Audiobooks by Arthur C. Clarke

A Rare Recording of Arthur C. Clarke Audiobook

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (December 16, 1917 - March 19, 2008) was a British science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, television series host, and influential proponent of space travel. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely regarded as one of the most influential films of all time. For many years Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov were known as the "Big Three" of science fiction. The following is a speech Clarke gave at a reception for the 2001 film release.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Arthur C. Clarke (Narrator)

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Encounter in the Dawn

Encounter in the Dawn by Arthur C. Clarke - A lot of glib fiction has been written about life on other planets, with space ships dropping down among alien races, zap guns decimating the enemy, while Our Hero goes batting off after a Beautiful Princess, who is about to be ravaged by the hairy-nosed glumpfx of Pluto. But Mr. Clarke, whose book, Exploration of Space, was a Book of-the-Month choice, takes the realistic approach and gets better results than anything by the boom-boom boys. It was in the last days of the Empire. The tiny ship was far from home, and almost a hundred light-years from the great parent vessel searching through the loosely packed stars at the rim of the Milky Way. But even here it could not escape from the shadow that lay across civilization: beneath that shadow, pausing ever and again in their work to wonder how their distant homes were faring, the scientists of the Galactic Survey still labored at their never-ending task. The ship held only three occupants, but between them they carried knowledge of many sciences, and the experience of half a lifetime in space. After the long interstellar night, the star ahead was warming their spirits as they dropped down towards its fires. A little more golden, a trifle more brilliant than the sun that now seemed a legend of their childhood. They knew from past experience that the chance of locating planets here was more than ninety per cent, and for the moment they forgot all else in the excitement of discovery

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Scott Miller (Narrator)

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Space Travelers and Nothing But Space Travelers 5

Space Travelers and Nothing But Space Travelers 5 - 13 Lost Sci-Fi Short Stories from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s - Beside Still Waters by Robert Sheckley - Home is the Spaceman by George O. Smith - Welcome Martians by Evan Hunter - Souvenir by Philip K. Dick - Unfortunately by Fredric Brown - The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison - The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson - Chicken Farm by Ross Rocklynne - Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke - The Call From Beyond by Clifford D. Simak - The World That Couldn't Be by Clifford D. Simak - The Moon That Vanished by Leigh Brackett - The Shipshape Miracle by Clifford D. Simak

Arthur C. Clarke, Clifford D. Simak, Evan Hunter, Fredric Brown, George O. Smith, Harry Harrison, Jack Williamson, Leigh Brackett, Philip K. Dick, Robert Sheckley, Ross Rocklynne (Author), Scott Miller (Narrator)

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Before Eden

Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke - Venus wasn't the virgin planet Mankind had always assumed. It was simply that we got there too soon. 'I guess,' said Jerry Garfield, cutting the engines, 'that this is the end of the line.' With a gentle sigh, the underjets faded out; deprived of its air-cushion, the scout-car Rambling Wreck settled down upon the twisted rocks of the Hesperian Plateau. There was no way forward; neither on its jets nor its tractors could S.5—to give the Wreck its official name—scale the escarpment that lay ahead. The South Pole of Venus was only thirty miles away, but it might have , been on another planet. They would have to turn back, and retrace their four-hundred-mile journey through this nightmare landscape. The weather was fantastically clear, with visibility of almost a thousand yards. There was no need of radar to show the cliffs ahead; for once, the naked eye was good enough. The green auroral light, filtering down through clouds that had rolled unbroken for a million years, gave the scene an underwater appearance, and the way in which all distant objects blurred into the haze added to the impression. Sometimes it was easy to believe that they were driving across a shallow sea-bed, and more than once Jerry had imagined that he had seen fish floating overhead. 'Shall I call the ship, and say we’re turning back?' he asked. 'Not yet,' said Dr. Hutchins. 'I want to think.' Jerry shot an appealing glance at the third member of the crew, but found no moral support there. Coleman was just as bad; although the two men argued furiously half the time, they were both scientists and therefore, in the opinion of a hard-headed engineer-navigator, not wholly responsible citizens. If Cole and Hutch had bright ideas about going forward, there was nothing he could do except register a protest.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Scott Miller (Narrator)

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No Morning After

No Morning After by Arthur C. Clarke 'But this is terrible!' said the Supreme Scientist. 'Surely there is something we can do!' 'Yes, Your Cognizance, but it will be extremely difficult. The planet is more than 500 light–years away, and it is very hard to maintain contact. However, we believe we can establish a bridgehead. Unfortunately, that is not the only problem. So far, we've been unable to communicate with these beings. Their telepathic powers are exceedingly rudimentary–perhaps even non-existent. And if we cannot talk to them, there is no way in which we can help.' There was a long mental silence while the Supreme Scientist analyzed the situation and arrived, as he always did, at the correct answer.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Scott Miller (Narrator)

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The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1, 1929-1964: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Tim

The definitive collection of the best in science fiction stories between 1929 and 1964.This book contains twenty-six of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. They represent the considered verdict of the Science Fiction Writers of America, those who have shaped the genre and who know, more intimately than anyone else, what the criteria for excellence in the field should be. The authors chosen for the Science Fiction Hall Fame are the men and women who have shaped the body and heart of modern science fiction; their brilliantly imaginative creations continue to inspire and astound new generations of writers and fans.In "The Roads Must Roll," Robert Heinlein describes an industrial civilization of the future caught up in the deadly flaws of its own complexity. "Country of the Kind," by Damon Knight, is a frightening portrayal of biological mutation. "Nightfall," by Isaac Asimov, one of the greatest stories in the science fiction field, is the story of a planet where the sun sets only once every millennium and is a chilling study in mass psychology.Originally published in 1970 to honor those writers and their stories that had come before the institution of the Nebula Awards, The Science Fiction Hall Of Fame, Vol. 1, was the book that introduced tens of thousands of young readers to the wonders of science fiction. Too long unavailable, this new edition will treasured by all science fiction fans everywhere.This collection also includes an introduction by Robert Silverberg and stories by Stanley G. Weinbaum, John W. Campbell, Lester del Rey, Theodore Sturgeon, Lewis Padgett, Clifford D. Simak, Fredric Brown, Murray Leinster, Judith Merril, Cordwainer Smith, Ray Bradbury, C. M. Kornbluth, Richard Matheson, Fritz Leiber, Anthony Boucher, James Blish, Arthur C. Clarke, Jerome Bixby, Tom Godwin, Alfred Bester, Daniel Keyes, and Roger Zelazny.

Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, others (Author), Alex Bloch, Amanda Leigh Cobb, David Shih, Eliza Foss, Fred Berman, Gabriel Sloyer, Graham Halstead, Jeff Gurner, L. J. Ganser, L.J. Ganser, Mark Boyett, Michael Braun, Michael David Axtell, Neil Hellegers, Oliver Wyman, Pete Larkin, Richard Ferrone, Rick Adamson, Tom Burka, Various, Various Narrators, Various Narrators (Narrator)

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[French] - Les Chants de la Terre lointaine

La Terre se meurt et les derniers représentants de l'espèce humaine prennent place à bord du Magellan pour un voyage de plusieurs centaines d'années. Au cours d'une escale sur une planète-océan colonisée longtemps auparavant par des vaisseaux-semeurs, l'équipage du Magellan rencontre des humains pour qui la Terre n'est déjà plus qu'un lointain souvenir, une légende. Une fable bouleversante sur le destin de l'humanité par un des maîtres de la science-fiction, l'auteur de 2001 : l'odyssée de l'espace.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Slimane-Baptiste Berhoun (Narrator)

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A Fall of Moondust

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Greg Wagland (Narrator)

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The Sands of Mars

It is the twenty-first century and on Mars a dedicated group of pioneers - among them some of Earth's finest brains - struggle to change the face of the planet. Science fiction writer Martin Gibson finally gets a chance to visit the research colony on the Red Planet. It's a dream come true - until he discovers the difficulties and perils of survival on another world... and the very real terror it holds.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Greg Wagland (Narrator)

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[French] - Les Premiers nés

Les Premiers-Nés - la mystérieuse espèce extraterrestre, déjà connue par les fans de science-fiction pour avoir édifié le monolithe noir de 2001 : l'Odyssée de l'espace - ont hanté l'oeuvre de Sir Arthur C. Clarke, monstre sacré de la SF, pendant des décennies. Avec L'OEil du Temps et Tempête solaire, les deux premiers volumes de la trilogie de L'Odyssée du Temps,Clarke et Stephen Baxter ont imaginé un futur proche dans lequel les Premiers-Nés tentent d'arrêter l'avancée de la civilisation humaine en employant une technologie indiscernable de la magie (en vertu de la célèbre troisième loi de Clarke). Cette fois, ils ont envoyé une « bombe quantique » vers la Terre, un instrument que les scientifiques humains peinent à comprendre, impossible à stopper ou à détruire - et qui anéantira le monde. La quête de réponses désespérée de Bisesa l'envoie d'abord sur Mars puis sur Mir, elle-même menacée de destruction. L'extinction semble inévitable... Mais un allié inattendu surgit des profondeurs de l'espace, à des années-lumière de là.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Arnauld Le Ridant (Narrator)

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Childhood's End

When the silent spacecraft arrived and took the light from the world, no one knew what to expect. When the Overlords finally showed themselves it was a shock, but one that humankind could now cope with, and an era of peace, prosperity and endless leisure began. But the children of this utopia dream strange dreams of distant suns and alien planets, and soon they will be ready to join the Overmind ... and, in a grand and thrilling metaphysical climax, leave the Earth behind.

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Greg Wagland (Narrator)

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[French] - Tempête solaire

De retour sur Terre en 2037, Bisesa Dutt est hantée par les souvenirs de son séjour sur Mir, cet étrange monde-mosaïque de régions et d'époques arrachées à l'histoire de l'humanité. Dans quelle intention Mir a-t-il été créé ? Pourquoi Bisesa y a-t-elle été transportée, puis ramenée chez elle ? Ces questions reçoivent un début de réponse terrifiant quand des scientifiques découvrent une anomalie au coeur du soleil. Dans un peu moins de cinq ans, elle provoquera une tempête solaire qui exterminera toute vie sur Terre au milieu d'un déluge de radiations mortelles. S'engage alors une course effrénée contre cette bombe à retardement. La construction d'un bouclier orbital gigantesque entre la Terre et le soleil est décidée, mais, à l'approche de l'apocalypse annoncée, la coopération entre les peuples de notre monde n'est pas facile. Pendant ce temps, les Premiers-Nés observent...

Arthur C. Clarke (Author), Arnauld Le Ridant (Narrator)

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