Rating: 
Summary: Very Readable If a Bit Redundant and Long
Review: There's no question that Arthur C. Clarke is one of the great intellects of the past 100 years, or that his contributions to science and science fiction are immense, or that he can really write. So a book of this sort is completely welcome, and the range of topics this work covers, from the visions of the future past writers offered to the role of technology in the world, is notable by itself.For the most part, the essays live up to the promise of the premise. Clarke is sharp, funny and generally optimistic. I could have done without the handful of instances where he dismisses religion - why do all sci-fi writers seems to have it in for those of us who still believe in a kind and active God? - but he's not intemperant or intolerant of the differences that make up the world. If all the critics of this world were like Clarke, we'd e in much happier shape. Two things hurt this book, though. One is the numerous essays about Clarke's adventurues as a deep-sea diver in Sri Lanka. I know that he's proud of his days doing this, but I found such essays both dull and out of place next to the rest of the book. Never mind that I am disappointed that none of his essays address the ongoing cilvil wars in his adopted homeland. The other trouble is the redundancy of the essays. One essay about computers includes the entire body of another essay in this book. Several observations are repeated, such as the quip about the Apollo 8 astronauts and the monolith (it's funny once, but not three times). If the book could include new intros and closings to the essays, certainly they could have been edited for the package. In any case, though, this is a worthwhile work to read and enjoy if you're a fan of Clarke's works, or a fan of sci-fi, or a space buff, a technology watcher, or just want to see how some of the great ideas of the past century were born. Clarke gave us the communications satellite, HAL, and an unqiue view of what is and what might be.
Rating: 
Summary: good collection of Clarke's essay's
Review: This is a good collection of Arthur C. Clarkes essay's on several subjects from over the course of his career. Anybody who reads a lot of Science writing and/or Science Fiction would like to read this book. Clarke is one of the best writers of Science fact and Science Fiction of the century. Great author. Great book.
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