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Reading the Classics

Entry 735, on 2008-04-06 at 20:04:23 (Rating 1, Activities)

A couple of weeks ago the famous science fiction author Arthur C Clarke died. When I was at school and university I was a real science fiction freak and read several books every week (which was probably why I missed doing projects and forgot to go to lectures). Clarke was one of my favourite authors so I recently decided to re-read some of his books.

I don't have as much time to read books now (I probably spend too much time writing blogs, debating on Internet forums and watching YouTube videos) but I have finished Childhood's End and I have started another book by Ray Bradbury (another classic author) called The Illustrated Man.

I remember another Bradbury book, The Silver Locusts, which we read and analysed as an assignment when I was at school and it made a real impact on me. Its "soft" science fiction about the human colonisation of Mars and the elimination of the old Martian civilisation. The parallels with similar events on Earth are obvious, but it is the style of writing which is so engaging. Its almost like poetry and probably not the image of science fiction that a lot of people have.

The Clarke books are much "harder" and he likes to use more basic prose and integrates a lot of predictions of future technologies into his books. The book was written over 50 years ago, so what did one of the greatest predictors of scientific progress mention as important technological changes in his book?

One was reliable oral contraceptives. Yes, that was hugely influential on society, so he certainly got that one right. One where he was well wide of the truth was personal flying cars. Not only is the technology not available to make these possible but, even if it was, economic and safety problems would make them impractical anyway. So no one can reliably predict the future, not even a futurologist as famous as Arthur C Clarke.

I think science fiction has a lot to offer and many people who think its just for nerds would probably be surprised at what its really like. After I've finished reading my extensive library of classic science fiction I might start on some more current material just to see how the genre has progressed.

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