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The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Ralph Lister (Narrator), Ray Porter (Narrator),
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 2,108 ratings
4.3 on Goodreads
6,151 ratings
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Author of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novels Rendezvous with Rama and The Fountains of Paradise along with such memorable novels as Childhood's End, Sir Arthur C. Clarke was - with Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein - one of the writers who defined the classic era of science fiction. From early work like "Rescue Party" and "The Lion of Comarre" through classic stories including "The Star", "Earthlight", "The Nine Billion Names of God", and "The Sentinel" (kernel of the later novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey), all the way to later work like "A Meeting with Medusa" and "The Hammer of God", this comprehensive short story collection encapsulates one of the great science fiction careers of all time.

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  1. Listening Length
    51 hours and 4 minutes
  2. Author
    Arthur C. Clarke
  3. Narrator
    Ralph Lister, see all
  4. Audible release date
    August 16, 2016
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Audible Studios
  7. ASIN
    B01JQSALGY
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
2,108 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and engrossing. They praise the writing as creative and awesome. Readers describe the collection as great, extensive, and worth buying. The stories are humorous and endearing, making the reading experience enjoyable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityStory qualityWriterBook collectionValue for moneyEnjoymentContentTalent
57 customers mention "Readability"57 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's writing style and find it readable. They appreciate the good stories, even the old ones. The book is divided into short stories and snippets, which readers find interesting.

"...It's a long read, but an enjoyable dive into a broad range of styles and topics. Highly recommend." Read more

"...based on the short story "The Sentinel", but so many stories in this collection are better." Read more

"...I always found this short story to be the most fascinating short story I have ever read, and one of the best manifestations of the Genius of Arthur..." Read more

"...You will certainly find great works such as "The Nine Billion Names of God", "The Sentinel", "The Star", "A Meeting with Medusa", and others, but..." Read more

51 customers mention "Story quality"51 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories in this collection. They find the stories engaging and well-written, with many interesting subjects. The stories reflect the style of science fiction from the 1930s to 1950s, allowing readers to revisit their youth. Readers appreciate the creativity and entertaining writing that keep them interested. Overall, the stories satisfy their appetite for science fiction and provide an enjoyable reading experience.

"...stories are often difficult to end, but these stories always end in a satisifying way; surprise endings sometimes, but not gimmicks...." Read more

"...Clarke entertains you, makes you think, makes you laugh, and above all instills that "Sense of Wonder" that only the masters of this genre can...." Read more

"...trek, star wars, sort of Science Fiction stories, these stories cover a lot of ground...." Read more

"...for me, it rates five stars because of the near comprehensive look at the short fiction from one of the greatest science fiction writers of all..." Read more

29 customers mention "Writer"24 positive5 negative

Customers praise the author's writing. They find it interesting to read his early works and see how his knowledge and imagination develop. The notes provided by the author provide significant insight into when and why he wrote the story. Readers describe the book as enjoyable and well-written, with prophetic prose.

"...such as Asimov and Heinlein, there is very little sexism and the writing is mature and not juvenile...." Read more

"...look at the short fiction from one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time." Read more

"...Arthur C Clarke was one of the greats in Sci Fi writing and many of his stories are still relevant today...." Read more

"...The notes added by Clarke give significant insight into when and why he wrote the story. I highly recommend the book." Read more

28 customers mention "Book collection"28 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book collection. They find it a great and extensive collection of Arthur C. Clarke's gems. The book contains about 100 stories in 976 pages, many of which are true classics.

"...not containing any of Clarke's full length novels, this thorough collection covers the broad and fascinating range of his works in short story..." Read more

"...Naturally it contains some awesome gems like; The lion of Comarre, The Sentinel, The Wall of darkness, The Nine Billion Names of God, The Man Who..." Read more

"...though, these problems have been corrected, and this is now a great collection for those who want to experience not only his greatest works, but..." Read more

"...because it is a loaded 966 page book crammed with interesting sci-fi stories...." Read more

26 customers mention "Value for money"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money. They say it's worth reading, even if you don't like science fiction.

"...I am amazed to find that they are truly good...." Read more

"...Clarke's science is always sound, but good sf, like any good literature, is about people, not gadgets...." Read more

"Good stuff!!" Read more

"...Still happy to have it and I'd say worth the money I paid." Read more

24 customers mention "Enjoyment"24 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it entertaining, with humorous stories that make them laugh. The book offers a variety of readings and styles, making it enjoyable for readers of different ages. Readers appreciate the British sense of humor and dad-worthy puns.

"...It's a long read, but an enjoyable dive into a broad range of styles and topics. Highly recommend." Read more

"...Clarke entertains you, makes you think, makes you laugh, and above all instills that "Sense of Wonder" that only the masters of this genre can...." Read more

"...He also has a rather dry and very British sense of humor. Many of his predictions came true...." Read more

"I enjoyed every one of these stories. Each was entertaining as well as providing basic physics facts to fit each story as it was told...." Read more

21 customers mention "Content"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the content of the book. They find it a comprehensive collection of Clarke's work, including some of his best short stories. The book contains a lot of content and is considered one of the best in their collections. Many of the works are classics of the genre.

"...always end in a satisifying way; surprise endings sometimes, but not gimmicks...." Read more

"...a great collection for those who want to experience not only his greatest works, but also those which are not so great...." Read more

"...In simple terms this collection contains both the best that Clarke produced an an awful lot of dreck...." Read more

"...Yet as someone who appreciates a solid book, well bound and with sturdy paper - I have to mention that the pages are thin and if you flip through..." Read more

10 customers mention "Talent"10 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate Arthur C. Clarke's writing talent and skill. They find the book a great sampling of his work that shows off his genius for storytelling.

"...novels, this thorough collection covers the broad and fascinating range of his works in short story lengths...." Read more

"...of us who are old enough to remember Mr Clarke, this is a wonderful reminder of his talent...." Read more

"Very interesting collection of syfy short stories by a master of that genre. Haven't read them all yet. But what have read were great." Read more

"...the stories in this collection and marvel at the foresight of this unique genius...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • wbraud
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very thorough collection
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Though not containing any of Clarke's full length novels, this thorough collection covers the broad and fascinating range of his works in short story lengths. It's a long read, but an enjoyable dive into a broad range of styles and topics. Highly recommend.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Glenn Nelson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb collection by superb classic sci-fi author
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This is apparently a complete collection of Arthur C. Clarke's short stories, beginning with his first in 1932. I read some of these in the 1960s and 70s. I am amazed to find that they are truly good. Short stories are often difficult to end, but these stories always end in a satisifying way; surprise endings sometimes, but not gimmicks. Unlike other contemporary "greats" of his day, such as Asimov and Heinlein, there is very little sexism and the writing is mature and not juvenile. Also Clarke was a scientist and engineer and many of these tales have a ring of reality to them.
    Clarke also enjoyed some humor and there are many short stories featuring Harry Purvis, principally from the book "Tales from the White Hart". Fun, but too many.
    We all know that Clarke wrote "2001: A Space Odyssey", based on the short story "The Sentinel", but so many stories in this collection are better.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Charles S. Fannin
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sense of Wonder
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Whenever I take a a trip, this book is in my carry on. If I lose interest in whatever else I have to read, I know I can lose myself in this wonderful collection of classic science fiction.

    Clarke entertains you, makes you think, makes you laugh, and above all instills that "Sense of Wonder" that only the masters of this genre can. Some of the stories are very short, a few are novella length. Clarke's science is always sound, but good sf, like any good literature, is about people, not gadgets. The gadgets are there to create the scene, but it's the people who are the story.

    Why not 5 stars? Two reasons:
    - More typographical errors than the man deserved. There should have been more proofreading before printing this.
    - Still no ebook edition in most of the world. (Yes, there is an epub edition available only in Australia, but what about the rest of the planet?)

    Open the book to any page. Find the beginning of the next story. Start reading. Enjoy.

    I envy anyone who has never read Clarke before, picking this up for the first time.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Thomas Wikman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Many and strange are the Universes that drift like bubbles in the foam upon the River of time
    Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    "Many and strange are the Universes that drift like bubbles in the foam upon the River of time. Some - a very few - move against or athwart its current; and fewer still are those that lie forever beyond its reach, knowing nothing of the future or the past. Shervane's tiny cosmos was not one of these; its strangeness was of a different order." Thus begins the "Wall of darkness" the 16th of the stories in this collection of 104 Science Fiction short stories written by Arthur C. Clarke.

    Briefly; the Wall of darkness is a story about a wealthy young man who lives on a world always turning the same face towards its star, the great sun of Trilorne. On this world there was a region too hot for life called the Fire lands, a narrow belt that was inhabitable, and also the cold shadow lands surrounding the equator. Located at the equator was "The wall of darkness" a gigantic tall black impenetrable wall. It was not known whether it was created by the maker of stars or by some ancient civilization, but Shervane set out to explore it. What he found was almost beyond comprehension and still it elegantly explained the time and space structure of our own Universe, and maybe the time and space structure of any possible material Universe. As is stated; "Shervane's world was the last and the strangest jest of the Maker of the Stars". I always found this short story to be the most fascinating short story I have ever read, and one of the best manifestations of the Genius of Arthur C. Clarke.

    This is a nearly complete collection of all of A. Clarke's short stories collected into one book. Naturally it contains some awesome gems like; The lion of Comarre, The Sentinel, The Wall of darkness, The Nine Billion Names of God, The Man Who Ploughed the Sea, The Songs of Distant Earth, A Meeting With Medusa, The Hammer of God, etc. Some of these stories were later turned into novels. There were some editorial mistakes in the book but they did not ruin my reading experiences.

    Unlike the typical run of the mill space ship, star trek, star wars, sort of Science Fiction stories, these stories cover a lot of ground. From Tibetan monks trying to find God's real name using computers, to the discovery of 2 billion years old machines, encounters with gigantic jellyfish/balloon like creatures in Jupiters atmosphere, to quirky and humor filled space walk accidents.

    What I like about Arthur C. Clarke is that he does not waste his great imagination on the impossible or highly implausible. For example, time travel stories (back in time) are as boring as they are implausible (or impossible). In the comment section I will list all the stories in this collection. Perhaps you will recognize your favorite.
    58 people found this helpful
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  • Dave_42
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Near Comprehensive Collection
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    Sir Arthur C. Clarke (December 16, 1917 - March 19, 2008) was one of the masters of Science Fiction. For over 50 years he wrote stories which amazed and delighted readers, and this collection helps bring together his short fiction in one place for fans to enjoy. Early editions of this collection were fraught with error, and so it has developed a poor reputation. From what I can tell, though, these problems have been corrected, and this is now a great collection for those who want to experience not only his greatest works, but also those which are not so great. You can see his development as a writer within these pages.

    The quality of Clarke's work varies quite a bit from the earlier fanzine stories to his excellent work later on, which results in the overall collection having variable strength. There also appear to be some stories omitted, which makes this less than a complete collection, though certainly most of his works are here. You will certainly find great works such as "The Nine Billion Names of God", "The Sentinel", "The Star", "A Meeting with Medusa", and others, but for me those works are already easily found elsewhere, and the interest in this work was being able to read some of his rarer works, even if they weren't his greatest stories.

    I can easily see why some would give this work less than five stars, especially if they had an earlier edition which had so many spelling errors and other mistakes in it. However, for me, it rates five stars because of the near comprehensive look at the short fiction from one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time.
    21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Ken Gibson
    5.0 out of 5 stars AC Clarke at his best
    Reviewed in Canada on May 29, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Well worth the time.I thoroughly enjoyed this collection

    A great read from start to finish.
    Highly recommend this book for all SF fans
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  • Lucca Canizela De Camargo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
    Reviewed in Brazil on May 22, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Spetacular stories!
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  • Wandelnde Schielscheibe
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clarke in all facettes
    Reviewed in Germany on February 14, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    The ultimate collection of his short stories. Must read for all Sci-Fi and Clarke fans. Including those that turned into novels, like 2001.
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  • vaddadi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great buy
    Reviewed in India on April 18, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Great collection of science fiction stories by the original Master of the genre
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  • Rocío
    5.0 out of 5 stars Para todo@s los amantes de la Ciencia Ficción
    Reviewed in Spain on November 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Imprescindible en toda buena colección de relatos y novelas de Ciencia Ficción .Un clásico.
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