Farewell Arthur C Clarke
Arthur C Clarke was buried today.
Of the trinity of golden-age science-fiction writers (the other two being Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein), I believe he was the greatest of them all, and it’s his writing that’s stood the test of time the best. His style to me was the very definition of “Hard SF” with completely believable physics and engineering, often centre-stage as important elements of the plot, yet still populated by human characters. And he lived long enough to see many of the technological marvels he wrote about come reality.
One of the greats indeed.
March 23rd, 2008 at 7:39 am
While Arthur C Clarke didn’t actually introduce me to science-fiction (that honour went to Asimov via a Foundation Trilogy Christmas present) he was my first contact with first contact stories just a little later.
I may well dig out ‘Rendezvous With Rama’ over the holiday and raise a glass to the great man.
March 24th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I think my introduction to SF was Asimov as well (”Pebble in the Sky” followed by “Foundation”)
March 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Sir Arthur’s “Islands In The Sky” was my first sci-fi book. A brilliant look at living & working in space that really fired the imagination in the days of the space race. As you say, he made the engineering & physics totally believable. And equally, he made it accessible in a way that anyone could understand at any age.