Songs of Distant Earth

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: I found it compelling and impossible to put down. I read it in less than a day. The Mike Oldfield album by the same name (inspired by the book) is also excellent.

Rating:
Summary: The Songs of Distant Earth
Review: Earth is gone, but humanity survives. Realizing that the sun will go nova much sooner then expected Earth sends out ships to the far corners of the galaxy to colonize every planet possible. 'Songs of a Distant Earth' is a story of one of the more successfull colony's who has had a uneventfull 700 years of existance until the Magellan arrives. The Magellan left Earth 300yrs ago as the Earth boiled away into nothingness, the last of the colony ships, with the last of the Terrans. Thalassa is a pit stop for the Magellan, which with its Quantum RamJet needs a sheild of ice, and Thalassa is 95% water, so they stop by to use the Lassans water. Thus is the basic story of 'Songs of a Distant Earth.' The technical and ingenious writing style of Clarke always intrests me, even though I find him to be much more naïve then he finds the ideas of Star Wars/Trek and their warp speed and hyperspace. In all the Clarke books I have read lightspeed isn't possible even a 1000yrs from now, and all technology is based from technology now. Who 50 yrs ago could have ever thought of the Internet, or even LCD screens, but that we have, what more will there be 50 years from now that no one has yet to explain. This is an excellent read, and I suggest it to anyone who enjoys Clarke to pick this up.