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The Songs of Distant Earth

Authors:
Arthur C. Clarke (author) and Michael Whelan (covers)
Language:
English
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Categories:
Novel and science fiction
Publication year:
1998
Original publication year:
1986
ISBN:
0-586-06623-3
Pages:
238
Synopsis:

The Earth is swallowed in the explosion of the Sun in the year 3620, and the novel begins with the landing of the starship Magellan on the now-colonized planet of Thalassa, a world covered almost entirely in ocean except for three closely linked islands. They need to repair their ship for their upcoming journey to their real destination, a planet called Sagan 2, which, with their millions of colonists in cryo-sleep, they hope to colonize.

Almost the entirety of the novel takes place on Thalassa.

Review:

A very beautiful novel full of memorable scenes. (The lifting of the kilometer-wide hexagonal ice blocks for the ship's shield comes to mind.) The pacing is good, the characters are well-developed, and the writing is excellent (but then again, this is a Clarke novel).

Has read?
Yes
Images:
Back of The Songs of Distant Earth.Spine of The Songs of Distant Earth.Front of The Songs of Distant Earth.
High-res images:
[Back (9.02 MB)] [Spine (1.28 MB)] [Front (14.18 MB)]
Table of Contents:
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  • Author's Note

I THALASSA

  • 1 The Beach at Tarna
  • 2 The Little Neutral One
  • 3 Village Council
  • 4 Tocsin
  • 5 Night Ride

II MAGELLAN

  • 6 Planetfall
  • 7 Lords of the Last Days
  • 8 Remembrance of Love Lost
  • 9 The Quest for Superspace

III SOUTH ISLAND

  • 10 First Contact
  • 11 Delegation
  • 12 Heritage
  • 13 Task Force
  • 14 Mirissa
  • 15 Terra Nova
  • 16 Party Games
  • 17 Chain of Command
  • 18 Kumar
  • 19 Pretty Polly
  • 20 Idyll

IV KRAKAN

  • 21 Academy
  • 22 Krakan
  • 23 Ice Day
  • 24 Archive
  • 25 Scorp
  • 26 Snowflake Rising
  • 27 Mirror of the Past
  • 28 The Sunken Forest
  • 29 Sabra
  • 30 Child of Krakan

V THE BOUNTY SYNDROME

  • 31 Petition
  • 32 Clinic
  • 33 Tides
  • 34 Shipnet
  • 35 Convalescence
  • 36 Kilimanjaro
  • 37 In Vino Veritas
  • 38 Debate
  • 39 The Leopard in the Snows
  • 40 Confrontation
  • 41 Pillow Talk
  • 42 Survivor
  • 43 Interrogation

VI THE FORESTS OF THE SEA

  • 44 Spyball
  • 45 Bait
  • 46 Whatever Gods May Be ...

VII AS THE SPARKS FLY UPWARD

  • 47 Ascension
  • 48 Decision
  • 49 Fire on the Reef

VIII THE SONGS OF DISTANT EARTH

  • 50 Shield of Ice
  • 51 Relic
  • 52 The Songs of Distant Earth
  • 53 The Golden Mask
  • 54 Valediction
  • 55 Departure
  • 56 Below the Interface

IX SAGAN 2

  • 57 The Voices of Time
  • Chronology
  • Bibliographical Note
  • Acknowledgements

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