fans don鈥檛 need the text above to understand was a space elevator is.
As often with such stories, the wrapping of the idea with some kind of protagonists鈥� stories, their traumas and ambitions, their conflicts and victories, is more an afterthought than a true plot. Characters are fine, but readers can hardly care for them.
The same goes for the Chief Engineer (Land) of the Terran Construction Corporation Vannemar Morgan, who is the protagonist here. He is a chief constructor behind the new World Wander - the Ultimate Bridge, which linked Europe and Africa via Gibraltar. And now he has a dream to build another bridge 鈥� to the sky. He is opposed by the current rocket-based space travel on one hand and by monks in the ancient temple, which is located on the best spot for the lift on another. The 鈥榗urrent鈥� story is from time to time is interrupted by the history of Sri-Lanka, a rare for 1979 active usage of non-Western history in a SF book.
While overall I see more things to like upon a re-read, I still assume it an average novel, both overall and among Clarke鈥檚 works.
July 3, 2018
The Fountains of Paradise was a fun book to read. I was grabbed by the fact it鈥檚 a Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel and that the whole basis for the book is about building an elevator into space. The only problem was that the only great location for this 鈥渆levator鈥� was on an island inhabited by Buddhist monks who lived there for more than three thousand years.
I really liked the line 鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted,鈥� he said dreamily, 鈥榯o know exactly what would happen when an irresistible force meets an immovable object鈥� because it summarized the themes of the story so well. What happens when irresistible science meets immovable religion? What happens when irresistible future meets immovable past? The conflicting ideals of science vs religion and past and future (old tradition vs change) come to play in this novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and you will too.
I really liked the line 鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted,鈥� he said dreamily, 鈥榯o know exactly what would happen when an irresistible force meets an immovable object鈥� because it summarized the themes of the story so well. What happens when irresistible science meets immovable religion? What happens when irresistible future meets immovable past? The conflicting ideals of science vs religion and past and future (old tradition vs change) come to play in this novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed it and you will too.
June 23, 2021
Clarke kao i uvijek meni odlican. Iako mi je ova knjiga slabija od Kraj Djetinjstva ili Grad i Zvijezde, i dalje za Clarkea mogu reci da je sami vrh pisaca u zanru.
December 28, 2023
Actually 3.8 points
December 29, 2019
Fountains of Paradise
After reading the first few chapters, I forgot that it was an A. C. Clarke novel that I held in my hands. It felt more like something from Poul Anderson or Robert Silverberg - Kings, princes in an exotic subtropical landscape and such... However, by the second half of the novel, the lengthy talk of the building of a tower or space elevator or vertical bridge or stairway to heaven, it was clear that this was what I expected from a typical Clarke novel.
I read somewhere that this was Clarke's personal favourite novel of his. It may very well be the most successful marriage of elegant story telling while inserting technical information, and in this case even, it is a sort of infomercial for space elevator research - not that there's anything wrong with that. I just recently saw the documentary, "Sky Line", which Clarke and this novel was often refereed to.
At some point, Jules Verne is referred to in the novel, and the idea came to me that this is much like a Jules Verne 'gadget based' story, though here it's the space elevator rather than a balloon or submarine.
The extra terrestrial subplot in the novel did add little to the main idea, yet did add an element of pure scifi to the whole, momentarily taking the reader "out of school" for a recess time in the fantastic.
It really was a good read and is one of Clarke's best.
After reading the first few chapters, I forgot that it was an A. C. Clarke novel that I held in my hands. It felt more like something from Poul Anderson or Robert Silverberg - Kings, princes in an exotic subtropical landscape and such... However, by the second half of the novel, the lengthy talk of the building of a tower or space elevator or vertical bridge or stairway to heaven, it was clear that this was what I expected from a typical Clarke novel.
I read somewhere that this was Clarke's personal favourite novel of his. It may very well be the most successful marriage of elegant story telling while inserting technical information, and in this case even, it is a sort of infomercial for space elevator research - not that there's anything wrong with that. I just recently saw the documentary, "Sky Line", which Clarke and this novel was often refereed to.
At some point, Jules Verne is referred to in the novel, and the idea came to me that this is much like a Jules Verne 'gadget based' story, though here it's the space elevator rather than a balloon or submarine.
The extra terrestrial subplot in the novel did add little to the main idea, yet did add an element of pure scifi to the whole, momentarily taking the reader "out of school" for a recess time in the fantastic.
It really was a good read and is one of Clarke's best.
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