The Sentinel (1951)In 1948, Arthur C. Clarke submitted a short story, The Sentinel, to a BBC contest; which he did not win. However, the story was published in the Avon Science Fiction and Fantasy Reader in 1951, and in 1964 he returned to the story and began expanding it into a novel. He and the filmmaker Stanley Kubrick used this as the basis for a movie script which, in 1968, became 2001 : A Space Odyssey; for which both received Oscar nominations. Especially considering the opacity for which the movie is notorious, the story is remarkably spare and straightforward. The narrator, a lunar geologist, recalls cooking sausage one morning at a research base on the Moon, when the rising sun revealed a metallic glimmer on the rock wall of Mare Crisium. He and a compatriot climbed the crater rim and found : [A] roughly pyramidal structure, twice as high as
a man, that was set in the rock like a gigantic,
Though they initially believed it to be a relic of a lost lunar civilization (notice it is much different than the black obelisks which were eventually used in the movie), they soon realized that it must have been placed there billions of years ago by an advanced race from another planet. It took twenty years, but finally they were able to penetrate a protective shield around the crystal by using atomic upon it. Now they understand the structure to have been a kind of sentinel, waiting to alert the beings who placed it there that finally the human race has achieved a sufficient level of development to be worthy of their notice. I particularly like the way that this tale, written by a renowned futurist at the dawn of the space age, actually resonates with age old religious concerns. The simple idea at its core is that it is by increasing our knowledge and developing our technological prowess that we will become superior beings, even gods. The geologist sagely worries, as must anyone who recalls the Fall of Man and the Tower of Babel, that the beings who left behind this early warning signal may even be jealous of our advances and may not be all that happy to find that they finally have company. Like all of the best tales of the fantastic, The Sentinel, though ostensibly about the future, illuminates the very mundane concerns we've always had about the nature of our being and our role in the order of things. (Reviewed:) Grade: (A) Tweet Websites:-WIKIPEDIA: Arthur C. Clarke -FILMOGRAPHY: Arthur C. Clarke (IMDB) -ENTRY: Arthur C. Clarke (Internet Science Fiction Database) -ARTHUR CHARLES CLARKE (1917-) pseudonyms: Charles Willis, E.G. O'Brien (kirjasto) -ENTRY : Arthur C. Clarke British author and scientist (Erik Gregersen, Encyclopaedia Britannica) -ENTRY: Arthur C. Clarke (Biography) -The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation -Arthur C. Clarke Foundation of the U. S. -FEATURED AUTHOR : Arthur C. Clarke (NY Times Book Review) -ENTRY: Arthur C. Clarke (Fantastic Fiction) -The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation -ENTRY: Cl;Clarke, Arthur C. (Encyclopedia of Science Fiction) -AUTHOR PAGE: Arthur C. Clarke (NY Times) -INDEX: Arthur C. Clarke (Reactor) -REVIEW INDEX: Arthur C. Clarke (Kirkus) -REVIEW INDEX: Arthur C. Clarke (Publishers Weekly) -VIDEO INDEX: Arthur C. Clarke (YouTube) -OBIT: Arthur C. Clarke, Premier Science Fiction Writer, Dies at 90 (Gerald Jonas, 3/18/08, NY Times) -OBIT: Arthur C Clarke, writer and futurist, dies at 90 (Sarah Knapton, 19 Mar 2008, The Guardian) -OBIT: Arthur C. Clarke, 90; scientific visionary, acclaimed writer of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’: Science fiction writer Sir Arthur C. Clarke, best known for "2001: A Space Odyssey," was a prolific and best-selling author for four decades with an uncanny ability to predict the impact of technology. (Dennis McLellan, March 19, 2008, LA Times) -OBIT: Writer Arthur C Clarke dies at 90 (BBC, 3/19/08) -OBIT: Arthur C. Clarke (Gregory Benford, Nature) -OBIT: Arthur C. Clarke: Sir Arthur C. Clarke, visionary, died on March 18th, aged 90 (The Economist, Mar 27th 2008) -OBIT: Sci-fi guru Arthur C. Clarke dies at 90: Science-fiction writer and technological seer Arthur C. Clarke has died at the age of 90 after a long battle with post-polio syndrome. (AP, 3/18/08) -OBIT: Sir Arthur C Clarke (The Telegraph, 3/19/08) -AUDIO OBIT: 'Space Odyssey' Author Clarke Dies at 90 (Neda Ulaby, March 19, 2008, NPR: Morning Edition) -TRIBUTE: SETI@home Arthur C Clarke tribute page -TRIBUTE: A Tribute to Arthur C. Clarke (Norm R. Allen Jr., June / July 2008, Free Inquiry) -TRIBUTE: Arthur C. Clarke: Luminaries Pay Tribute (Clara Moskowitz, March 19, 2008, Space.com) -TRIBUTE: Scientists and writers pay tribute to Arthur C Clarke (Sarah Knapton, 19 Mar 2008, The Guardian) -TRIBUTE: A Tribute to Arthur Clarke (David Brin, 3/18/08, Contra Brin) -TRIBUTE: Remembering Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008 (Emily Lakdawalla, Mar 19, 2008, The Planetary Society) -TRIBUTE: Yet another tribute to Sir Arthur C. Clarke (Giulio Prisco, 11/01/16, Turing Church) -TRIBUTE: Technology: He wrote the future (Andrew Robinson, Jan. 19th, 2017, Nature) -TRIBUTE: Arthur C Clarke: science fiction turns to fact: The futurologist, engineer and writer, who died last week aged 91, showed an uncanny ability to predict technological advances (Raymond Whitaker, 23 March 2008, Independent) - - -ENTRY: The Star (Internet Science Fiction Database) -ENTRY: The Star (Encyclopedia.com) -FILMOGRAPHY: Twilight Zone: The Star (IMDB) -ETEXT: The Star by Arthur C. Clarke: From The Nine Billion Names of God: The Best Short Stories of Arthur C. Clarke)[pdf] -ETEXT: The Nine Billion Names of God By Arthur C. Clarke [pdf] - - - -AUDIO STORY: Arthur C (Santa Clause) Clarke - The Star (Liminal Spaces) -ESSAY : The Ascent of Man (Arthur C. Clarke, 12/31/00, Books Unlimited uk) -ESSAY : In The Beginning Was Jupiter (Arthur C. Clarke, NY Times Book Review, 1983) -Literary Research Guide: Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - ) -Sir Arthur C. Clarke at MysteryVisits.com -Arthur C. Clarke Unauthorized Homepage -PROFILE : Man on the moon : He wrote 2001 with Stanley Kubrick, he inspired Star Trek and the satellite revolution. Now Arthur C Clarke lives in Sri Lanka, plugged into e-mail, fighting accusations of paedophilia, and living in the past (Tim Adams, September 12, 1999, The Observer) -PROFILE : Arthur C. Clarke, big-picture man (JANE SULLIVAN, The Age) -PROFILE : Salon People | Arthur C. Clarke (Salon) -PROFILE : Colombo Journal; A Nonfiction Journey to a More Peaceful World (JOHN F. BURNS, The New York Times) -ESSAY : RANDOM MUSINGS On Arthur C. Clarke (Robert J. Sawyer, SF Writer) -ESSAY : HUMANITY'S SURROGATE SPACE PROGRAM : Science fiction master Arthur C. Clarke agrees that if we can't cruise outer space ourselves, "Star Trek" is the next best thing to being there. (JEFF GREENWALD, Salon) -LYRICS : David of the White Rock -INTERVIEW : The World Keeps Up With Arthur Clarke (S. James Blackman, Space.com, December 1999) -INTERVIEW: An Odyssey of Sorts (Fred Guterl, Discover, 1997) -INTERVIEW : 2001 Double Take: I was a Teenage Centenarian (Jeff Greenwald, Wired) -INTERVIEW: Science Fiction and Prophecy: Talking to Arthur C. Clarke: An interview with Arthur C. Clarke at his home in Sri Lanka. (Tod Mesirow, July 24, 2013, LA Review of Books) -INTERVIEW: Arthur Charles Clarke discusses science fiction (Studs Terkel, 1/27/59, WFMT) - - - - -ESSAY: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”: We invited several authors to explain what this quote by Arthur C. Clarke conjures up for them. (Efraín Foglia Ferran Esteve Lucía Lijtmaer Luis Paadín Óscar Marín Miró Ramon Mas Baucells, 08 November 2018, Cultural Reasearch and Innovation Lab) - - -ESSAY: Yes, Arthur C. Clarke was likely a pedophile (Jason Sanford, Sep 27, 2019) -ESSAY: What I Found On Arthur C Clarke’s Bookshelf in Sri Lanka (Rizwan Virk, January 2nd, 2018, Hacker Noon) -BOOK LIST: The Best Books by Arthur C. Clarke recommended by Paul March-Russell: Arthur C. Clarke is one of the biggest names in science fiction, epitomizing an era of space exploration and scientific optimism. Paul March-Russell, co-editor of the essay collection Rendezvous with Arthur C. Clarke, talks us through his work and argues that Clarke should be remembered for the nuances of his writing and his humility about man’s place in the awe-inspiring cosmos. (Interview by Sylvia Bishop, 5 Books) -ESSAY: Clarke’s Three Laws (New Scientist) -ESSAY: The Star of Bethlehem & Arthur C. Clarke (Fleeing Nergal, Seeking Stars) -Arthur C. Clarke’s THE STAR: consilience is the phoenix (Terence Blake, 1/04/17, Xeno Swarm) -ESSAY: Affirmation in Arthur C. Clarke’s THE STAR (Terence Blake, 11/13/21, Xeno Swarm) -ESSAY: A Holiday musing on the Theodicy of Arthur C. Clarke & aliens with time on their hands (Jim Downard, December 26, 2015, Favs News) - -WIKIPEDIA: Nine Billion Names of God - - - - -STUDY GUIDE: The Star (eNotes) -ESSAY: Could the Space Voyages in the Film and Novel "2001: A Space Odyssey" Really Happen? (No Shortage of Dreams) - -REVIEW: of “The Star” by Arthur C. Clarke (Classics of Science Fiction) -REVIEW: of The Star (Young People Read Old SFF) -REVIEW: of The Star (Reißwolf) -REVIEW: of The Star (Andrew B. Lang) -REVIEW: of The Star (Warwick University: Astronomy and Astrophysics Group) -REVIEW: of The Star (Val’s Random Comments) -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke (Jamal H. Goodwin Jr, The Fiction Writer) -REVIEW: of The Nine Billion Names of God (Jason Baxter, Church Life Journal) -REVIEW: of Nine Billion Names of God (kirkus) -REVIEW : of 2001: A Space Odyssey By Arthur C. Clarke (ELIOT FREMONT-SMITH , NY Times, July 5, 1968) -REVIEW : of 2010: Odyssey Two (1983)(Gerald Jonas, NY Times Book Review) -REVIEW : of 2061: Odyssey Three (1987)(Gerald Jonas, NY Times Book Review) -REVIEW : of 3001 The Final Odyssey By Arthur C. Clarke (1997) (RICHARD BERNSTEIN, NY Times) -REVIEW: of 3001 The Final Odyssey. By Arthur C. Clarke (John Allen Paulos, NY Times Book Review) -REVIEW: of THE COLLECTED STORIES OF ARTHUR C. CLARKE By Arthur C. Clarke (Thomas Disch, LA Times) -REVIEW: of THE COLLECTED STORIES OF ARTHUR C. CLARKE (Kirkus) REVIEW: of The Collected Stories (At Boundary’s Edge) -REVIEW: of the Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. ClarkeJason Sanford, SF Signal) -REVIEW: of Profiles of the Future by Arthur C Clarke (Tim Radford, The Guardian) -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of -REVIEW: of Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke (Alan Brown, Reactor) -REVIEW: of The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke (joshua Krook, New Intrigue) -ESSAY: Demiurge and Deity: The Cosmical Theology of Olaf Stapledon’s Star Maker (Joshua Hall) -ESSAY: Gordon Clark and the Problem of Evil (Douglas Douma, December 2, 2013, A Place for Thoughts) Book-related and General Links: -FILMOGRAPHY : Arthur C. Clarke (Imdb) -INFO : 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (Imdb) -The 2001 Internet Resource Archive -REVIEW : of 2001 : A Space Odyssey (Renata Adler, NY Times, April 4, 1968) STANLEY KUBRICK :
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