Arthur C. Clarke: A Critical Companion

216 Pages·1997·13.452 MB·English

by  Robin Anne Reid

CO~IPANIONS
TO POPULAR
CONTEMPORARY
WRITERS
•
Arthur C. Clarke
A Critical Companion
Robin Anne Reid
ARTHUR C. CLARKE
A Critical Companion
Robin Anne Reid
CRITICAL COMPANIONS TO POPULAR CONTEMPORARY WRITERS
Kathleen Gregory Klein, Series Editor
Greenwood Press
Westport, Connecticut • London
ARTHUR C. CLARKE
Other Titles in
Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers
Kathleen Gregory Klein, Series Editor
V. C. Andrews: A Critical Companion Tony Hillerman: A Critical Companion
E. D. Huntley John M. Reilly
Tom Clancy: A Critical Companion John Jakes: A Critical Companion
Helen S. Garson Mary Ellen Jones
Mary Higgins Clark: A Critical Companion
Stephen King: A Critical Companion
Linda C. Pelzer
Sharon A. Russell
James Clavell: A Critical Companion
Dean Koontz: A Critical Companion
Gina Macdonald
Joan G. Kotker
Pat Conroy: A Critical Companion
Anne McCaffrey: A Critical Companion
Landon C. Burns
Robin Roberts
Robin Cook: A Critical Companion
Lorena Laura Stookey Colleen McCullough: A Critical
Companion
Michael Crichton: A Critical Companion
Mary Jean DeMarr
Elizabeth A. Trembley
James A. Michener: A Critical Companion
Howard Fast: A Critical Companion
Marilyn S. Severson
Andrew Macdonald
Ken Follett: A Critical Companion Anne Rice: A Critical Companion
Richard C. Turner Jennifer Smith
John Grisham: A Critical Companion John Saul: A Critical Companion
Mary Beth Pringle Paul Bail
James Herriot: A Critical Companion Gore Vidal: A Critical Companion
Michael J. Rossi Susan Baker
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Arthur C. Clarke : a critical companion / Robin Anne Reid.
p. cm. - (Critical companions to popular contemporary
writers, ISSN 1082-4979)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-313-29529-8 (alk. paper)
1. Clarke, Arthur Charles, 1917- -Criticism and interpretation.
2. Science fiction, English-History and criticism. I. Reid, Robin
Anne, 1955- . II. Series.
PR6005.L36Z57 1997
823'.914-dc21 96-37046
British Library CatalogUing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 1997 by Robin Anne Reid
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 96-37046
ISBN: 0-313-29529-8
ISSN: 1082-4979
First published in 1997
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
S·
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information"5tandards Organization (Z39.48--1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my mother,
who encourages and supports me in every way possible.
To my father,
who first introduced me to science fiction.
To my teachers who taught literature,
but encouraged me to read and write everything.
To my students,
who teach me every day.
ADVISORY BOARD
Mary Catherine Byrd, English Teacher, East Montgomery High School, Biscoe,
North Carolina
Dr. Dana McDougald, Library Media Specialist, Cedar Shoals High School,
Athens, Georgia
Patricia Naismith, Library Media Specialist, Springfield High School,
Springfield, Pennsylvania
Italia Negroni, K-12 Curriculum Administrator, Stamford School System,
Stamford, Connecticut
Rudy Rocamontes, Jr., English Teacher, Southwest High School, San Antonio,
Texas
Alice F. Stern, Young Adults Librarian, Boston Public Library, Boston,
Massachusetts
Marcia Welsh, Assistant Director, Guilford Free Library, Guilford, Connecticut
Contents
Series Foreword by Kathleen Gregory Klein ix
Acknowledgments xiii
1. The Life of Arthur C. Clarke 1
2. Science Fiction and Arthur C. Clarke 15
3. Rendezvous with Rama (1973) 37
4. Imperial Earth (1976) 59
5. The Fountains of Paradise (1978) 75
6. 2010: Odyssey Two (1982) 95
7. The Songs of Distant Earth (1986) 113
8. 2061: Odyssey Three (1987) 129
9. The Ghost from the Grand Banks (1990) 145
10. The Hammer of God (1993) 161
viii Contents
•
11. 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997) 173
Bibliography 191
Index 201
Series Foreword
The authors who appear in the series Critical Companions to Popular
Contemporary Writers are all best-selling writers. They do not have only
one successful· novel, but a string of them. Fans, critics, and specialist
readers eagerly anticipate their next book. For some, high cash advances
and breakthrough sales figures are automatic; movie deals often follow.
Some writers become household names, recognized by almost everyone.
But novels are read one by one. Each reader chooses to start and, more
importantly, to finish a book because of what she or he finds there. The
real test of a novel is in the satisfaction its readers experience. This series
acknowledges the extraordinary involvement of readers and writers in
creating a best-seller.
The authors included in this series were chosen by an Advisory Board
composed of high school English teachers and high school and public
librarians. They ranked a list of best-selling writers according to their
popularity among different groups of readers. Writers in the top-ranked
group who had not received book-length, academic literary analysis (or
none in at least the past ten years) were chosen for the series. Because
of this selection method, Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary
Writers meets a need that is not addressed elsewhere.
The volumes in the series are written by scholars with particular ex
pertise in analyzing popular fiction. These specialists add an academic
focus to the popular success that these best-selling writers already enjoy.