I may just be a bit odd, but...

[royalmarriage]

...thinking about Arthur C Clarke, it occurred to me that whenever I read 2001: A Space Odyssey I have a moment where I think, "that's it! I get it at last!" and then I go and re-watch the film again and realise I still don't. :o/

I must watch the film of 2010 - I think I've only seen that the once.

Apart from 2001/2010/2063 and...ooh, one I read in the early '90s that was one of his collaborations with Gentry Lee but I can't remember what it was although IIRC it involved heavy quoting from the Cyndi Lauper song Time After Time, can anyone recommend me any of Clarke's books?

(Mind you, I think the next on the radar is American Gods, and indeed any Gaiman I've not read.)

David.

Comments

[taurenova.livejournal.com]

American Gods is...well...something. I'm still not sure how I really feel about it. I'll look forward to your opinion.

I've only read one Arthur C Clarke book (though that makes me no less appreciative of his contribution to Sci-Fi) and I understand that it's one of his first. Childhood's End. And, as I recall, it's pretty awesome. So awesome I bought my own copy of it (I studied it in school).

If I'm remembering correctly it's where I got the concept of reverse-racial memory from (that is - something so traumatic happening in the future that it affects racial memory all the way back.

[davidbrider.livejournal.com]

I think American Gods is the one which in an interview last summer Gaiman said that there's a large percentage of people who actively hate it. Which is enough to intrigue me.

But I've read so little of his stuff (Good Omens, Neverwhere, and his Douglas Adams biog) that I really want to set that right. Heck, I've not even read Sandman. Although I saw Stardust and loved it (and Sarah's read the book - I may well borrow it from her).

I'll definitely track down Childhood's End. Clarke was definitely an intelligent and perceptive man.

David.

[taurenova.livejournal.com]

I've just started reading Sandman (and will no doubt have devoured the first 4 TPBs before the day is through) and it's pretty damned awesome. I can see why one of the stories won an award.

Stardust is a much better book than it is a film, though the film is utterly adorable in every way, as it is a fairy tale for adults. So to speak.

[elliannna.livejournal.com]

i kind of have a love/hate thing going on with american gods, read it a couple of times and still can't decide whether i love it as much as his other stuff.

I found myself digging out by clark novels last night when i heard he died, the first really grown up sci-fi i read. I second the rec for childhoods end, also try imperial earth, islands in the sky and the rama novels. I'm always meaning to read the rest of his stuff but never quite get round to it.

Might re-read a couple on fri while the lj strike is on.