Futurist and Author Arthur C. Clarke Dead at 90.
Arthur C. Clarke, celebrated science fiction writer with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died this past week at the age of 90. Clarke had been a spot-on visionary on a number of technologies, including the principles of satellite communication with satellites in geostationary orbits and the development of a “global library” (sound familiar, anyone?). On the entertainment front, Clarke is probably best known for writing the short story later developed into the Stanley Kubrick-directed 2001: A Space Odyssey.
On a personal note, I hold a special place for Arthur C. Clarke as one of the sci-fi authors instrumental in seeding my interest in science and technology . . . arguably leading directly to my present career as a patent attorney. I know a number of scientists and engineers who were similarly drawn to the sciences at an early age by reading works of science fiction by acclaimed authors Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, and the like.
If you are interested in any of Clarke’s fictional works, the following are highly recommended:
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Rendezvous with Rama (1972)
- The Fountains of Paradise (1979)
- 2010: Odyssey Two (1982)
- 2061: Odyssey Three (1988)
- Rama II (1989) (with Gentry Lee)
- Beyond the Fall of Night (1990) (with Gregory Benford)
- The Garden of Rama (1991) (with Gentry Lee)
- Rama Revealed (1993) (with Gentry Lee)
- The Hammer of God (1993)
- 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997)
Clarke’s collection of short stories, “The Nine Billion Names of God,” is also superb. One particular short story of his, “The Star,” is one of the best short science fiction stories ever written. On a more humorous note, “Tales from the White Hart,” is highly entertaining.