Earthlight and Other Stories by Arthur C. Clarke (1960)

Earthlight and Other Stories by Arthur C. Clarke (1960)

As I work through the 16-books of Arthur C. Clarke‘s short story bibliography, I’m finding that he was slightly less prolific than I had first assumed. Certainly, this master of Science Fiction wrote a great deal more than short stories—consider the Odyssey and Rama series as two of his most famous long-work examples—but all told, I count just over 100 published stories, which is fewer than I thought!

Repetition in publication was an inevitable temptation for short-story authors of decades past, and I think their publishers wisely made full use of this tactic. No blame required—it’s the publishing game. Other authors like Isaac Asimov did the exact same thing.

Note: this post includes Amazon affiliate links.

Buy the paperback

Buy the hardcover

**Taking Earthlight and Other Stories One Story at a Time**

Considering the books I’ve already read, only one story in Earthlight and Other Stories was new to me—the titular story, “Earthlight.” Still, it was fun to reminisce through some familiar tales and be transported other times and places. I’ll review each of these stories individually.

1. “Earthlight” (1951)

What’s the moon now but Earth’s attic? Forty years ago it was the frontier and men risked their lives reaching it.

It’s always incredible to me how far advanced the authors of the 1950s and 60s expected humanity to be by the 1990s. In this case, there’s a Federation living on the planets and moons of Mars and Venus, so the moon is considered a bit like the backwaters of the Solar System. In this setting, several inhabitants of the Moon think their neighbors might be claim jumping, trying to take by force the moon’s uranium deposits.

It turns into much more than that, however, when a brand new weapon is introduce to the Federation. Essentially, people that aren’t really enemies make threats and wreak havoc that’s both unintentional and unnecessary—but also unstoppable.

2. “Jupiter Five” (1951)

This story is one of my favorites in Clarke’s repertoire. He includes rich (albeit outdated) characters within a highly imaginative plot. This story includes an alien race, advanced technology, and yet that same age-old problem of human greed. It’s a story both intricate and serious, yet also carries a light whimsy that makes me wish it were an entire novel. I loved this one from beginning to end.

3. “The Parasite” (1951)

This story has elements of the psychological thriller and is a very different story from the first two. It’s borderline a story of demon possession, though Clarke likely wouldn’t use such terms. I think someday, demonic possession will become even more commonplace, and yet people will describe it in terms of extra-terrestrials. Perhaps even when the Book of Revelation comes alive, this will be the case as well!

4. “Encounter in the Dawn” (1953)

The meeting of two generations separated by a hundred millennia occurs on planet Earth and remind me (for obvious reasons) or Clarke’s novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

5. “Second Dawn” (1951)

I found it a little hard to get into this Evolutionary story. It’s so fanciful, I couldn’t get my bearings or peg just when and where it occurs. Reading it, you simply need to submit yourself to the plot as something you (might) eventually understand. Personally, as much as I love the art of the short story, there just some things that are not easily accomplished in this genre—like introducing your readers to multiples species of new, alien creatures! It’s a far cry from the technological Sci-fi of Isaac Asimov and not my favorite story in this collection.

6. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” (1951)

This is at least the third time I’ve read this chilling short tale, and I love it every time. The silence of Marvin’s father as they drive their buggy to the other side of the Moon still unnerves me a bit, knowing what view awaits them.

7. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953)

Arthur C. Clarke gets religious in this story, when a monastery hires computer technicians to help then with a project they’ve been working on for the past three-centuries—to uncover every possible 9-letter permutation from an alphabet they invented so they could discover the true name of God. Since the Buddhists don’t believe God exists, it’s a strange concept indeed. I’m much happier knowing that, A) God does exist and B) He’s already revealed Himself to us through His Word and His Son. That He’s also revealed his character through his many names (Yahweh, El Shaddai, Adonai, Jesus, etc.) is even more incredible.

Conclusion

Earthlight and Other Stories is a shorter collection that most of Clarke’s other short-story books, so it could serve as a nice introduction for new readers to his writing style and plot decisions.

I suppose that’s an invitation to enter his entertaining worlds—godless though they be—and to stretch your imagination a bit. Just remember that Clarke’s creativity (like that of any human author) was just a gift on loan from Someone far more creative. We creatures are a mere reflection of God whose image we bear, and what piddly little imaginings we compose are crayon sketches compared to the awesome realities that God created with a Word eons ago.

Want more reviews like this? Get Elliot’s Weekly Digest.

Read More from Arthur C. Clarke: