Rating: 
Summary: An interesting look at a future technology
Review: With a collaboration between, at least in my opinion, two of Hard SF's best writers, one's expectations are obviously high, and 'In Light of Other Days' doesn't dissapoint. The story involves the invention of 'Wormcams', artificially manufactured wormholes that allow the user to see events that have taken place in the past. Whilst the idea of wormholes is nothing new, the profound transformations that affect human society afterwards are beautifully developed by the authors. Whilst one can sniff an underlying theme related to the Computer Revolution, the upending of centuries-old customs and norms by the technology as well as the cold, hard and unambiguous examination of history are chilling at times, the novel is nevertheless well written and thought out, and is a timely work in a world where changes brought about by technology occur so swiftly and profoundly.- Greg
Rating: 
Summary: Sci-Fi Based on Good Science but No Redeeming Value
Review: If the book had continued what was great Science Fiction in the first 17 of 27 chapters, it would have gotten all 5 stars. However, for whatever reason, Clarke/Baxter got sidetracked into speculating about "debunking" the myths of the past. Since the "worm cam" allowed seeing into the past, it was used to really findout what happened in history. Unfortunately, the history according to Clarke and Baxter is another attempt to push a bizarre social agenda -- including, but not limited to, the Christian religion. I really didn't want to read their version of what Jesus was really like since other writers like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have a more direct account than these authors. Of course, at the end of the book, a reference is made to another contemporary author that can be "blamed" for this unfortunate sidetrack that detracts from the sci-fi. Also, the story line takes us into the far past showing the de-evolution of man back to scaley, crawing reptiles and single-cell DNA, which makes the reader laugh at how two sci-fi writers managed to re-write the theory of evolution in one quick, meaningless chapter. But, at the end, all is well. Again, man has solved the mystery of the afterlife and decides unselfishly to resurrect everyone who has ever lived! If only the book had stayed with science fiction based upon good science, I would have enjoyed the last 10 chapters as much as the first 17.
Rating:
Summary: Could Not Put It Down!
Review: The is a book which is the colloboroation between Grandmaster Sir Arthur C. Clarke and hard science fiction writer Stephen Baxter. I am a big fan of both authors and let me tell you, this book was no disappointment. I am sure that there will be comparisons between Baxter's stand along book, Manifold:Time and Clarke's previous novel, The Trigger. The existance of a device called the Wormcam transforms mankind into a kind of collective conciousness. A very plausible invention, sparked by good scientific backup makes this story not only believable but chilling to say the least. The characters were well drawn out and the plot moved along quickly. I am hoping for a sequel of this book. Overall, a very satisfying reading experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Arthur C. Clarke, you have let me down!
Review: The Light of Other Days is a rehash of many old, well-worn cliches, re-packaged with a new-ish wrapper and put back on the shelf. Although I have never read any of Stephen Baxter's other work, I have been a fan of Arthur C. Clarke's work for many years, and consider him to be one of the best hard sci-fi authors alive (if not THE best). This book is not of the high quality I normally associate with Mr. Clarke, and much of the dialog and melodrama is atypical of Mr. Clarke's other work. I was particularly dismayed by the gratuitous sexual scenes (the two teens in the park, etc.), the poorly developed characters, and the pointless concentration camp scene. Thus, I must conclude that this is more of an example of Stephen Baxter's work, and as such, well, I'm not impressed. I dearly wish that Mr. Clarke would quit writing the collaborations and go back to writing his own stories. They are by far much more compelling than this drivel. Save your hard-earned cash; borrow this from the public library, and spend your $$ on other fine Clarke novels -- Childhood's End, A Fall of Moondust, Rendezvous with Rama, etc., which, incidentally, are all still in print after all of these years BECAUSE of their enduring quality.
Rating: 
Summary: Superb speculative essay; mediocre fiction
Review: THE LIGHT OF OTHER DAYS is populated by such canonical cardboard sci-fi characters as a 15-year-old girl who becomes a world-class computer programming genius, apparently within a few months and with no formal training; a detestable media mogul with absolutely no redeeming qualities; a theoretical physicist who is plucked from obscurity to helm a project of unprecedented importance; and a careerist woman reporter who accepts employment from a villain who she knows has vowed to destroy her. Characters this extreme just can't fall into believable fiction, and it is as a work of fiction that this book is weak. Why four stars? you might ask. Well, this is such an excellent exploration of the ramifications of a scientific breakthrough that it is impossible to (figuratively and literally) put down this book. Imagine a discovery by which, through quantum wormhole technology, anyone can spy on anyone else in space or in time. It's very easy to imagine some of the results of this capability, but trust me: you will not have thought of half as much as have Clarke and Baxter. They leave no stone unturned in examining what wormhole technology could lead to, from the mundane to the awe-inspiring. Typically, my experience with sci fi written around a single tech advance has been that the author's speculation is incomplete and unsatisfying. This is not the case with this book; the authors don't miss a trick. The fairly linear plot is superficially an easy read, but many readers will find themselves pausing often to consider all the implications of each new advance in the wormhole technology. This book also reminded of E. E. 'Doc' Smith's LENSMAN series, where the scale of the action becomes progressively grander, ultimately reaching epic proportions.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing entry by one of my fave writers
Review: Light Of Other Days was a disappointment for me. It's hard as a fan to read a new Clarke novel and find almost nothing new, idea-wise. Clarke and Baxter do manage to put an interesting twist on the old science fiction concept of looking into the past and the effect it has on humanity, but aside from that, I've seen almost all this before. Clarke loves the idea of having a woman president, and as usual, we have one here. One of the major causes of strife in the near future of our planet is the lack of water, and in LOOD, we have countries going to war for it. This has been done way too often. You'll also find a return to the concept of an Overmind that we first read in Childhood's End. And most disheartening to me: can you believe that the major threat to the Earth in this book (aside from the collapse of personal privacy) is a big ole piece of rock in space that is on a collision course with Earth, threatening to end all life? How could Clarke have gone with (or agreed to) one of the most worn-out cliches in all science fiction? There are even more cliches to be found, but the desire not to spoil any plot surprises keeps me from mentioning them. The characterizations do not have much depth. None of the characters are sufficiently worthy of being cared about. They are all self-centered, and when situations occur when this changes, it feels contrived and forced. The ending in my opinion is pretty disappointing. An attempt for a big 2001-ish type journey through history ending with a sappy attempt to inspire hope in the human race (and the reader). I didn't buy it. It worked in 2001, but it doesn't work here. Also, the resolution to the BIG OLE ROCK is a cop-out. A most disappointing read for this (big)fan of Clarke. There is not much new here for fans of science fiction and even the rehashing of old Clarke ideas and concepts are uninteresting and tired.
Rating:
Summary: On old idea made rich and strange
Review: I've been a fan of Sir Arthur Clarke's science fiction for most of my life. I haven't read anything by Stephen Baxter before, but after this I will. They've produced a real winner here. As they say in the afterword, the idea of a machine that can see into the past and through walls is an old one (I especially recommend "E for Effort," by T. L. Sherrard, if you can find an old copy of the ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGY). Clarke and Baxter managed to make it new and different. The key to their achievement was to anchor it to a rigorously imagined physics. The "wormhole camera" turns out to have uses and implications that its inventors don't expect, and it leads off in many strange directions. I don't want to give away surprises, but I started this book expecting to be able to predict everything that would happen, and I was repeatedly taken by surprise. There are a few flaws in this novel (for instance, the POW camp scene, which apparently has no purpose whatsoever), but almost everything is topnotch. The characters are mostly believable, the future world is interesting, and the ending was a delight. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea, mediocre novel
Review: I must confess to being prejudiced here: I had hoped to write this book someday. Isaac Asimov wrote a short story entitled "The Dead Past," in which a device to see into the past exists but which is kept under strict government control. A historian, frustrated with the government's refusal to support his investigations using the device, steals the plans and makes them public. It ends with the government's representative pointing out that he had just made an end to privacy: after all the past is any time more than a snap of a finger's ago. So what would that "brave new world" be like? Well, I was going to take a shot at it, but Baxter and Clarke have beaten me to it. They start with the development of the device in their context, a "WormCam" that initially uses quirks of arcane physics to see long distances away instantly. The instigator is an entrepeneur (kind of a cross between Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates) whose goal is to get the news sooner than his competition. It's only eventually that the main characters (the entrepreneur and his family) realize both that the past is open to them and that privacy as we know it is no more. The consequences of this, which of course are the key to the whole story, are rather lamely presented. The focus is the effects on the central characters, who are not terribly sympathetic in any case, and one never gets the feel of the social upheaval that must be taking place. Thus, despite one big surprise at the end, this is a disappointing book: a tremendously powerful idea not very well presented.
Rating:
Summary: Nearly as gripping as the Rama series
Review: It's 2:30 in the morning, and I just finished it. I read the final thirty pages in the past two hours; they grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go! (I recommend not reading the epilogue, though. I think it's better without it.) Nicely done development of "hard" scifi with the WormCams throughout the book, and their sometimes surprising effects on society. Wonderful final chapter had me gasping for breath.
Rating:
Summary: good story but the end was a letdown
Review: when i started this book i really thought it would finish itself up better than this. i haven't read much of clarke's work but from what i have read i expected better. the thought of viewing the past, while not original to this story, did spark my intrest. especially the ideas about the evolution of present day lfe on earth brought up in the end of the book. but other than that i found the majoriy of the book to really be a letdown.
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