Arthur C. Clarke dies

5uspect · 18-03-2008 10:47pm #1

According to Sky News

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1309902,00.html

J.S. Pill · 18-03-2008 10:50pm

How come I always find out sad news like this from boards

Just picked up 2001 last night and read a few random passages - immense stuff

RIP

5uspect · 18-03-2008 10:53pm

I've been reading Collect Stories recently. Its the only Clarke work I've read so far.
I suppose there's be renewed interest in his work now as is usually the case.

mike65 · 18-03-2008 11:14pm

90, and the last of his generation of WW2 "hard sci-fi" authors I think.

I've read a number of his books Fall of Moondust, The Sands of Mars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous with Rama, Of Time and Stars. His dialogue was clunky but he always had good ideas and they are what matters in science fiction.

Maybe we'll see some interest in filming his books - a few would be exellent material for quite mainstream fare.

Mike.

ixoy · 18-03-2008 11:30pm

I'm reading the Collected Short Stories right now - it makes this all the more sad

Seems to have been a real pioneer, a man who never forgot the science in science fiction and whose work spanned seven decades. Some real interesting ideas in the stories that I've read so far that could make some interesting work. Maybe, much like Philip K. Dick, his real successes will only come after he's gone beyond the rim ("2001/2010" aside of course).

An Fear Aniar · 18-03-2008 11:36pm

I wonder will he come back as a baby in a bubble?

Will he be saying "oh my God! It's full of stars!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SnYa2Dv6dg

.

mike65 · 18-03-2008 11:37pm

Maybe, much like Philip K. Dick, his real successes will only come after he's gone beyond the rim ("2001/2010" aside of course).

Steady on! He sold about 100 million books and has a satillite orbit named after him. Not bad.

Mike.

ixoy · 18-03-2008 11:50pm

mike65 wrote: »

Steady on! He sold about 100 million books and has a satillite orbit named after him. Not bad.

Sorry I meant cinematic success - he's not had as much in that department! The Rama project still seems to be in limbo.

Tree · 19-03-2008 12:44am

mike65 wrote: »

Steady on! He sold about 100 million books and has a satillite orbit named after him. Not bad.

Mike.

and an asteroid.

anyway, OH NOES

dr.bollocko · 19-03-2008 1:00am

Oh man that sux.
Well. A life well lived at least.
Legend.

popebenny16 · 19-03-2008 1:13am

Tree wrote: »

and an asteroid.

anyway, OH NOES

I liked the Rama books, and the 2001 books, but for me Childhood's End stands out. How that hasn't been made into a film (even if it has been ripped off) i dont know.

I fondly recall his "Mysterious Worlds" show on UTV back in the day. He would bookend each show, wandering up that Ceylon beach, by saying "Science fiction or fact, I'm not so sure, you decide"

Also I have a very good book called The lost worlds of 2001, detailing the shooting and scripting of the great film itself. Kubrick's idea of giant Fag robots in the ending were, sadly, discounted.

He's up there now.............

ZorbaTehZ · 19-03-2008 1:29am

Only just heard.

Rest in peace.

stereoroid · 19-03-2008 2:00am

Wicked sense of humour, too. I also have the Collected Short Stories: as well as the one about the Star-Mangled Spanner (!), his very first published story, Travel By Wire, predicted the Star Trek "Transporter"... before the bugs were worked out. :eek:

The_Minister · 19-03-2008 4:52am

I'm reading the collected stories too (getting sick of the White Hart), and I am gutted at this.

I was planning to write to him when I had finished

:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

For me, Songs of Distant Earth will be one of his best books (although Childhood's End is brilliant too.)

Dades · 19-03-2008 9:13am

popebenny16 wrote: »

I liked the Rama books, and the 2001 books, but for me Childhood's End stands out. How that hasn't been made into a film (even if it has been ripped off) i dont know.

I once saw a book about the "10 Greatest Movies Never Made", or some such, and Childhood's End was one of them. I've read nearly everything Clarke wrote and CE is definitely one that stands out.

As for Rama, I can't see that ever being made - at least anything like the book. Amazing books but just not Hollywood. They'd be better off with Greg Bears "Eon" - Rama with guns!

So long, Arthur!

mcgovern · 19-03-2008 10:59am

Read a lot of his work, very sad, RIP.

azezil · 19-03-2008 11:31am

Read about it on the paper this morning, very sad indeed. RIP.

The_Minister · 19-03-2008 8:01pm

Theres a nice obituary here, with a good summation of his life:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/books/19clarke.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&em&en=d17d064a28078f31&ex=1206072000

Turns out that he was working on a book when he died.

Dades · 20-03-2008 3:29pm

The_Minister wrote: »

Theres a nice obituary here, with a good summation of his life:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/books/19clarke.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&em&en=d17d064a28078f31&ex=1206072000

Wow in that pic - he looks like John Hurt's character in the movie "Contact"!

monkeyfudge · 20-03-2008 3:40pm

Dades wrote: »

I once saw a book about the "10 Greatest Movies Never Made", or some such, and Childhood's End was one of them. I've read nearly everything Clarke wrote and CE is definitely one that stands out.

As for Rama, I can't see that ever being made - at least anything like the book. Amazing books but just not Hollywood. They'd be better off with Greg Bears "Eon" - Rama with guns!

So long, Arthur!

Well I thought the first Rama book was excellent and I think it would translate very well to screen. I thought the sequels tried to hard to go into characterisation, which Clarke was never that good at. I read all those Rama books just hating the characters more and more with each page. The first one was great as it just stuck more to the concepts.

Neat little student film based on Rendezvous with Rama here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY2Yt1ATm4c

CiDeRmAn · 25-03-2008 6:15pm

I credit Clarke as my first dip into SciFi back as a kid in the early 80's reading his short story collections, wonderful.
Never really liked Rama though, 2001 much much better.
My favourites are Fall Of Moondust and Songs of a Distant Earth.
It truely is a sad thing that this man has past, one can only hope that some of todays great writers could have the type of popular impact that Arthur C Clarke had on the worlds psyche, few come to mind, aside, perhaps from Carl Sagan or Douglas Adams.

As for Eon, loved that one too, maybe a bit too wierd for cinema audiences, though if they swallowed AI anything is possible.

Arthur C. Clarke dies

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