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ARTHUR C. CLARK
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THE
TRIGGER (1999) - written with Michael Kube-McDowell |
Sub-category:
Future Earth History
The plot: Brilliant and
driven scientist, Jeffrey Horton, accidentally stumbles across
an experimental anomaly which will change the world we live
in. He has found a way to disarm any form of explosive remotely.
However, he wants this discovery to be used to benefit mankind
by making it difficult for people to kill others with guns.
However, he must convince the US government not to treat this
new discovery as a new weapon with which to arm itself against
any potential threats to the American supremacy in weapons
and prepare himself for strenuous objections from the 'Right
to bear arms' clause in America's Constitution. But this is
only the beginnning in the fight to disarm humans...
Comment: This book represents
the latest collaboration between Clark and other science fiction
authors (one cannot say lesser known authors when he recently
collaborated with Stephen Baxter!).
To this end, it is again, an interesting idea and one that
could only have been argued in great depth in by setting it
in America where people dying at gunpoint is several magnitudes
higher than any other country not engaged in war! At times,
the story kind of got bogged down in politics with no real
clear direction, but it was nonetheless an engaging story
that was extremely well thought out and researched. Unfortunately,
the pace is probably fastest at the beginning and end with
a big slow down in the middle. You are warned!
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RAMA
REVEALED (1994) |
Sub-category:
Future Earth History
The plot: Richard and Nicole
are hiding in 'New York'. The contained humans have committed
genocide and are making plans to conquer the whole of Rama.
While they build their plans, Richard and Nicole work to reunite
their family and then move on to form a stunning relationship
between that transcends the species barrier.
Comment: Although this
novel continues the barbaric trend started in The
Garden of Rama, it does at the end rise above it all to
give us the best possible ending to the Rama series. However,
throughout the book, it is written and well and constitutes
compelling reading.
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THE
GARDEN OF RAMA (1991) |
Sub-category: Future
Earth History
The plot: As the secoond
Rama's exited the Solar System, Earth tried to destroy is
with nuclear warheads. Despite the publicised success, Rama
actually survives unscathed and heads away from Earht with
3 cosmonauts: Nicole des Jardines, Richard Wakefield and
Micheal O'Toole. The three have to learn how to survive
in the alien worldlet and to interact with the other 'captured'
aliens on board.
Comment: The first half
of this novel is filled with all the visionary work one
equates with Clarke. The second half is a rather depressing
and brutal summary of the worst of mankind. You'd like to
think in the face of something so technologically advanced
we can't begin to understand it, mankind would be a little
humbled and not as stupid as depicted here.
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RAMA
II (1989) |
Sub-category: Future
Earth History
The plot: In 2197,
after a period of tremendous social and economic upheaval
on Earth, another cylindrical opbject is spotted. Rama
returns - as predicted because all evidence from the Rama
space ship in 2137 suggested that Ramans do things in
threes. This time, more preparation goes into the crew
who goes to Rama. However, once there, it is quickly evident
that this Rama ship is different...
Comment: Nearly two
decades after "Rendezvous with Rama," Clarke produces
a sequel with the assistance of Gentry Lee. Unlike the
usual Clarke novels, this one is grittier with more human
conflict that makes most of Clarkes work look like sterile
exploration efforts amongst emotionally balanced humans....
All in all, the visionary experience of Clarke blends
well with the more scientific and human-based style of
Lee.
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RENDEZVOUS
WITH RAMA (1973)
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Sub-category: Near
Future Earth History
The plot: After a
couple of catestrophic meteorite impacts on Earth, a
programme is set up to find all asteriods that may cross
the Earth's orbit. In 2131, an object is detected that
exhibits anomalous characteristics as it nears the Sun.
Then, it is confirmed: Rama is a space ship. A crew
of talented people are dispatched to discover the mysteries
of Earth's first contact with an alien product before
it vanishes out of the solar system.
Comment: One of Arthur
C. Clarke's best novels (it won the Hugo and Nebula
Awards), this book stands the test of time and is still
a powerful, realistic account of a possible contact
with a starfaring race. Within the book, Clarke develops
his favourite themes - if a race is significantly advanced,
their technology is indistinguishable from magic. Unacknowledged
is the fact that most space exploration is going increasingly
to mechanical probes and robots - and Clarke introduces
this 20 years before it became accepted reality.
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TOP ]
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An absolute sizzler of a movie - A must
see! |
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A scorcher of a good movie; still capable
of riveting you to your seat |
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Low flame burner; a pleasant piece of mindless
brain candy |
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A fizzler of a movie which will have you
counting zzzzzz's... |
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