Book Review: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke

It is one of the finest books ever written by Arthur C. Clarke. I enjoyed reading this book right from the start. It painted vivid images as I read the novel. It is undoubtedly a master class of writing in modern literature and a perfect example of aesthetic blending of historical and science fiction.

With increasing technology goes increasing vulnerability; the more Man conquers Nature the more liable he becomes to artificial catastrophes.

But man-made obstacles had never stopped him before. Nature was his real antagonist-the friendly enemy who never cheated and always played fair, yet never failed to take advantage of the tiniest oversight or omission.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke does not underestimate the knowledge of his readers, nor does he get carried away by writing pure science. The amusement is only grows as I rode on the Orbital Tower. The motive of the plot explores the themes of man's desire to conquer the world, earn his fame despite the challenges of technology, politics and religion.

Over the years Rajasinghe - himself the bearer of a royal name, and doubtless host to many regal genes - had often thought of those words; they demonstrated so perfectly the ephemeral nature of power, and the futility of ambition. "I am the King." Ah, but which King? The monarch who had stood on these granite flag-stones - scarcely worn then, eighteen hundred years ago - was probably an able and intelligent man; but he failed to conceive that the time could ever come when he would fade into an anonymity as deep as that of his humblest subjects.

The plot is set in Taprobane, present day Sri Lanka, in the 22nd century where an ambitious engineer, Van Morgan, plans to build a space elevator on the mountain of Sri Kanda. This ingenious project is faced with strong opposition from the Buddhist Temple on top of mountain, from the devious hands of politics and also by critics (referred as Donald Ducks) whose only job is to criticize. But Van is not going to stop until his dream is realized.

The eyes of the Buddha were completely blank empty pools in which a man might lose his soul, or discover a universe. Upon the lips there lingered a smile even more ambiguous than the Mona Lisa's. Yet was it indeed a smile, or merely a trick of the lighting? Already it was gone, replaced by an expression of superhuman tranquility. Morgan could not tear his eyes away from that hypnotic countenance, and only the familiar rustling whir of a hard-copy readout from the console brought him back to reality – if this was reality.

For me, it's one of those books which I found extremely engrossing right from the beginning and made me read fast like I was always on the ledge to know what builds up next. The writing style is very subtle because it makes you read between the lines. No words or lines are thrown to the reader to digest directly; he is always made to chew first. It is very intelligently written that way.

“There will be some aerodynamic noise,” Morgan admitted. “But nothing like that near a large airport.” “Very reassuring,” said the Mahanayake Thero. Morgan was certain that he was being sarcastic, yet could detect no trace of irony in his voice. He was either displaying an Olympian calm, or testing his visitor's reactions. The younger monk, on the other hand, made no attempt to conceal his anger.

Unfortunately, Bickerstaff did not know his limitations. Though he had a devoted coterie of fans who subscribed to his information service – in an earlier age, he would have been called a pop-scientist – he had an even larger circle of critics. The kinder ones considered that he had been educated beyond his intelligence. The others labelled him a self-employed idiot. It was a pity, thought Morgan, that Bickerstaff couldn't be locked in a room with Dr. Goldberg/Parakarma; they might annihilate each other like electron and positron – the genius of one cancelling out the fundamental stupidity of the other.

What I really liked is the discussion of technical issues ranging from geographical and meteorological problems to astronomical difficulties that can encounter in building this huge tower. This was written in 1979 and the the reference of global internet search and social media blew my mind. You won't be disappointed if you are fan of science fiction. I won't be surprised but thrilled to watch this work on film.

Book Review: 2001 A Space Odyssey

Well, what can I say! I am at a loss of words to express the enthusiasm of reading this masterpiece. It is a nail-biting read. With this work, I believe that Arthur C. Clarke is at his best. He described all the scientific aspects with such great care and detail that I felt I was in a space ship traveling to the Moon and Saturn all along.

The story begins with retelling the history of human evolution - from man-ape to a civilized human being. It provides an intriguing perspective about "how" the it happened. Beginning with Road To Extinction towards A New Dawn. This forms the basis of history of things to come.

Arthur Clarke adores Saturn - the ringed planet of our Solar System. The way he admires this beauty is nothing short of admiring a strong willed lovely woman. It really made me wonder what an amazing planet it can be! I also remember a short story by him from the collection: Tales From Planet Earth, where he describes Saturn more beautifully.  You might want to read that also: Saturn Rising.

The greatest experiences of reading this novel is about the journey through space. It eloquently describes how amazing space travel can be and entices its readers to embark upon the journey despite its shortcomings.

One of the major themes that Clarke describes is about Artificial Intelligence (AI). HAL 9000, the artificially intelligent computer fully controls the spaceship leaving astronauts to perform other important tasks. He questions AI when HAL misbehaves. He compares HAL's misbehavior to a criminal's behavior when he tries cover up a crime by committing more crimes.

Bowman could easily believe Dr. Simonson's theory that unconscious feelings of guilt caused by his program conflicts caused HAL to break the circuit with Earth.

This raises questions about the current trend in technological advancement. Machine Learning and AI should be employed to the extent that they should only offer a helping hand to humanity; not to the extent of controlling our lives.

When I found HAL as an interesting character, I immediately browsed through the images of HAL in the film adaptation of the novel. Then I was sure that the robot Auto, from the movie WALL-E, was inspired by HAL. This was evident when I found out that WALL-E was homage to the movies: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien and Blade Runner. Andrew Stanton, director of WALL-E, also voiced HAL in a short film adaption.

 

HAL 9000 and Auto

Clarke's vivid and awe-inspiring imagination overwhelmed me near the end. The entry into the Star Gate, arrival at The Grand Central and under The Alien Sky is so fantastic that you will feel the adrenaline rush throughout the journey. He has blended fantasy and science fiction exquisitely.

If you are not used to science fiction, then I highly recommend this novel. Its an amazing read - A op class page turner (one of my fastest reads). Oh, if you are confused about the ending, I've got one word for you: Evolution. All the sequels to this novel are in my to-read list. I am picking up 2010: Odyssey Two next, as soon as my thoughts about this work that are still lingering in my head settle down.

Book Review: The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke

Well, this is the first science fiction novel I read. It was certainly very intriguing for me to understand the genre even though I have read the short story collection Tales From Planet Earth by the same author. This work is also his first published novel.

Book Cover

The story starts with Martin Gibson, a science fiction author making his maiden journey to the red planet. On his way on board the spaceship Ares, the change of gravity he experiences and the beauty of stars in space he witnesses through the port-hole is explained splendidly. Then the process of homing in on a rocket that is carrying medicine for Martian fever, the joy of floating in space is described in a simple way which is enough to seize your senses. Essentially, it is never boring and at the same time not too exciting to go through these pages. It maintains a steady pace throughout.

Once the crew of Ares land on Mars, Gibson discovers the establishment of human colonies. The Martian city of Port Lowell is made out of huge domes. The domes are supplied with oxygen for people to survive. Gibson learns about the Martian surface and the daily routines of humans of the city. Man has setup industries which uses sand - rich in iron oxide - as raw material. They help in produce infrastructure resources liberating oxygen as a byproduct. When Gibson decides to explore the planet, he goes on an excursion to another Martian city where his drone (sand flea) crash lands in an unknown region. Clarke describes the discovery of Martian vegetation and animals having peculiar characteristics in neat way. All said and done, most part of the book talks about Martian geography. The scientific elements are very realistically described. At this time, it may seem very ordinary or obvious to us. But imagine Clarke envisioned Earth having its own space stations, interplanetary communication systems using radiograms, establishment of colonies on Mars and all of it back in the 1950s!

It was ironic that, having found his son so late, he must now lose him again. Perhaps that was part of the punishment for the selfishness and lack of courage-to put it no more strongly-he had shown twenty years ago. But the past must bury itself; he must think of the future now.

There is a human side running parallel to the scientific part of the story. The human side starts slowly in beginning and emerges into prominence near the end. It has a dark back story of Gibson which links to a pleasant love affair between young couple. The story gets even darker with the game of politics played between the two worlds. Earth, being the ultimate authority, is planning to shut down all operations on Mars. Meanwhile Mars conspires against the wishes of Earth. This is the part where the story gets really interesting. And the climax is really mind-boggling, because it is like, no one can even dream of such a thing to happen. And Clarke is a genius to explain that its scientifically possible! The book cover is the hint to the final act.

Initially I thought why should there be human elements in science fiction? Later I realized that it’s not important, but it’s necessary. It’s important to build up a motive - a motive which is capable of touching human senses. The beauty lies in coming up with a plot that blends science and human behavior perfectly. Then it certainly gains unquestionable curiosity in the mind; compels you to think. Thus it makes the story blossom beautifully. And this novel successfully does it in a smart way. Suppose there were aliens with bizarre faces walking around, then you would have to just accept the story as it is without bothering your brains. One thing is for sure is, that you will live on Mars when you reading this book. I found it very enjoyable and it was worth spending my leisure time.

For it was their world, not Man's. However he might shape it for his own purposes, it would be his duty always to safeguard the interests of its rightful owners. No one could tell what part they might have to play in the history of the universe. And when, as was one inevitable, Man himself came to the notice of yet higher races, he might well be judged by his behaviour here on Mars.