Other Side of the Sky [Paperback]

The Other Side of the Sky (1958) is a collection of classic SF stories and one fantasy. They range in time from tomorrow to a distant future.

The first story, The Nine Billion Names of God, is a tale of the supernatural, yet is probably the most famous story in this volume. A Tibetan monastery makes arrangements to acquire an Automatic Sequence Computer and two technicians to maintain it. The monks are compiling a list of all the names of God so that the universe can finally terminate.

The following stories tell of a royal stowaway, the building of the first space stations (and the founding of the Vacuum-Breathers Club), a wall with only one side, a future security leak, the end of the world, and the race to the Moon. Others tell of the non-invasion of Earth, the super gadget from the future, the gorgeous woman at journey's end, the most famous of novae, a strange solar phenomenon, and the coming of the Dark Nebula. This collection concludes with The Songs of Distant Earth, a tale of the infatuation of a native girl with a visiting spaceman.

This collection is probably the most representative of the author's works. These stories were written early in his career, yet subsequent tales usually expanded upon similar themes. Although the number of stories about the world's end seems excessive, remember that those were ominous times.

Highly recommended for Clarke fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of human reactions to advances in science and technology.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I agree, Clarke is better suited to the novel, but he is also a brilliant short story writer. The Nine Billion Names of God, as everyone knows, is one of the best SF short stories ever written, and has actually led several people to carry out the exploits in the story in real life, so compelling is the idea behind it. Not to be overlooked in this collection, are such masterpieces as the chilling Wall of Darkness, The Star (which is also one of the best ever), and All The Time In The World, yet another great story. Also included, among others, is A Venture To The Moon, a fictional pre-Apollo account of the first manned mission to the moon that is told is such striking detail that it comes off nearly as a documentary (and a factual one at that). Regardless of what facet of Clarke's writing that you enjoy the most, there is bound to be something here that you'll like.

While Clarke managed to keep a science ficton bond between all his stories, some were tripped up with their lack of length. The first impression you get is The Nine Billion Names of God. While it is a good first impression, Clarke can't expand as well as he is able to in an extended novel. The short story doesn't play to his abilities and the rich characterization he does so well. Other stories manage to be boundless in their explorations of science but the reader only gets a glimpse at the people who can enrich them. The fault in The Other Side of the Sky is not Clarke's writing, but his choice of medium.