MODERN MASTERS OF SCIENCE FICTION ARTHUR C. CLARKE Gary Westfahl Arthur C. Clarke Modern Masters of Science Fiction Edited by Gary K. Wolfe Science fiction often anticipates the consequences of scientific discoveries. The immense strides made by science since World War II have been matched step by step by writers who gave equal attention to scientific principles, hu- man imagination, and the craft of fiction. The respect for science fiction won by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells was further increased by Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Ursula K. Le Guin, Joanna Russ, and Ray Bradbury. Modern Masters of Science Fiction is devoted to books that survey the work of individual authors who continue to inspire and advance science fiction. A list of books in the series appears at the end of this book. Arthur C. Clarke Gary Westfahl © 2018 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Westfahl, Gary, author. Title: Arthur C. Clarke / Gary Westfahl. Description: Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2018] | Series: Modern masters of science fiction | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017049899 | ISBN 9780252041938 (hardcover : acid-free paper) | ISBN 9780252083594 (pbk. : acid-free paper) Subjects: LCSH: Clarke, Arthur C. (Arthur Charles), 1917–2008. Classification: LCC PR6005.L36 Z95 2018 | DDC 823/.914—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017049899 Cover image: Inspection by Julian Faylona To Gregory Benford, Arthur C. Clarke’s longtime friend and my longtime friend as well Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 Biographical Sketch 9 CHAPTER 2 Jocular Juvenilia 17 CHAPTER 3 Marvelous Machines 30 CHAPTER 4 The Conquest of Space 43 CHAPTER 5 Human Destinies 73 CHAPTER 6 Alien Encounters 93 CHAPTER 7 Under the Sea 117 CHAPTER 8 Future Faiths 134 CHAPTER 9 The Solitary Observer 149 Conclusion 177 Appendix: Clarke’s “Collaborations” with Other Authors 181 An Arthur C. Clarke Bibliography 189 Bibliography of Secondary Sources 207 Index 209