The Songs of Distant Earth (edição: 1998)

NA

I want a sequel?
While on the one hand there were some parts that dragged at me and made me wonder where the plot was, the ones that had plot I recognized say that it was cut short, and that there is so much more to the story. I feel like the wandering bits made it more realistic, for sure, so I'm not upset with them. I just don't want to be wrenched out of the story so quickly, when there is still so much more to say.
Anyway, this is a great science fiction story about how people deal with the end of their solar system. It also shows how cultures separated by some time may develop and eventually interact. The social aspect really got to me, so I really enjoyed it. ( )

Enjoyed this book. This is the first work by Arthur C. Clarke that I have read and have absolutely enjoyed it. The questions posed in this book are extremely important for the human race. The depth of this author's writing is more than enough to pick up another of Clarke's works. ( )

I'm not really sure what to make of this book. On the one hand, it was utterly lovely: The calm, nearly slice-of-life story of the surviving members of the human race. Touching, simple, optimistic, … sweet? At the same time, the lack of tension made me take a long time reading this book, and the parts that were interesting to me (the other planet! the ALIEN LIFE!) were only mentioned in passing. Weirdly frustrating for such a nice and optimistic book. ( )

What I love so much about Arthur C. Clarke's work is his underlying sense of sorrow for the human condition. It forms a foundational layer for the emotional weight of his stories. In this one, the wistful idea looming over the characters is our own fateful end as a species. Though the characters move on, survive, carry out the directives of life, each one must deal with endings more than beginnings. Hope may be the engine driving the security of mankind but melancholy is its cockpit.

Clarke limberly uses a narrative telescopy to explore notions of cultural discovery, the dangers of influence, and the urge of human attachment... and detachment.

I recommend this story to fans of the genre, fans of Arthur C. Clarke, and to anyone who's ever wondered at life beyond earth and what desperate conditions may spark its beginning. ( )