The Fountains of Paradise

by

Paperback, 305 pages

English language

Published Nov. 10, 1980 by Ballantine Books.

ISBN:
978-0-345-25356-9
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OCLC Number:
6349859

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4 stars (7 reviews)

This is a story about space elevators.

From Sources and Acknowledgements

The writer of historical fiction has a peculiar responsibility to his readers, especially when he is dealing with unfamiliar times and places. He should not distort facts or events when they are known; and when he invents them, as he is often compelled to do, it is his duty to indicate the dividing line between imagination and reality.

The writer of science fiction has the same responsibility, squared. I hope that these notes will not only discharge that obligation well but also add to the reader's enjoyment.

18 editions

reviewed The fountains of paradise by Arthur C. Clarke

Review of 'The fountains of paradise' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

two words: space elevator....

short plot description: in the not so far future a very determined engineer wants to build Earth's first space elevator on the site were about 2000 years earlier a king build another marvel of engineering but has to overcome many obstacles, both scientific and political...

my thoughts: Clarke at his best. Science is sound as always but also presented in a non-boring fashion, the subplot regarding the building of the palace 2000 years early is interesting, the characters don't annoy me in the way they sometimes do in a Clarke novel. Only the subplot regarding alien visitors (similar to the first Rama) feels tacked on and it seems to me that Clarke used this device only for some preaching of his opinions.

All in all a very good book for everyone who likes science based sci-fi

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