New Clarke, any views?

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

This recently made it to a nearby bookshop: Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke & Stephen Baxter. It's book one of a porjected duologo called A Time Odyssey. The edition here is the Uk hardback - expensive, but presumably good value as it includes a CD-ROM containing interviews and a few of Baxter's novels as e-books.

Now, Clarke is a strong favourite, and Baxter is a fine SF writer too. However, my impression of Clarke's later collaborative works is that they are not among his best. Of course, this package is certainly attractive. But, it's the quality of the story that will count, and the information on the publisher's site seems interesting enough, but if anyone here has read this book, I would like to hear an assessment.

 

[Clangador]

I've read it and liked it, but Clarke's best stuff is long past. I heard Baxter wrote most of this novel.

 

[Alexa]

I didn't have the chance to read this one. I saw in a review the army of Alexander the Great was involved in the process. Maybe Brian can help you.

 

[Shoegaze99]

Now, Clarke is a strong favourite, and Baxter is a fine SF writer too. However, my impression of Clarke's later collaborative works is that they are not among his best.

I’m a devoted Clarke fan, having read every major novel, most of the minor novels save a small handful, and a score of his shorts. But even I must say, his later work – especially the collaborations – have simply not been up to par, and in some cases have been just plain bad.

I haven’t read “Time’s Eye,” and based on his other ‘collaboration’ with Baxter, “The Light of Other Days,” I won’t be reading it, either. The latter was a book with a fantastic concept rife with compelling questions to explore about the nature of privacy, self-examination and our own history. Sadly, the consequences of the technology discovered in that book were poorly examined and often glossed over. These days I often say that books need more aggressive editors to cut them down, trimming away unnecessary filler. In this case, it needed more. Baxter’s writing was good – I don’t believe Clarke actually penned any of this – but he never realized the full potential of the issues on hand to explore, which disappointed me.

Clarke’s ‘collaborations’ with Gentry Lee also fell flat with me, rather lifeless works that carry Clarke’s name but none of the qualities associated with that name. (They might have been better received by me had Clarke’s name not been attached; Lee did a good job with the whole human interactions and relationships thing ... but that’s not why I read an Arthur C. Clarke novel).

As an avid lover of Arthur C. Clarke's work, I am leery when I see his name on a new book these days. Like so many authors who have become "names," his name is becoming a marketing point, not an indication of authorship.

 

[manephelien]

On the whole I agree with you. The Light of Other Days was an interesting concept, but the execution left a lot to be desired.

One recent Clarke collaboration I enjoyed a lot, though, was The Trigger, co-written with Michael Kube-McDowell. It's a thrilling story with an absolutely terrifying end. Terrifying in its implications, I mean.

 

[JDP]

I liked both Trigger and Light of Other Days - I can't really see what there was in the latter to complain about so vociferously. They both had interesting concepts and were pulled off in what I thought were interesting ways - they demonstrated the effects of the technology on both the individual and society as a whole. If all you're after is some interesting, 'hard' physics, I know some great academic journals you could rifle through!
I also read 'Sunspot', the second of the duolog you mentioned at the top of the thread. I thought it was ok, though I hadn't realised when I bought it that it was the second part of a duolog! D'oh! It also put a scifi story I was working on well and truly in the crapper.

 

[AcesHigh]

I am reading Time´s Eye right now... started monday. I am actually quite enjoying the clash of civilizations from several time frames of humanity.

Its to say the least, a quite interesting book about time travel (havent read many of those tough... only The End of Eternity by Asimov and the Orion series, by Ben Bova)

 

[ntstatic]

...
Lee did a good job with the whole human interactions and relationships thing ... but that’s not why I read an Arthur C. Clarke novel).

As an avid lover of Arthur C. Clarke's work, I am leery when I see his name on a new book these days. Like so many authors who have become "names," his name is becoming a marketing point, not an indication of authorship.

Very true I am an avid fan of Arthur Clarke's works and what i love about his work is the sheer simplicity of appliction of Science. consider 'Rama' I or the 'Fountains'

Then there was the one where he mentions the 'mandelbrot set'. the one with pentominoes ( thats the fountains of paradise i believe ). just reading made me cut out those things and solve the 12 x 3

His collaborations however lack that easiness of reading - sometimes becoming a drag. Im in the process of reading 'The Trigger' and am pleasantly surprised ( completed around a third of it ). it is really well presented and carries that something of Arthur Ckarke.

Arthur Clarke - you will always be My - First 'Science Fiction Author'. hoping that your life was 'well lived'

 

[MG1962]

Yeah I was lucky with Times Eye - I am a Baxter fan, so it was win win for me. To be honest I saw the writing on the wall with the later Rama books - Increasingly just words being strung together to get the word count high enough to sell

 

[AE35Unit]

I've not read any of the newer Baxter Clarke books,must put that right as i see Baxter as a new clarke