Dolphin Island

Definitely an under appreciated book, shadowed by the rest of Clarke's efforts. A good book by Clarke beats a "great" book by many others. Like some other reviewers I read this book first as a 12-14 year old. It is one of the few books that I have kept a copy of from that time, and my collection has been ruthlessly pruned over time. The technology is still advanced, maybe more interesting today because some of it is closer, Excellent adventure, inspires the imagination, and well based in real science. I'm keeping my copy around for my kids and their kids!

I first read this book somewhere around 1982, when I was about 11 years old. I picked it up because I liked the cover but once I was reading it, it had my full attention. It sucked me into this slightly futuristic world and I felt a strong affinity with the main character, a kid about my age that had no family and stowed away on a hover ship that had made an emergency stop near his house. When the ship goes down somewhere over the vast Pacific Ocean, his new life begins. That imagery of the solitude - alone on the vast ocean at night, the blinking satellite somewhere in orbit above tracking slowly across the star filled sky...the imagery has stayed with me my whole life. I often think of such powerful descriptions from the book when I am far from the city on a serene night. It is a powerful story, evocative and a perfect adventure for a young reader.

A young boy stows away on a hovercraft but gets into troubled. He is actually rescued by dolphins and ends up on Dolphin Island, off the coast of Queensland - and is taken under the wing of a research facility there studying dolphin-human communication. A group of dolphins actually approach them for help with a problem, and a storm is coming. 3.5 out of 5

I read this book on the beach of the Island of Great Barrier Reef in Australia by chance. I mean I didn't know the location of the story. I was traveling at the time. So I might enjoyed this book more than it is. But if you like dolphins, oceans, I 'm sure you enjoy this book,too! Acutally I read this book in Japanese,not in English. So I hope new edition issue ,again !

Dolphin Island is one of those solid, worthy Arthur C. Clarke books that has been out of print for many years and is now quite hard to find. This is a novel that Clarke wrote in the early 60's after spending a substantial amount of time around Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Clarke, as many are not aware, was, at least at one time, just as interested in diving and the sea as he was in space. Clearly fascinated by what he saw in his time around the reef, it inspired Clarke to write this novel, one of his very few targeted at young adults. As such, it lacks the poetic prose and philosophical and theological aspects that permeate Clarke's best novels. However, it is a very tight, well-written, and highly-enjoyable adventure romp. It is a very fast read, and you will be interested all the way through. Although it was intended as a book for young adults, Clarke being Clarke, this book is nevertheless packed full of interesting ideas and concepts. Clarke's speculations on dolphin intelligence and the many applications he dreams up for them are vivid and very believable. The descriptions of the Reef are also very poetic and sometimes beautifully rendered; however, as another reviewer pointed out, these sections tend to go on for too long and sometimes slow down the pace of the novel. Don't worry, though: it's nothing close to what he made it out to be. This is a very short novel to begin with, and these sections comprise the majority of only 3 or 4 chapters. Those more interested in the Reef and underwater exploration in general may find these sections more satisfying than I did. At any rate, this is a solid, action-packed adventure story that is a worthy read for any Clarke fan and recommended reading for younger science fiction lovers.