ArthurCClark

pick

A book of SF short stories with religious themes written between 1940 and 1970. It has one of my favourite of such stories, Arthur C. Clarke's “The Nine Billion Names of God“, which I still think has one of the best last sentences ever.

Of course it is noticeable from a 2020s standpoint what or rather who is left out of this collection of 13 stories, but I don't know which of these stories I would omit to make room for other voices.

CatLass007 Volume 2? There‘s always a need for more short story anthologies. 1w

rwmg @CatLass007 Since this book dates from 1971, I suspect we are not going to get a Volume 2. But I would like one that includes women writers and although Buddhism and Hinduism are referenced the stories are mostly from within or against the Judaeo-Christian tradition, so stories from within other traditions would be good as well. 7d

CatLass007 I suspect you‘re right. But I wonder who might make a good editor for the type of anthology we‘re discussing? And/or who would be a good publisher? I know there are some authors on Litsy. I‘m wondering about editors? I‘m just sort of thinking out loud on paper. Let‘s get the ball rollin‘! Who can we write with the suggestion of such a book? 7d

29 likes3 comments

rwmg

Other Worlds, Other Gods | Mayo Mohs

#sunshinewellness

18 likes

Deblovestoread

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur Charles Clarke

#12DaysofChristmas #September

Thanks to #ClassicLSFBC this was a favorite of September.

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Love his books. 5mo

56 likes1 comment

rwmg

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

pick

Driving a tourist bus on the Moon, Pat Harris gets caught in a moonquake and his bus sinks in the Sea of Thirst's moondust. We follow the passengers and crew, the rescue team, and the journalists covering the story.

The moondust in the story doesn't actually exist, though it was a reasonable speculation at the time of writing. Yes, the characters were firmly rooted in the 1950s but the author still provided an exciting, suspenseful story.

rwmg #ClassicLSFBC
@RamsFan1963 8mo

28 likes1 comment

rwmg

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

TO BE THE SKIPPER of the only boat on the Moon was a distinction that Pat Harris enjoyed.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

ShyBookOwl I've never heard of this Clarke book but I'm intrigued! 8mo

Bookwomble @ShyBookOwl We read it for the Classic Litsy Sci Fi Book Club in September. #ClassicLSFBC if you want some comments and critiques 😊 8mo

24 likes2 comments

rwmg

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

#coffeeandabook

Belated #ClassicLSFBC
@RamsFan1963

29 likes

Deblovestoread

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

#WeeklyFavorites

September was full of some pretty great reads.

@Read4life

Read4life 💙💙💙 8mo

51 likes1 comment

RamsFan1963

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

pick

96/150 I loved this kind of book when I was young, hard science science fiction was my favorite genre. After 60+ years, it does feel a little dated, but it still holds up well. It still makes for a tense, exciting read as the rescue team struggles to save the passengers & crew of the Selene. Like any good disaster movie, just when the heroes think they've got things beat, a new problem comes along to gum up the works. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #ClassicLSFBC

RamsFan1963 96th book finished for #Readaway2024 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65 9mo

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 9mo

Bookwomble I think this is one of the most enjoyable books the #ClassicLSFBC had read so far 😊 8mo

55 likes1 stack add3 comments

kwmg40

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

pick

This story about a tourist shuttle trapped in a sea of dust on the moon seemed somewhat dated, in that the roles of men and women reflect very much those of the time. However, it was still a very good hard science-fiction story with a lot of tension, as the shuttle's occupants and scientists on the outside work on a rescue.

#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella
#192025 #1961 @Librarybelle

Librarybelle Hooray! 9mo

Ruthiella Nice review! 👍 9mo

37 likes2 comments

Ruthiella

A Fall of Moondust | Arthur C. Clarke

A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick. If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know. 😃

🌙 Clark portrays a positive view of the future. Yes, there are sexist assumptions in it, but it also envisions a multi-cultural, peaceful human society. He also made a few predictions about human culture in the 21st century. What did he get right and what did he get wrong?

BookmarkTavern, wanderinglynn, Readergrrl, Johanna414, KathyWheeler, Lizpixie, BookBelle84, julesG, Deblovestoread, majkia, LeticiaToraci, sebrittainclark, kwmg40, rwmg, CatLass007, BookwormAHN, CSeydel, RamsFan1963, TheSpineView, bnp, swynn, PaperbackPirate, Bookwomble, Klou, Roary47, MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm, AuthorCjwhitcomb , Lesliereadsalot, PageShifter, tokorowilliamwallace, MerlinTheSlightlyAwkward, Books_et_al

Bookwomble I thought his vision was fairly progressive, and of course he was still influenced by assumptions of his time, such as sexist tropes of men being more rational and women more emotional, but I don't recall him being outright misogynistic. His multiculturalism was well done, even if there was a racial slur, though at the time of writing it was still largely used within that community without having been reclaimed. Again, on the right path, I think 9mo

Lesliereadsalot I liked the way that one guy stepped up to keep all the passengers engaged and busy so they wouldn‘t think too much about what was happening. If that book was written today, that guy would probably be a woman! I liked his old fashioned ideas: making a deck of cards, reading aloud from a book. 9mo

Ruthiella @Bookwomble @Lesliereadsalot Maybe this is low hanging fruit given capitalism, but he also got the commodification of Space right, even though humans haven‘t yet colonized the Moon. He indicated that only fairly well off folks could afford the trip. So far, we just have billionaires who can indulge in Space tourism. 9mo

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MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm Unfortunately I couldn‘t get my hands on a copy so I had to sit this month out. 9mo

Ruthiella @MegaWhoppingCosmicBookwyrm I understand. I belong to two county library systems and one city library and none of them had it in print, kindle or audio. I read it on Hoopla on my phone, which I find inconvenient. There‘s a free audio version on YouTube, however, that I also accessed which was good: https://youtu.be/4CHboOyhGtE?si=yuB-jT02sgwMkYb5 9mo

kwmg40 @Ruthiella I agree about the commodification of space, especially in the area of space tourism, which I expect to increase greatly in the future. The assignment of leadership roles to the men and supporting roles to the few women who appear in the novel does seem a product of the time, and I expect Clarke would be surprised by how things look today (though, as @Bookwomble said in another thread, we still have a long way to go). 9mo

Ruthiella @kwmg40 Sally Ride went into space in 1983, so during Clark‘s lifetime and 20 years after this book was published. But as you note, we still have a long way to go. I think what @Bookwomble said about women being perceived as more emotional and men more rational is still widely held, for example. (edited) 9mo

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