WWTBAM Bored

At age 90, in Sri Lanka. I'm sure he predicted this too.

This is not a good day.

I do not like that he spent most of later-adult life in Sri Lanka because they don't prosecute you for having sex with young men there; that that's why he was there is well known in the SF world. No-one has ever claimed that he harmed anybody or that his partners were in any way involuntary, except of course that life in that part of the world forces many young men to "volunteer" for money who wouldn't if they had other choices. And not that there's anything wrong (Seinfeld trademark here) with having sex with young men if you're young yourself; sure is icky for an old old old man, though.

However, long before I knew about his lifestyle choices I really liked a lot of his books.

I am saddened beyond measure.

He came to OU years and years ago. I had the enormous luck to interview him. He was funny, charming, sweet, and -- yes -- brilliant. One detail that I always remember when I think of him was the briefcase he carried. It was made of aluminum, and it bore a decal of Snoopy (a NASA connection.)

Now he can find out first hand what really is "out there." No doubt he is enjoying the discovery.

ghostjmf wrote:This is not a good day.

I do not like that he spent most of later-adult life in Sri Lanka because they don't prosecute you for having sex with young men there; that that's why he was there is well known in the SF world. No-one has ever claimed that he harmed anybody or that his partners were in any way involuntary, except of course that life in that part of the world forces many young men to "volunteer" for money who wouldn't if they had other choices. And not that there's anything wrong (Seinfeld trademark here) with having sex with young men if you're young yourself; sure is icky for an old old old man, though.

However, long before I knew about his lifestyle choices I really liked a lot of his books.

His obit is here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... db1904.xml

In 1998 his name appeared on the honours list, and it was intended that he should be knighted by the Prince of Wales during his visit to Sri Lanka that year. But shortly before the ceremony, the Sunday Mirror published a piece accusing him of a long-standing predatory interest in young boys.

Clarke disputed the claims, and announced that he would not compromise the Prince's visit by receiving his knighthood until the allegations had been investigated. He was subsequently cleared by the Sri Lankan authorities, the newspaper published an apology and he was knighted in Colombo in May 2000.

I was a big fan from the day I picked up "Tales from the White Hart" and remain so.

"Well, of course it was a death ray! It killed somebody!" That's probably not exact, just wanted to get that in there in a hurry because somebody around here will notice.

I read Islands in the Sky for the first time last year and was dumbfounded. What an awesome book! It was one amazing theory or concept after another. I read Childhood's End maybe a dozen times before I simply put it down and dint pick it back up. I read 2001 once, and as sometimes happens, the movie was better IMHO.

I am confident that he was never predatory. I read a long interview a long while back, and the interviewer mentioned Clarke's partner a couple times and described the relationship in positive terms.

SportsFan68 wrote:I was a big fan from the day I picked up "Tales from the White Hart" and remain so.

"Well, of course it was a death ray! It killed somebody!" That's probably not exact, just wanted to get that in there in a hurry because somebody around here will notice.

I read Islands in the Sky for the first time last year and was dumbfounded. What an awesome book! It was one amazing theory or concept after another. I read Childhood's End maybe a dozen times before I simply put it down and dint pick it back up. I read 2001 once, and as sometimes happens, the movie was better IMHO.

I am confident that he was never predatory. I read a long interview a long while back, and the interviewer mentioned Clarke's partner a couple times and described the relationship in positive terms.

Tales from the White Hart and Childhood's End were two of my favorites by him. I read all three of the "2001" books (2001, 2010 and 2065), but wasn't particularly impressed with them. Of course "2001" was based on a short story (The Guardian? The Sentinel?), which is probably why the book was not as good (Asimov had the same problem turning his brilliant short stories and novellas into full-blown novels). I also tried to get into the Rama series but didn't find the appeal there, either. I remember him from the Apollo days, when he and Walter Cronkite would discuss the moon landings.

earendel wrote:

SportsFan68 wrote:I was a big fan from the day I picked up "Tales from the White Hart" and remain so.

"Well, of course it was a death ray! It killed somebody!" That's probably not exact, just wanted to get that in there in a hurry because somebody around here will notice.

I read Islands in the Sky for the first time last year and was dumbfounded. What an awesome book! It was one amazing theory or concept after another. I read Childhood's End maybe a dozen times before I simply put it down and dint pick it back up. I read 2001 once, and as sometimes happens, the movie was better IMHO.

I am confident that he was never predatory. I read a long interview a long while back, and the interviewer mentioned Clarke's partner a couple times and described the relationship in positive terms.

Tales from the White Hart and Childhood's End were two of my favorites by him. I read all three of the "2001" books (2001, 2010 and 2065), but wasn't particularly impressed with them. Of course "2001" was based on a short story (The Guardian? The Sentinel?), which is probably why the book was not as good (Asimov had the same problem turning his brilliant short stories and novellas into full-blown novels). I also tried to get into the Rama series but didn't find the appeal there, either. I remember him from the Apollo days, when he and Walter Cronkite would discuss the moon landings.

The Sentinel.

He will be missed.

"One by one, without any fuss, the stars were going out."

IMO the best last sentence of a story ever. However, my nominee for his best short story is "The Star".

Are there any of these grand old men of science fiction left now? Asimov, Heinlein, Sturgeon, Clarke, Ed Hamilton, ... who else? Is Damon Knight still among the living?

gsabc wrote:"One by one, without any fuss, the stars were going out."

IMO the best last sentence of a story ever. However, my nominee for his best short story is "The Star".

Are there any of these grand old men of science fiction left now? Asimov, Heinlein, Sturgeon, Clarke, Ed Hamilton, ... who else? Is Damon Knight still among the living?

Asimov - dead
Heinlein - dead
Sturgeon - dead
Knight - dead

earendel wrote:

gsabc wrote:"One by one, without any fuss, the stars were going out."

IMO the best last sentence of a story ever. However, my nominee for his best short story is "The Star".

Are there any of these grand old men of science fiction left now? Asimov, Heinlein, Sturgeon, Clarke, Ed Hamilton, ... who else? Is Damon Knight still among the living?

Asimov - dead
Heinlein - dead
Sturgeon - dead
Knight - dead

Dick - dead

I'm not sure if these guys are at that level but they were Golden Age guys and I read all their stuff.

Frederick Pohl is still around. He is 88 years old.

Philip José Farmer is still alive. He just turned 90. Hoosier, BTW.

andrewjackson wrote:I'm not sure if these guys are at that level but they were Golden Age guys and I read all their stuff.

Frederick Pohl is still around. He is 88 years old.

Philip José Farmer is still alive. He just turned 90. Hoosier, BTW.

Farmer is 90 years old??!!! I had no idea.

In the "What are you reading" thread I had posted that I had just picked up the first book in a new series (Time's Eye) that is credited as a collaboration by Clarke and Stephen Baxter. Baxter is the best of the current "hard" science fiction writers out there, IMO. Tim Zahn might be an exception, but he spends so much time writing other stuff (Star Wars novels for example) that I can't really put him in the same arena.

It's kind of an expansion of the 2001 novels. I know, I know, but it's actually pretty readable. It's almost like Clarke knew the end was coming and wanted to let other people tell some of the stories of that universe, while still retaining some creative input.

It's funny that you mention Farmer in this thread. Because the first book, which I am almost through with, reminds me so much of Riverworld. I'm nearly done, and the scene I just finished is a massive battle between troops led by Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan. No, really.

andrewjackson wrote:I'm not sure if these guys are at that level but they were Golden Age guys and I read all their stuff.

Frederick Pohl is still around. He is 88 years old.

Philip José Farmer is still alive. He just turned 90. Hoosier, BTW.

I would certainly count Pohl amongst the best of the older Sci Fi Golden Age, if perhaps a step below some of these. He was perhaps best known as an editor during the Golden Age.

Along with Farmer and Pohl, Bradbury and L. Sprague de Camp were also from that period and are still around.

tanstaafl2 wrote:

andrewjackson wrote:I'm not sure if these guys are at that level but they were Golden Age guys and I read all their stuff.

Frederick Pohl is still around. He is 88 years old.

Philip José Farmer is still alive. He just turned 90. Hoosier, BTW.

I would certainly count Pohl amongst the best of the older Sci Fi Golden Age, if perhaps a step below some of these. He was perhaps best known as an editor during the Golden Age.

Along with Farmer and Pohl, Bradbury and L. Sprague de Camp were also from that period and are still around.

My mistake. Sprague de Camp died some years ago.

tanstaafl2 wrote:

tanstaafl2 wrote:

andrewjackson wrote:I'm not sure if these guys are at that level but they were Golden Age guys and I read all their stuff.

Frederick Pohl is still around. He is 88 years old.

Philip José Farmer is still alive. He just turned 90. Hoosier, BTW.

I would certainly count Pohl amongst the best of the older Sci Fi Golden Age, if perhaps a step below some of these. He was perhaps best known as an editor during the Golden Age.

Along with Farmer and Pohl, Bradbury and L. Sprague de Camp were also from that period and are still around.

My mistake. Sprague de Camp died some years ago.

And not that I would neccesarily define Bradbury in quite the same category although he is sometimes referred to as a science fiction writer and wrote during that period.

By an appropriate coincidence, Clarke was the answer to a J! question, yesterday.