Imperial Earth

I have read this book already twice for years ago. I had to get a new copy then somebody had "loaned" my book. Arthur C. Clarke has written technical prophesies already in 1940's starting with communication satellites which were realized 25 years later. In Imperial Earth Clarke describes many concepts that are now with us: - world wide network for communication or "web" - unlimited memory banks - broad band interchange between hand held devices and the web using infra red (similar to blue tooth) - hand held communication, dictation, memory and computation device "comsec" which was first realized by Nokia in their Communicator. Clarke did not include a camera in comsec but had changeable keys that came a little later in Apples phones. Computer Weekly asked Clarke in 1980's how he could describe such a small multifunction device not in existence on that time. The answer was: Going in time 200 years there are no more any technical limitation and I simply told what I wanted to have in one piece. Yours truly Matti Kataja, Finland

This is a very solid sci-fi novel, a scenario of the future that is complex and unpredictable. It is not about swashbuckling adventure, but paints a vivid picture of a future world with absolutely wonderful details, from the hand-held computing device that records every moment of your entire life - if you can find where you filed it, such as a strange howling on the moon's surface that the narritor hears- to the neural stimulator that functions as a kind of drug, permanently altering the brain in unforeseen ways. It also brings in cloning as an issue as well as the economics of supporting a colony far far away from Earth, all with systematic musings that completely surpass normal sci-fi standards. WHile these aspects may sound fantastical, they are woven in to a rather mundane story that drags a bit in the middle, but winds down to a surprise at the end. Recommended. Clarke was one of the absolute best. He will be missed.

Having read just about everything that AC Clarke has put out, I believe that this tale of the futures energy barons (Hydrogen, not Oil) shows a plausable future and is Clarkes best (And yes I have read the RAMA series). In it a family that has become very rich and powerful has to come to terms with the fact that a new "Drive" that does not use H2 has been developed. The young protogei (SP?) is sent to earth to sort things out. But a life long friend of his, scared by their version of LSD has become obsessed with SETI.Clarke has all his normal future talk and ideas (Cloning, space travel, future society etc). The two become entangle in a plot, that as the title suggests, is more about colonies and empires as it about future tech and SciFi. Think of it as Scifi meets Imperial India and you have a good idea.

Fantastic exptrapolation of the future from the present. It's truly a great armchair adventure, but not in the explosion-chasing-killing manner of so many other stories. It has an almost meditative quality which enhances consideration of the social and ethical problems presented.

Like many of Clarke's other books, Imperial Earth was a very enjoyable read and you don't have to be a sci-fi fan to relate to the subject matter. It tells the story of the central character's journey to Earth from one of the space colonies in the solar system. In doing so, we come across several recurring themes of cultural and economic differences between colonialists and mother Earth, as well as political intrigue and unrequited love. What I found quite absorbing was Clarke's narration of the relationships between each of the characters, and this sets the book apart from other 'shoot 'em up' sci-fi publications. I had no problem purchasing this book (in fact it was a 1997 copy, published by Vista).