Short Stories by Arthur C. Clarke

British science-fiction writer, futurist, and inventor Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) is better known for his full novels like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the Rama series than he is for his short stories, but don’t let that fool you. His visionary imagination entertains on the small scale as well as the large. I’ll never forget the images that “The Wall of Darkness” implanted in my mind. Ever.

Short Stories by Arthur C. Clarke

Clarke wrote just over a hundred stories, and boy, did he love republishing them in new collections! I have them collected here in a definitive list of 16 publications. If you are looking for a place to start, I’d suggest reading The Nine Billion Names of God (1967).

  1. Expedition to Earth (1953) — Read my review
  2. Reach for Tomorrow (1956) — Read my review
  3. Tales from the White Hart (1957) — Read my review
  4. The Other Side of the Sky (1958)
  5. Earthlight and Other Stories (1960) — Read my review
  6. Tales of Ten Worlds (1962)
  7. From the Ocean, from the Stars (1962, UK) a.k.a. The Deep Range and Other Stories (1964, US) — Read my review
  8. The Nine Billion Names of God (1967) — Read my review
  9. Of Time and Stars (1972)
  10. The Wind from the Sun (1972)
  11. The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1971 (1973)
  12. The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1955 (1976)
  13. The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1956-1972 (1977)
  14. More Tales from the White Hart (1980)
  15. The Sentinel (1983)
  16. The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (2001)

Note: this post includes Amazon affiliate links.

Expedition to Earth (1953)

My full review

  1. “Second Dawn” (1951)
  2. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” (1951)
  3. “Breaking Strain” (1949)
  4. “Expedition to Earth” (a.k.a. “History Lesson”, 1954)
  5. “Superiority” (1951)
  6. “Exile of the Eons” (a.k.a. “Nemesis”, 1954)
  7. “Hide-and-Seek” (1949)
  8. “Encounter in the Dawn” (1953)
  9. “Loophole” (1946)
  10. “Inheritance” (1946)
  11. “The Sentinel” (1951)

Get Expedition to Earth in paperback or on Kindle.
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Reach for Tomorrow (1956)

My full review

  1. “Rescue Party” (1946)
  2. “A Walk in the Dark” (1950)
  3. “The Forgotten Enemy” (1949)
  4. “Technical Error” (1946)
  5. “The Parasite” (1953)
  6. “The Fires Within” (1947, a.k.a. “By E.G. O Brian”)
  7. “The Awakening” (1942)
  8. “Trouble With the Natives” (1951, a.k.a. “Three Men in a Flying Saucer”)
  9. “The Curse” (a.k.a. “Nightfall”, 1947)
  10. “Time’s Arrow” (1950)
  11. “Jupiter Five” (1951)
  12. “The Possessed” (1953)

Get Reach for Tomorrow in paperback or hardcover.
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Tales from the White Hart (1957)

My Full Review

  1. “Silence Please” (1950, a.k.a. “By Charles Willis”)
  2. “Big Game Hunt” (1956, a.k.a. “The Reckless Ones”)
  3. “Patent Pending” (1954, a.k.a. “The Invention”)
  4. “Armaments Race” (1954)
  5. “Critical Mass” (1957)
  6. “The Ultimate Melody” (1957)
  7. “The Pacifist” (1956)
  8. “The Next Tenants” (1957)
  9. “Moving Spirit” (1957)
  10. “The Man Who Ploughed the Sea” (1957)
  11. “The Reluctant Orchid” (1956)
  12. “Cold War” (1957)
  13. “What Goes Up” (1956)
  14. “Sleeping Beauty” (1957)
  15. “The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch” (1957)

Get Tales from the White Hart in paperback, hardcover, or on Kindle.
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The Other Side of the Sky (1958)

  1. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953) – Read my review
  2. “Refugee” (1953)
  3. The Other Side of the Sky (vignettes, 1957):
    “Special Delivery”
    “Feathered Friends”
    “Take a Deep Breath”
    “Freedom of Space”
    “Passer-by”
    “The Call of the Stars” – Read my review
  4. “The Wall of Darkness” (1949) – Read my review
  5. “Security Check” (1958)
  6. “No Morning After” (1951) – Read my review
  7. Venture to the Moon (vignettes, 1956):
    “The Starting Line”
    “Robin Hood, F.R.S.”
    “Green Fingers”
    “All That Glitters”
    “Watch This Space”
    “A Question of Residence”
  8. “Publicity Campaign” (1950)
  9. “All the Time in the World” (1952)
  10. “Cosmic Casanova” (1958)
  11. “The Star” (1955) – Read my review
  12. “Out of the Sun” (1958) – Read my review
  13. “Transience” (1953) – Read my review
  14. “The Songs of Distant Earth” (1958, later expanded in a novel)

Get The Other Side of the Sky in paperback or hardcover.
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Book cover The Other Side of the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke (1958)

Earthlight and Other Stories (1960)

My Full Review

  1. “Earthlight” (1951)
  2. “Jupiter Five” (1951)
  3. “The Parasite” (1951)
  4. “Encounter in the Dawn” (1953)
  5. “Second Dawn” (1951)
  6. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” (1951)
  7. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953)

Get Earthlight and Other Stories in paperback, hardcover, on Kindle, or on Audible.
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Tales of the Ten Worlds (1962)

  1. “I Remember Babylon” (160) – Read my review
  2. “Summertime on Icarus” (1960) – Read my review
  3. “Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting…” (1959)
  4. “Who’s There?” (1958) – Read my review
  5. “Hate” (1961)
  6. “Into the Comet” (1960)
  7. “An Ape about the House” (1962)
  8. “Saturn Rising” (1961)
  9. “Let There be Light” (1957)
  10. “Death and the Senator” (1911) – Read my review
  11. “Trouble With Time” (1964) – Read my review
  12. “Before Eden” (1961) – Read my review
  13. “A Slight Case of Sunstroke” (1958)
  14. “Dog’s Star” (1962) – Read my review
  15. “The Road to the Sea” (1950)

Get Tales of the Ten Worlds in paperback or in hardcover.
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From the Ocean, from the Stars (1962, UK)

a.k.a. The Deep Range and Other Stories (1964, US)

My Full Review

  1. “The Deep Range” (1954)
  2. “The Man Who Ploughed the Sea” (1954)
  3. “The Reluctant Orchid” (1956)
  4. “The Ultimate Melody” (1957)
  5. “The Parasite” (1951)
  6. “Jupiter Five” (1951)
  7. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953)

Get From the Ocean, from the Stars in paperback or in hardcover, on Kindle, or on Audible.
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The Nine Billion Names of God (1967)

My full review

  1. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1952)
  2. “I Remember Babylon” (1960)
  3. “Trouble with Time” (1964)
  4. “Rescue Party” (1946)
  5. “The Curse” (a.k.a. “Nightfall”) (1950)
  6. “Summertime on Icarus” (1960)
  7. “Dog’s Star” (1962)
  8. “Hide and Seek” (1949)
  9. “Out of the Sun” (1958)
  10. “The Wall of Darkness” (1949)
  11. “No Morning After” (1951)
  12. “The Possessed” 1953)
  13. “Death and the Senator” (1951)
  14. “Who’s There?” (1958)
  15. “Before Eden” (1961)
  16. “Superiority” (1951)
  17. “A Walk in the Dark” (1955)
  18. “The Call of the Stars” (a vignette from “The Other Side of the Sky”) (1958)
  19. “The Reluctant Orchid” (1956)
  20. “Encounter in the Dawn” (1953)
  21. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…” (1951)
  22. “Patent Pending” (1951)
  23. “The Sentinel” (1951)
  24. “Transience” (1953)
  25. “The Star” (1955)

Get The Nine Billion Names of God on paperback, in hardcover, or on Audible.
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Of Time and Stars (1972)

  1. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953) – Read my review
  2. “An Ape About the House” (1962)
  3. “Green Fingers” (a vignette in “Venture to the Moon”) (1952)
  4. “Trouble with the Natives” (1951) – Read my review
  5. “Into the Comet” (1960)
  6. “No Morning After” (1951) – Read my review
  7. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” (1951) – Read my review
  8. “Who’s There?” (1958) – Read my review
  9. “All the Time in the World” (1952)
  10. “Hide and Seek” (1949) – Read my review
  11. “Robin Hood, F.R.S.” (a vignette in “Venture to the Moon”) (1952)
  12. “The Fires Within” (1947) – Read my review
  13. “The Forgotten Enemy” (1940) – Read my review
  14. “The Reluctant Orchid” (1956) – Read my review
  15. “Encounter at Dawn” (1951) – Read my review
  16. “Security Check” (1958)
  17. “Feathered Friends” (a vignette from “The Other Side of the Sky”) (1958)
  18. “The Sentinel” (1951) – Read my review

Get Of Time and Stars in paperback or in hardcover.
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The Wind from the Sun (1972)

  1. “The Food of the Gods” (1964)
  2. “Maelstrom II” (1965)
  3. “The Shining Ones” (1962)
  4. “The Wind from the Sun” (1964)
  5. “The Secret” (1963)
  6. “The Last Command” (1963)
  7. “Dial F for Frankenstein” (1964)
  8. “Reunion” (1971)
  9. “Playback” (1962)
  10. “The Light of Darkness” (1964)
  11. “The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told” (1960)
  12. “Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq.” (1961)
  13. “Love That Universe” (1962)
  14. “Crusade” (1960)
  15. “The Cruel Sky” (1964)
  16. “Neutron Tide” (1964)
  17. “Transit of Earth” (1971) – Read my review
  18. “A Meeting with Medusa” (1971)

Get The Wind from the Sun in paperback or on hardcover.
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The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1971 (1973)

  1. “Travel by Wire“ (1937)
  2. “Rescue Party” (1946) – Read my review
  3. “Technical Error“ (1946) – Read my review
  4. “Inheritance” (1946) – Read my review
  5. “The Sentinel” (1951) – Read my review
  6. “Superiority” (1951) – Read my review
  7. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” (1951) – Read my review
  8. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953) – Read my review
  9. “The Possessed” (1953) – Read my review
  10. “Armaments Race” (1954) – Read my review
  11. “The Star” (1955) – Read my review
  12. “The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch” (1957) – Read my review
  13. “Security Check” (1958)
  14. “Cosmic Casanova” (1958)
  15. “Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting” (1959)
  16. “I Remember Babylon” (1960) – Read my review
  17. “The Songs of Distant Earth“ (1958)
  18. “A Meeting with Medusa” (1971)

Get The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1971 in paperback or in hardcover.
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The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1937-1955 (1976)

  1. “Travel by Wire“ (1937)
  2. “How We Went to Mars” (1938)
  3. “The Awakening” (1942) – Read my review
  4. “Loophole” (1946) – Read my review
  5. “Rescue Party” (1946) – Read my review
  6. “Inheritance” (1946) – Read my review
  7. “Technical Error” (1946) – Read my review
  8. “The Fires Within” (1947) – Read my review
  9. “Castaway” (1949)
  10. “Hide-and-Seek” (1949) – Read my review
  11. “Breaking Strain” (1949) – Read my review
  12. “Guardian Angel“ (1950)
  13. “Silence Please“ (1950) – Read my review
  14. “The Sentinel” (1951) – Read my review
  15. “Superiority” (1951) – Read my review
  16. “If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth” (1951) – Read my review
  17. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953) – Read my review
  18. “The Star” (1955) – Read my review

Get The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1956-1972 in paperback.
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The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1956-1972 (1977)

  1. “The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch” (1957) – Read my review
  2. “The Ultimate Melody” (1957) – Read my review
  3. “The Songs of Distant Earth” (1958)
  4. “Security Check” (1958)
  5. “Cosmic Casanova” (1958)
  6. “Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting” (1959)
  7. “I Remember Babylon” (1960) – Read my review
  8. “The Wind from the Sun“ (1964)
  9. “Dial F for Frankenstein” (1964)
  10. “The Light of Darkness“ (1964)
  11. “The Cruel Sky” (1964)
  12. “The Food of the Gods” (1964)
  13. “The Wire Continuum” (1965)
  14. “Maelstrom II” (1965)
  15. “Reunion” (1971)
  16. “A Meeting with Medusa“ (1971)

Get The Best of Arthur C. Clarke 1956-1972 if you’re lucky.
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More Tales from the White Hart (1980)

  1. “Big Game Hunt” (1956) – Read my review
  2. “The Reluctant Orchid” (1956) – Read my review
  3. “The Ultimate Melody” (1957) – Read my review
  4. “The Man Who Ploughed the Sea” (1957) – Read my review
  5. “The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch” (1957) – Read my review
  6. “Critical Mass” (1957) – Read my review
  7. “The Next Tenants” (1957) – Read my review
  8. “Cold War” (1957) – Read my review
  9. “Security Check” (1958)
  10. “Trouble with Time” (1964) – Read my review
  11. “A Slight Case of Sunstroke” (1958)

Get More Tales from the White Hart also if you’re lucky.
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The Sentinel (1983)

  1. “The Sentinel” (1951) — Read my review
  2. “Holiday on the Moon” (First edition only) (1957)
  3. “Earthlight” (First edition only) (1951) — Read my review
  4. “Rescue Party” (1946) – Read my review
  5. “Guardian Angel” (1950)
  6. “Breaking Strain” (1949) — Read my review
  7. “Jupiter V” (1951)
  8. “Refugee” (1953)
  9. “The Wind from the Sun” (1964)
  10. “A Meeting with Medusa” (1971)
  11. “The Songs of Distant Earth” (1958)

Get The Sentinel in paperback, in hardcover, or on Audible.
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The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke (2001)

  1. “Travel by Wire” (1937)
  2. “Nightfall” (1941)
  3. “The Wall of Darkness” (1949) – Read my review
  4. “History Lesson” (1949) – Read my review
  5. “Silence Please” (1950) – Read my review
  6. “The Defenestration of Earman Trude Inch” (1957) – Read my review
  7. “If I Forget Thee, O Earth” (1951) – Read my review
  8. “Time’s Arrow” (1950) – Read my review
  9. “The Sentinel” (1951) – Read my review
  10. “The Nine Billion Names of God” (1953) – Read my review
  11. “Nemesis” (1950) (a.k.a. “Exile of the Eons”) – Read my review
  12. “Publicity Campaign” (1953)
  13. “The Deep Range” (1954) – Read my review
  14. “The Songs of Distant Earth” (1958)
  15. “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Orbiting” (1959)
  16. “Superiority” (1951) – Read my review
  17. “The Other Side of the Sky” (1957)
  18. “I Remember Babylon” (1960) – Read my review
  19. “Saturn Rising” (1961)
  20. “Love That Universe” (1961)
  21. “Before Eden” (1961) – Read my review
  22. “The Food of the Gods” (1964)
  23. “Playback” (1966)
  24. “Herbert George Morely Roberts Wells Esq.” (1967)
  25. “Crusade” (1968)
  26. “On Golden Seas” (1986)
  27. “Transit of Earth” (1971) – Read my review
  28. “The Hammer of God” (1992)
  29. “Improving the Neighborhood” (1999)

Get The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke in paperback, in hardcover, on Kindle, or on Audible.
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