The City And The Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

Campbell, Jr., editor of Astounding Science-Fiction. Interestingly, itâ€™s a complete rewrite of his first novel, â€œAgainst the Fall of Nightâ€ which was rejected by John W. ( )Ĭlarke wrote (or rewrote) â€œThe City and the Starsâ€ in 1955 and it was published in 1956. I feel this sense of hope and wonder is less common in today's speculative and science fiction, so it was very refreshing. Most of all I was struck by the constant tone of hope and excitement, even as the truth of the story became a bit dark and depressing. The second half was a bit disappointing - I expected it to take off with more meaningful action as Alvin headed into the stars, but instead it was just little pulp vignettes that Clarke rushed through to get back to his grand vision of Earth.

I was also impressed by Clarke's ability to keep me hooked even though much of the book feels like plodding exposition with relatively little action.

Mostly I found a lot of fun in its grand scope, full of imaginative ideas surrounding traditional themes of human curiosity and fear. It's also a relic of its time, being concerned mostly with ideas rather than character, so don't expect many meaningful relationships or well-drawn women. It was formulaic, but in a charming and original way that has aged well I saw how Asimov could be so influential. I picked this up on a whim from a free little library. I have not read a lot of the oldest classic sci-fi from the middle of the century, and very little of Asimov himself.

The City And The Stars by Arthur C. Clarke