Songs of Distant Earth

Rating:
Summary: Confusing
Review: The book was to confusing because there were too many chapters and they were some of them weer too short. The book talk about one topic then a different topic and so on. I didn't get the book becasue I was so confused of what they were talking about. I think this book was poor because it had nosense in the book and there were characters that were confusing when they speak. So this is my review about this book.

Rating:
Summary: A well-written book with lots of science.
Review: As always, Arthur C. Clarke includes a lot of true science in this work. The ethical issues that arise regarding inhabiting other planets and human impacts are thought provoking. The characters are well develped and the plot interesting.

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Summary: Earth is going to end and people are colinizing to a planet
Review: This was an interesting book that leaves you thinking of what would happen if the world was goig to be no more. At the begining of the book it was hard to understand but as you get further it get's better. I have always wondered what we would do if the world was going to end. In the book it gives a good example of what could happen.

Rating:
Summary: Clarke's sense of wonder is dimmed.
Review: One of the key scenes in this novel has characters deliberately deciding not to save the life of a friend and colleague by cryopreservation. This dimmed sense of wonder at the future pervades this otherwise typical Clarke novel. Dr Clarke is well aware of present day opportunities of cryopreservation (see the appendix to The Ghost from the Grand Banks) but as far as I know has rejected it for himself. He therefore seems a bit like a butcher who has been converted to vegetarianism but still sells meat because this is the only way he can make a living. In my view Sci-Fi is about big issues and challenging the frontiers of time and space. I do not think the passive acceptance of death has a place here. (For example Asimov's "flying cities" stores had indeterminate lifespan as an essential backdrop. However he did reject cryopreservation as well, and now is annihilated as a person, but "lives on in his works".)

Rating:
Summary: Lots of great ideas that don't go anywhere
Review: This book is packed with lots of thought provoking ideas and likable characters, but there is no excitement or suspense in the "plot". I read it quickly, since I kept thinking something wonderful was going to happen, or at least something! But it never did. A decent read, but try "The City and the Stars" or "Childhood's End" for better Clarke.

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting Concept
Review: I first purchased this in May 1987. There are a few occasions where the players are a little predictable, but I liked it so much that, after loosing track of it through several Europe- North America transitions- I purchased another copy so that I could re-read it. Does anyone know of a sequel??

Rating:
Summary: Could have been more
Review: Arthur C Clarke took an old short story, with excellent ideas in it and spread it out over 300 pages. I personally was a bit disappointed. The idea of a dying sun and the search for new homes for mankind is nice, but after 100 pages you get a bit tired of the one-dimensional characters who never really come to life.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly satisfying, warm, and wonderful
Review: Clarke is one of my favorites, because he manages to mix extremely plausible science with a humanity, warmth, and depth seldom seen in the genre. The writing is mature, insightful, satisfying, and the historical scope of the book show that Clarke isn't just a techno-geek. Not only does the book suspend disbelief, but I was drawn into the characters' whole world. I also like the fact that Clarke creates conflict without bloodshed in this book, as in _Fountains_Of_Paradise_. Maybe not the perfect book, but one of the best books I've ever read.

Rating:
Summary: Arthur C. Clarke at his best!
Review: This is Arthur C. Clarke at his best. Clarke uses his extrodinary story telling and weaving skills to give the reader a story not about sci-fi, futuristic creatures; but about the human spirit, human strengths, human weaknesses, and human desires that just happens to be in a future time period. Truly a must read...also recommended are Clarke's 2001 series and Rama series.

Rating:
Summary: A Satisfying Odyssey
Review: The Songs of Distant Earth is undoubtably one of the best works Clarke has given in years. Many sci-fi readers and writers tend to forget that storytelling also involves believable characters who move us, and not just science. This book has the most profoundly believable and moving characters Clarke has ever produced. Clarke is visually as well as emotionally evocative, and one can't help but be moved by the tragic circumstance which befalls our hero. It actually feels like this story could happen to any one of us. A truly great read