Rating: 
Summary: Melancholy precursor to Childhood's End
Review: I appear to be in a minority here, in not believing the book to be a work of genius and a grand look at important philosophical ideas. The book is similar in some aspects to the later, and I believe better, Childhood's End in that the plot is about the transfiguration of human society. In Childhood's End a great transfiguration into another level of existence and in this one the waking up of two moribund earth societies in the far future. Slow and ponderously we move through the book, exploring the earth and the universe. We find the universe empty, almost completely devoid of the galactic empire that permeates the legends of earth society. Though there is a point, and it is realized at the end of the book spending 212 pages exploring empty vistas is not my idea of entertainment. At the end, mankind has awoken and again given an opportunity to grow and become more than the fearful earthbound race it had turned into. We end with much work to do and the idea that it is the journey that is worthwhile, not the destination. This golden age classic sadly is showing it's age. The ideas now co-opted and familiar to everyone and the plodding plot barely able to hold a reader's interest. The final payoff just barely makes it a worthwhile read, and there is some historical significance of this early example of the conceit of examining deep philosphical issues.
Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest Sci-Fi Novel Ever
Review: I first read this book in 1957. I loved it of course, but I had no idea where it ranked against anything else. I was 11. Over the following 10 or so years I read on the average of one sci-fi book every two days. I have read two in one day. We are talking about Poul Anderson, Bliss, Delray, Tenn, Asimov, Heinlein, .... I read some great science fiction. The City and the Stars is not equaled. I have reread it four times with diminishing, but great pleasure. I respond to the themes, the imagery, the characters, the joyous invention, the wish fulfillment, the humor, the riddles, the sheer fun of it. It is pure science fiction and pure story telling. Buy it, read it, love it, and admire it. - Bill Weylock
Rating:
Summary: Nice to see others who agree
Review: I have read everyones review of this book on Amazon, and its good to see I'm not the only one who thinks this is the best science fiction novel of all time (and it ranks up there with any other fiction as well). Clarke is famous for his Odyessey series and the Rama series, but this is his master work. He captures the vastness of space and time perfectly (better than any other book I have read) with this novel, and that is why even though I have read it over ten times already I still don't get tired of it.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant visionary Science fiction
Review: I read 'The City And The Stars' at the tender age of eleven or twelve. Nearly thirty years and many thousands of books later it still ranks as perhaps the greatest science-fiction book of all time. The story opens with a wonderful description of what could be a possible future for humanity. After spending long millenia trying to explore the solar system, the Universe, and infinately greater intellegences reach the earth, and man is forced to look at his role in the Universe, and closely at himself. having risen to this challenge, mankind perfects both himself and machines, then reaches out to the stars once more, not merely joining the races with whom he once could barely understand, but leading them to the accomplishemnt of the ultimate goal. The city of the title is the last vestigal remnant of humanity in the solar system, so long-lived and safety concious that they no longer wish to explore the universe, or indeed, even their own small planet. The story is that of Alvin, the first child born on Earth for many thousands of years, who finds he does not share the fears of his fellow humans and vows to explore the world. His story unfolds in beautiful detail, and leads to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. Along the way Clarke invents such radical concepts as computers with 'eternity circuits' which are immortal and can render immortal anything in their care, Gestalt entities composed of millions of unicellular polyps, which each individually live and die, but which collectively challenge eternity with undying intellegence, and a mind completely independent of matter. The book is an ultimate work of art from the master himself. Read and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Science Fiction Story I Have Ever Read
Review: I was 14 years old when I first read The City And The Stars. And it sent my little 14 year old mind out of Northeast Texas to the center of the galaxy, a billion years into the future. I haven't recovered since. Dr. Clarke has been a mentor for me, at a distance, and it began with this novel. It would be a dream come true to somehow thank Dr. Clarke in person for all he has done for me. He opened my mind, but more importantly, he opened my imagination with this story. I'm very thankful for that. I'm gratified to read so many positive responses here. Apparently, others have had experiences simular to mine. I have an original paperback copy of The City and The Stars, dated First Signet Printing, December, 1957, on my nightstand.
Rating: 
Summary: What was Arthur smoking?
Review: I was very disappointed with this book. It has touches of Arthur C. Clarke brilliance. An interesting well written beginning frames a story with lots of potential. But somewhere in the middle of the story Clarke just loses it. Even Clarke's wonderful writing style and delivery cannot overcome the silliness of the plot.
The intelligent blob that lives in a puddle of water on a waterless desert earth for a billion years was my favorite silly character. The main character is a human that after a billion years has evolved to have no hair, fingernails or teeth. He still enjoys munching away on all sorts of food. He must have strong gums. There are the space ships and subway systems that after a billion years are still functional. (A billion years. Not a few thousand or a few million.) Once interesting characters hurtle off to the center of the Galaxy, the blob's robot does the driving, and within a few hours visit a half dozen planets, find space ship eating plants, alien artifacts, and then of course...the ultimately intelligent being in the universe..."Mr. Mind". This is the guy with no body or form, just mind. He hitches a ride back from the center of the galaxy to earth... it's all too much.
Clarke must have been smoking something strong when he wrote this. I've read other Clarke books and loved them. This one was a real disappointment. The story just runs away and becomes silly. If you are a Clarke junky I'm sure you'll disagree with me. If you aren't and want to read Clarke for the first time I suggest not reading this. Try a classic like "Childhood's End". Clarke obviously was thinking much more clearly when he wrote that...
Rating:
Summary: Clarke's Best
Review: I wish I could find my old paperback copy... this was absolutely one of the best books I've ever read, and I say this at a time in my life when I'm not embarrassed anymore to admit how much I enjoy science fiction. Clarke is absolutely amazing at painting a picture of another world so real, you would almost hate to see your our personal vision spoiled by an attempt to bring it to the screen. And yet, this would make a marvelous film, if properly done. Highly recommended to sci-fi and non-sci-fi buffs alike!
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Summary: THE definitive Clarke. Superb. ONE OF THE BEST OF ALL TIME.
Review: In the 1950's Arthur C Clarke made predictions in this book about the evolution of humanity that so-called visionaries are only now "discovering". This novel is set a billion or more years in the future in a city containing the last vestiges of the human race (?), a population whose material achievements are staggering. In Diaspar, people live for ever in lifetimes of 1000 years, they re-write their personalities and memories before each new cycle, their physical environment is a self repairing and organising city controlled by the ultimate in machine evolution. Clarke uses an almost biblical prose form to evoke an endless succession of brilliant images. The characters are relatively one dimensional, but the vision behind the story is unmatched in science fiction. Throughout the story, Clarke keeps the reader's fascination unsated, every page is like a peepshow where the reader wants to stop the action and look further in the innovative idea Clarke has thrown in. In this book you will find virtual reality, machine intelligences, genetic engineering, etc. Unfortunately there has been a sequel, "Beyond the Fall of Night", as Clarke's original story was called "Against the Fall of Night", by Clarke and Greg Benford, that made one good point but then forgot that this isn't a story about aliens or space monsters but about human destiny.Clarke wrote and re-wrote this story many times before its publication, and it is undoubtedly the best of his works beyond "Rendezous with Rama", "Ghost from the Grand Banks", or,even, "Childhood's End" (which has a very similar style). ONE OF THE VERY BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS OF ALL TIME. UNSWERVINGLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: THE definitive Clarke. Superb. ONE OF THE BEST OF ALL TIME.
Review: In the 1950's Arthur C Clarke made predictions in this book about the evolution of humanity that so-called visionaries are only now "discovering". This novel is set a billion or more years in the future in a city containing the last vestiges of the human race (?), a population whose material achievements are staggering. In Diaspar, people live for ever in lifetimes of 1000 years, they re-write their personalities and memories before each new cycle, their physical environment is a self repairing and organising city controlled by the ultimate in machine evolution. Clarke uses an almost biblical prose form to evoke an endless succession of brilliant images. The characters are relatively one dimensional, but the vision behind the story is unmatched in science fiction. Throughout the story, Clarke keeps the reader's fascination unsated, every page is like a peepshow where the reader wants to stop the action and look further in the innovative idea Clarke has thrown in. In this book you will find virtual reality, machine intelligences, genetic engineering, etc. Unfortunately there has been a sequel, "Beyond the Fall of Night", as Clarke's original story was called "Against the Fall of Night", by Clarke and Greg Benford, that made one good point but then forgot that this isn't a story about aliens or space monsters but about human destiny.Clarke wrote and re-wrote this story many times before its publication, and it is undoubtedly the best of his works beyond "Rendezous with Rama", "Ghost from the Grand Banks", or,even, "Childhood's End" (which has a very similar style). ONE OF THE VERY BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS OF ALL TIME. UNSWERVINGLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Clarke at his pinnacle!
Review: It has been some years since I last read this book. I have read it several times. As I recall it is one of the most compelling and moving stories in the genre of speculative fiction in relation to humanity. If you are a SF fan and a fan of ACC himself and have not read this story, you simply must! It is, beyond doubt, his finest work!
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