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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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Sky biking on the moon was mentioned in Rendezvous with Rama. I always wondered if Jimmy Pak, the sky bike rider in that book was intended to be from Sri Lanka.
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The IOC should take this seriously. The air quality on the moon is probably better than at Beijing.
*buh-dum-tish*
I'm here all night, please tip your waitress on the way out.
The main character in "Hammer of God" was originally a moon athlete, and the book mentions the eventual establishment of a Lunar Olympics.
I'm sure you writen other posts describing stories as weirdly familiar.
You post seems weirdly familiar.
You know what they say about opinions. They're all fabulous!
How did they solve the technical problem of the torch run? Wouldn't the flame go out without access to oxygen?
Well, I haven't read the story, but given that they've already solved that problem for humans, it can't be too much of an issue.
That's why it's called "The Last Theorem" and a seperate book! Arthur Clarcke had a truly marvellous short story about this Lunar-based sport event which the margin was too narrow to contain.
How can anyone trust ANYONE's writings if they have the initials "A.C."?
+1 IDisagreeSoHeMustBeATrollOrAnAstroturferOrAShill
Don't be so sure. 2pac is still bangin' them out.
I record my sleeptalking
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Imagining a space suit for a flaming olympic torch... I have to say it is the most ridiculous and awesome thing at the same time.
True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
You sir, are underestimating us. Of course we know about Fermat, we've all studied our biology.
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.
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The more you explain it, the more I don't understand it. - Mark Twain
How can anyone trust ANYONE's writings if they have the initials "A.C."?
You're thinking, no doubt, of Anonymous Coward - but let's not forget the other great ACs of the world!
There's Armored Core, with its warring corporations and mercenaries in their robots
There's A.C. Moore, when you need to buy some craft stuff
There's Art Carney, of "Honeymooners" fame
There's Alternating Current, which makes it easier to transmit electricity over long distances or change its voltage level
There's Air Conditioning, which is great on a hot day
There's AC/DC, who at one point were away but later were back in black...
There's Adam Corolla, who was funny on "The Man Show"
There's Ann Coulter, who is an obnoxious asshat (I guess your comment is valid with respect to her)
And don't forget good old "After Colony", the era of "Gundam Wing"!
So let's remember the good ACs of the world, too, shall we?
Bow-ties are cool.
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.