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Sir Arthur C. Clarke dies at age 90

Most famously known for his work with Stanley Kubric on the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the amazing science fiction author, scientist, revolutionary theorist, and more personally, one of my biggest influences, died on March 19 2008. Author of 35 fiction novels, 13 published collections of short stories, and about 31 non-fictional works, plus countless contributions to the field of science, Sir Clarke has made a lasting legacy in the face of American culture. Not only was Sir Clarke an accomplished science fiction writer, but also a respected scientist and naturalist, having interests in interplanetary studies as well as marine biology. Likewise, he was deeply interested in paranormal studies, all of which contributed greatly to his literary style.

Art Imitating Life

Sir Clarke's greatest contributions to the field of science were his theory of geostationary satellites, as well as his revolutionary interest in the use of nanotubes, suggesting that linked together, these hollow particles could be formed into a giant elevator to the moon, or beyond.
Sir Clarke has received many honors during his time. Among them was his knighting in the year 2000, the naming of the Apollo 13 craft and also the Mars Orbiter (both named Odyssey), the nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize, a dinosaur and astroid both named in his honor (Serendipaceratops arthurcclarkei, 4923 Clarke) Vice president of the H.G. Wells Society, Chairman of the British Interplanetary Society, Honorary Board Chair in the Institute for the Cooperation in Space, as well as a seat on the Board of Governors for the National Space Society.

Art Imitating Art

Among the many novels of Sir Arthur C. Clarke, my favorite is most definitely Childhood's End. The novel is about "humanity's transformation and integration to an interstellar hive mind, the Occult, man's inability to live in a utopian society, cruelty to animals, and the idea of being 'The Last Man on Earth'". To summarize, alien spaceships have appeared above all of Earth's major cities. These aliens become known as the Overlords. Under the Overlords, a sense of world peace is quickly achieved, yet at the price of the loss of personal creativity. However, the only people which talk directly with the aliens are a set of "delegates", if you will, who never actually see them, only talk through a two-way mirror. The Overlords claim that in fifty-years time they will reveal themselves to the people of Earth, hoping that by this time humans would not be prejudice to their appearance. So in fifty years, the Overlords appear in person. More or less, they have characteristics similar to the traditional image of a demon (large wings, horns, and biforcated tails.) Although relations with the Overlords are positive, and the two races unite to together build a utopian world, some of the limitations on the personal freedoms of the human race cause a sect of humanity to establish the New Athens Island Colony. After 100 years of the colony, children there start developing telekinetic and telaphathic abilities. Eventually it is discovered that this is the true purpose of the Overlords colonization of Earth. The children are now in service to the Overmind, an "amoirphis being of pure energy". It was their mission to foster humanity's transition to a higher plane of existence and a merger with the Overmind. Hence, the Overlords' resemblance to the devil, along with its racial memory limited by their liner concept of time, is a visualized fear based upon instinct and the foreknowledge that they herald the end of the human species. The children are put onto an island of their own, and after this no more children are born on earth. The story starts to hint at an ever increasing merge with the Overmind and New Athens is destroyed by a nuclear bomb. The last man on earth is a physicist who stows away on an Overlord supply ship. In Earth time, round trip, he is gone a total of 80 years, but in his perspective, it is only a matter of seconds. When he returns, the only remaining humans are now the Evolved Children. Finally, the Evolved Children use their collective energies, altering Earth's rotation and causing other planetary adjustments. In this instant they reach a higher level of existence, needing neither a body nor a place.



This novel has been the influence for some of my favorite musical artistic works, including a song off of Pink Floyd's Obscured by Clouds album (as well as Iron Maiden and David Bowie) , and a music video by Encyclopedia Pictura for Seventeen Evergreen, as well as a bulk of the Startrek Series, Babylon 5, and Stargate.