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Excerpt From Arthur C. Clarke's Last Work
Ubuntukitten writes "The Telegraph is running an excerpt from Arthur C. Clarke's last work, called 'The Last Theorem.' Fellow writer Frederik Pohl helped out. It's a reassuring chunk of old-fashioned sci-fi, describing an Olympics that's set on the moon. Typically for Clarkian sci-fi, is very much about the practicalities of mounting a Lunar Olympics, rather than any wild fantasy." The excerpt's centerpiece is a trip to the moon that begins with a space elevator ride. The book will be published on Aug. 1.
That man is scary-stunning-awesome. If you haven't already done so, go read "The Nine Billion Names of God".
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F. Pohl is one of the great masters of SF, if you haven't heard of him go read 'the space merchants', then check when it was written...
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I lived in Beijing until last month for several years. The reports of poor air quality are completely true.
Isn't it fun being an anonymous internet poster?
Nowadays that would be considered milking the cow for all its worth, but it was acceptable for his generation.
Many writers (even many contemporary writers) create consistent back stories for a given selection of novels. Some focus on one exclusively (e.g. J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth), while others have various contexts (e.g. Robert A. Heinlein's Future History, Lazarus Long, and World as Myth series).
If the concepts are bigger than can be contained in a single novel, then it is certainly acceptable and desirable to continue the broader story in succeeding volumes. This mode of writing is very common in science fiction and fantasy - and most fans seem to enjoy the continuity from one book to the next (look at the success of the Harry Potter series).
I think your characterization doesn't encompass the whole story - much like a novel that is a slice of a given world without any reprise - the readers are left wanting more.
Lodragan Draoidh
The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
Not a wild fantasy? That's why we call it science fiction, or SF, instead of "stuff we just make up". Welcome to SF as it was before the mass market publishers and anime came along. It used to be a bit more rigorous.
First, nobody knows who "dwater" is - so while you're not an anonymous coward it'd be a challenge to verify that you've actually lived in Beijing... a pseudonym is still anonymous in most cases.
Second, a single anecdote from someone who claims to have lived in Beijing at some point is completely worthless. Authentic? Maybe. Useful? No. The general consensus, *including* people who have actually been to beijing is that the air quality is horrible. Especially since you can get used to anything - maybe what you who have lived in this environment for years would call "not that bad" someone who lived in a mountain retreat all their life would call "*cough* *hack* *gasp* OH GOD I CAN'T BREATH *gasp* *hack* *cough*."
Objective studies and the vast majority of personal reports agree that the air quality in Beijing is about the worst on earth. You post a contrary anecdote as if everyone is going to change their mind after reading your experience... "oh, everyone I've ever met who's been to Beijing, every report I've read on the matter, and all the media crap about the effect of the horrible air on the olympics be dammed, dwater says the air isn't bad so it must not be."
And finally, other then the fact that he's obviously lying while you may or may not be lying, what make's aussie's post less valid then yours?