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Imperial Earth

Authors:
Arthur C. Clarke (author) and Terry Pastor (covers)
Language:
English
Original language:
English
Publisher:
Vista
Categories:
Novel and science fiction
Publication year:
1997
Original publication year:
1975
ISBN:
0-575-60158-2
Pages:
287
Synopsis:

The year is 2276, and the furthest world colonized by mankind is Titan, the largest moon of Saturn (and one of the largest in the Solar System). Titan is home to a quarter of a million people, selected for intelligence, endurance, and any other characteristic necessary for such a mission. Among them is a powerful political trio, Malcolm Makenzie (the "grandfather"), Colin Makenzie (the "father"), and Duncan Makenzie (the "son"), Colin being a clone of Malcolm, and Duncan in turn being a clone of Colin. Duncan is sent as an emissary to Earth for the fourth Centennial of the United States. The bulk of the novel follows Duncan on his adventures on Earth.

Review:

A good novel, but not excellent; the end of the book doesn't tie up enough loose ends, and the book is more about politics than science fiction. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I felt sort of cheated.

I'll still recommend it. There's a wonderful scene where Duncan's grandmother presents him with a set of pentominoes made of Titanite (a crystal native to Titan) and a ten-by-six box into which to fit the pieces (see the Wikipedia article for solutions).

Has read?
Yes
Debut?
No
Images:
Back of Imperial Earth.Spine of Imperial Earth.Front of Imperial Earth.
High-res images:
[Back (3.16 MB)] [Spine (627.29 KB)] [Front (3.29 MB)]
Table of Contents:
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I — TITAN

  • 1 A Shriek in the Night
  • 2 Dynasty
  • 3 Invitation to a Centennial
  • 4 The Red Moon
  • 5 The Politics of Time and Space
  • 6 By the Bonny, Bonny Banks of Loch Hellbrew
  • 7 A Cross of Titanite
  • 8 Children of the Corridors
  • 9 The Fatal Gift
  • 10 World's End

II — TRANSIT

  • 11 Sirius
  • 12 Last Words
  • 13 The Longest Voyage
  • 14 Songs of Empire
  • 15 At the Node
  • 16 Port Van Allen

III — TERRA

  • 17 Washington, D.C.
  • 18 Embassy
  • 19 Mount Vernon
  • 20 The Taste of Honey
  • 21 Calindy
  • 22 The Ghost from the Grand Banks
  • 23 Akhenaten and Cleopatra
  • 24 Party Games
  • 25 The Rivals
  • 26 The Island of Dr Mohammed
  • 27 Golden Reef
  • 28 Sleuth
  • 29 Star Day
  • 30 A Message from Titan
  • 31 The Eye of Allah
  • 32 Meeting at Cyclops
  • 33 The Listeners
  • 34 Business and Desire
  • 35 Argus Panoptes
  • 36 Independence Day
  • 37 The Mirror of the Sea

IV — TITAN

  • 38 Homecoming
  • Acknowledgements and Notes

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