[SFRA-L] clarke's best book?

[Robert Crossley]

I'm partial to Rendezvous with Rama.  For some years early in my career
I taught Childhood's End, but students often found it clunky and
contrived and I came to believe they were right.

 

Bob Crossley

 

From: sfra-l-bounces at charlemagne.cddc.vt.edu
[mailto:sfra-l-bounces at charlemagne.cddc.vt.edu] On Behalf Of
Easterbrook, Neil
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 10:27 AM
To: sfra-l at wiz.cath.vt.edu
Subject: [SFRA-L] clarke's best book?

 

A slow Sunday, so:

 

Apropos of nothing at all, I wonder what you think is AC Clarke's best
book? In _Fifty Key Figures in SF_ (an excellent book, btw), our own
Andy Sawyer calls _Childhood's End_ a "masterpiece," and in a long essay
for Seed's Blackwell _Companion_ our own Edward James notes that ACC's
personal favorite was _Songs of Distant Earth_, which would get my vote
even if I didn't know it was ACC's choice.

 

Which book (not story) do you think his best?

 

O, and another question: if you've taught ACC, what teaches well? Other
than a few short stories, I've only taught his novel _The City and the
Stars_, which while a book that still represents my best dreams of being
14 I generally use for reasons not altogether generous to ACC's
important position in 20th century sf.

 

--Neil

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