Customer Reviews

Islands in the sky: By Arthur C. Clarke

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This work of fiction that centers around communication satellites was written before any such thing existed. Arthur C. Clarke not only came up with the idea (like other Sci-fi authors come up with ideas), he also made com. satellites practical. He is credited with their invention. This genius work by this genius man should not be missed.

Only Clarke's second novel (1952), the novel doesn't focus on the plot as much as it does on the outpouring of ideas. There's little or no plot escalation but rather we're met by quaint surprises throughout. A teenage boy (in the year 2060 or so) wins a trip to anywhere on earth, but he argues that near earth orbit qualifies as earth. Having his wish granted, he makes his way to Inner Station three hundred miles above earth. Once there, he makes friends with station staff and we follow their games, follies, adventures and jokes.

It's not so much an action/sci-fi novel as it is a sci-fi/journal of orbital mechanics and mayhem. It's all terribly easy to read, probably aimed at the same age group as the main character, Roy. Unlike much of the sci-fi written in the 1950s, there's a notable lack of presence from the red Communists. Instead, Clarke focuses the entire 149 pages on one boy's aspiration to travel to earth orbit, one boy's explanations of orbital mechanics and one boy's rambunctious adventure around earth's orbit. Given its age, the reader is also met by a few cheesy lines such as "Maybe there's a robot waiting in the air lock with a ray gun!" and there are a few fallacies such as "Mercury always keeps one face turned towards the sun." But if you can look past its simplicity, time worn fallacies and predictable cheesiness, then this book holds a certain charm.