The Other Side of the Sky

This is an almost excellent collection of twentysomething short stories from early days, and includes a nice introduction by the author. I had honestly forgotten how much I have enjoyed Clarke's shorter fiction although I run across reminders here and there in anthologies. Clarke loved a surprising ending. Some of these stories are very short but they were a pleasure to read a few at a time. I only recognized a couple of them. Some of the ministories are slight, and detract just a bit.

Although some of the stories here show their age in terms of characterisation - especially the occasionally dismissive attitude to women and 'wives' - and the stifled prose, they are from a writer with such a remarkable gift for conveying the exciting and far reaching implications of science that any shortcomings soon pale alongside. Arthur C Clarke had a talent, along with Asimov and Heinlein, for uniting enquiring minds in the joyousness of science fiction and that was why he was one of the big three. In novel length the quality of Clarke's story writing can become obtrusive but this collection, although small, is a perfect showcase for his talent with the shorter form as almost every story here will lift the mind and engage the brain show more in less than 20 pages. show less

A collection of Clarke's stories from 1947 to 1957. It includes what I consider his two best stories, both with a religious theme: "The Nine Billion Names of God", and the heartbreaking "The Star". Other noteworthy stories here are "No Morning After", "All the Time in the World", "Out of the Sun" and "The Songs of Distant Earth". Many of these stories show one of Clarke's strengths, the true "twist ending". A fine collection by a master.

Even diep ademhalen is een bundel sciencefictionverhalen van Arthur C. Clarke. De originele titel luidt The other side of the sky. Het werd in Nederland in 1978 als herdruk uitgegeven door A.W. Bruna Uitgevers en hun Bruna SF-serie. Clarke schreef de verhalen in de periode 1945 tot en met 1957.

Bruna SF vergat bij deze heruitgave de originele titels te vermelden, maar de vertaling liep een op een met het origineel.

Clarke voorzag het boekwerk van een voor- en nawoord. De andere zijde van de hemel is een verzameling verhalen met als centraal thema In en om een ruimteschip. Sprong naar de maan is eveneens een verzameling verhalen met dit keer als thema de ruimterace tussen de Verenigde Staten, Sovjet Unie en Verenigd Koninkrijk.

Niet erg boeiende SF met af en toe wel aardige ideen soms wat gedateerd