Tales of Ten Worlds

Tales of Ten Worlds? Not quite. Of the 15 stories, there are Earth, Mars, Venus, Saturn stories - and some farther ranging, so I guess the generarl sense of that title is perhaps fair enough. Half of this is just average stories, although it does include four 4 star tales, including Who's There (or The Haunted Spacesuit if you like). Hate is a little different, showing Clarke's marine interest in focus, in a story about divers, and is quite good, too. A 3.40 average here. Tales of Ten Worlds : I Remember Babylon - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Summertime on Icarus - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Out of the Cradle Endlessly Orbiting - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Who's There? - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Hate - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Into the Comet - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : An Ape About the House - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Saturn Rising - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Let There Be Light - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Death and the Senator - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Trouble With Time - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Before Eden - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : A Slight Case of Sunstroke - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : Dog Star - Arthur C. Clarke Tales of Ten Worlds : The Road to the Sea - Arthur C. Clarke Satellite broadcast instruction propaganda. 3 out of 5 Hot stuck time doesn't bear repeating. 4 out of 5 Space rugrat 1. 3 out of 5 Kitten score quite popular. 4 out of 5 Undersea Russian space wreck Hungarian backstab dead girl second take. 4 out of 5 Ship abacus report. 3.5 out of 5 Art can be done by smart monkeys. 3 out of 5 Titan tourist desire. 3 out of 5 Affair death ray. 3 out of 5 Zero G cardio cure. 3 out of 5 Siren Goddess nicked. 3.5 out of 5 Venusian botany on the run. 3 out of 5 South American soccer dodgy even in Clarke stories, but frying the ref probably wasn't intended. 3.5 out of 5 Pooch love warning. 4 out of 5 Last city exploration scene evacuation. 3.5 out of 5 3.5 out of 5

This is not his best collection, but Clarke afficiandos will find a lot to like here. The most famous story here is probably I Remember Babylon the (barely fictional) account that stars Clarke himself as it's protagonist, and focuses on some of the seemingly (at the time) unforseen negative consequences of the communications satellites, which Clarke, of course, had a big hand in bringing to fruition. Most of these fears have been justified. The Russian references in this story (and also in Hate) date it somewhat, but it is still as relevant today as the day it was written, perhaps moreso. If you are one who realizes the danger of modern television, then you should read this account written by one of it's fathers. Other good stories here include Who's There?, Saturn Rising, and others. Two of Clarke's most underrated stories are here as well: Death And The Senator (which, along with Dog Star and Hate in this volume, show an unusually emotive side of ACC), and the long epic The Road To The Sea. The is a reccommended collection for the ACC addict.