Customer Reviews

Nine billion names (Signet)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Arthur C. Clarke is best known for his novels, especially "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Rendezvous with Rama," which each spawned three sequels. But throughout his early career in the 1950s and 1960s, the tail end of science fiction's "golden age," Clarke was more successful as a writer of short fiction. This book collects his best stories, or at least his own favorites. As Clarke himself acknowledges in his introduction, "Every author must have his favorite stories, though he would often be hard put to give reasons for his preferences. Sometimes these may be completely illogical--or at least unliterary. A story written at a time and place associated with pleasant memories may be more highly rated, in retrospect, than a much better tale provoked by unhappiness or penury--the two great sponsors of art."

But Clarke's choices largely jibe with mine. They are drawn from five earlier collections: "Expedition to Earth" (1953), "Reach for Tomorrow" (1956), "The Other Side of the Sky" (1959), "Tales of Ten Worlds" (1962), and "The Wind from the Sun" (1972). Here you will find "The Sentinel," which Clarke and director Stanley Kubrick expanded into the epic "2001." And the often anthologized "The Star," in which an astronomical discovery challenges a believer's faith. And "Superiority," a parable about too much reliance on technological innovation. And "Death and the Senator," which is perhaps not quite science fiction, about power coming to terms with mortality. And the title story, a whimsical yet disturbing speculation about humankind's purpose in the divine plan. And . . . twenty more gems of short fiction. (The only omission that I regret is "Hate," which appears only in "Tales of Ten Worlds.")

Despite a hardcover re-release in 1996, this excellent collection is still hard to find. But I still recommend it over "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke" (2001) because, while that collection contains all the stories in this collection, "Nine Billion Names" presents the stories in their original form while "Collected Stories" is rife with editorial and typographical errors and omissions.

An excellent book, easy to read in one full day if you don't pull yourself away from it. I purchased this book from a local used bookstore I originally entered looking for 3001 (to complete the series...I mean, I MUST have some closure here no matter how poor the reviews are of the finale). They didn't have 3001 so I looked through his other titles, and stubled along 9 Billion Names. I figured it would keep me occupied until I was able to find another book I would enjoy for an extended period of time. I now have to go back to the store and find another book because I'm nearly finished with this one because it is so reader-friendly. Brings back memories of grade-school with short-stories...ahh...good-times.

This is a selection of work chosen by the author himself as being the stories he prefers, or at least a book full of them, anyway.

It does, of course, lead off with the outstanding and famous title story. There's a range here from cool scientific observation, to space adventure like Hide and Seek and funny stuff like The Reluctant Orchid. There's even the dogmatically not so good story I Remember Babylon.

Mostly of the short story variety, except for the considerably longer Rescue Party.

Still, most definitely a good collection of Clarke stories, averaging just a touch under 3.50.

Nine Billion Names of God : The Nine Billion Names of God - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : I Remember Babylon - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Trouble with Time - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Rescue Party - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Curse - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Summertime on Icarus - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Dog Star - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Hide and Seek - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Out of the Sun - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Wall of Darkness - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : No Morning After - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Possessed - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Death and the Senator - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Who's There? - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Before Eden - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Superiority - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : A Walk in the Dark - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Call of the Stars - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Reluctant Orchid - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Encounter at Dawn - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : If I Forget Thee Oh Earth - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Patent Pending - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Sentinel - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : Transcience - Arthur C. Clarke
Nine Billion Names of God : The Star - Arthur C. Clarke


Ubergeek monks finish a cataloguing project, and with it comes some serious consequences.

5 out of 5


Satellite broadcast instruction propaganda.

3 out of 5


Siren Goddess nicked.

3.5 out of 5


An alien survey ship is surprised to find that the Earth system sun is going nova well ahead of schedule, and gets in trouble itself when it goes to look for people to save and can't find signs of life, until much later.

3.5 out of 5


Rocket dust rain epitaph.

3.5 out of 5


Hot stuck time doesn't bear repeating.

4 out of 5


Pooch love warning.

4 out of 5


Military Intelligence Phobos evasion story.

3.5 out of 5


Equatorial prominence being blowout.

3.5 out of 5


Shadow Land crossing engineering loop one-sided discovery.

3 out of 5


Telepathic brain's thirty-seventy dimensional warp bridge earth fry escape message rejection.

3.5 out of 5


Swarm mind search lemming poor pick.

3.5 out of 5


Zero G cardio cure.

3 out of 5


Kitten score quite popular.

3.5 out of 5


Venusian botany on the run.

3 out of 5


Weapons tech advance space war failure.

4 out of 5


Starlight, definitely not even close to bright.

3.5 out of 5


Dad not a space fan.

3 out of 5


Wellsian hothouse epic coward.

4 out of 5


Generation gap leavetaking.

3.5 out of 5


Independent attitude required.

3 out of 5


Sensation register commerce.

2.5 out of 5


Moon machine.

4 out of 5


Time to leave.

3 out of 5


Jesuit crewing for amusement finds supernova technology treasure cache is Star of Bethlehem reference point.

3.5 out of 5