Abstract

Though Arthur C. Clarke was one of the science fiction field's most eminent and influential figures, his work attracts surprisingly little scholarly discussion. In his new study of Clarke's extensive oeuvre, Gary Westfahl points out that few previous books have been devoted entirely to Clarke's fiction, and even those concentrate on what are regarded as a small number of major works. They overlook much of Clarke's short fiction, and most were completed before significant new works appeared in the last thirty or so years of his life. More importantly, Westfahl suggests, Clarke's literary skills are generally underrated by his critics, and his themes and dramatic intentions are widely misunderstood.Westfahl has...