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Astounding Days: The Science Fictional Autobiography
From Library Journal
Scientist and grand master of the genre (2001: A Space Odyssey) Clarke has given us a memoir of his youth. It centers on three editors, Harry Bates, F. Orlin Tremaine, and John W. Campbell, who created the magazine now known as Analog (until 1960 it was called Astounding Science Fiction). Clarke gives his reaction to the writers and illustrators who fir ...more
Scientist and grand master of the genre (2001: A Space Odyssey) Clarke has given us a memoir of his youth. It centers on three editors, Harry Bates, F. Orlin Tremaine, and John W. Campbell, who created the magazine now known as Analog (until 1960 it was called Astounding Science Fiction). Clarke gives his reaction to the writers and illustrators who fir ...more
Paperback
,
256 pages
Published
April 1st 1990
by Gollancz
(first published February 1st 1990)
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Community Reviews
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1-30
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Nov 12, 2014
Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2014
Outside of the constant ego-burps, this is a lovely, nostalgia-tinged--but at times overly digressive (Locus called it "chatty")--evocation of the early days of Astounding. Through this book I learned a fair amount about pre-1939 SF (and of course how it influenced Clarke). So why 3 stars? The section covering Harry Bates was easily worth four stars, and generally that same level held when discussing Tremaine's reign. But as time passes for the magazine, Clarke discusses fewer and fewer of the s
...more
For those only familiar with the late Sir Arthur's award-winning, best-selling science fiction, this is an eye-opener to the fact that he could just as skillfully write engaging, humor-laced non-fiction essays filled with information, inside dope on his many famous contemporaries/friends (including John W. Campbell Jr., Wernher von Braun and Willy Ley), and fond reminiscences from childhood on. This book is actually one-half of Clarke's two-pronged memoirs; the other half is the chronicle of his
...more
The constant horn-tooting grew tiresome after a while; also too much quibbling over science points. Would've been better if it had stayed back in the era of his youth. Oddly seems too personal--or not personal enough; merely telling of the chaps he's met and knows throughout his life and not enough (though there is some early on) of the wonder of the stuff that drew him to it early on. Comes across as a real Asimov type--a science geek who never quite grew up all the way (never really had to, I
...more
One big caveat to the 4-star rating: You need to be either a fan of Mr. Clarke or interested in Golden-Age magazine science fiction in order to enjoy this nerdy memoir/analysis. If, however, you fit into one of those categories, then this book should prove to be great fun, and educational too.
An anecdotal look at some of the writers who appeared in Astounding Stories during the 1930s and 1940s. It's a loose account, with plenty of tangents, but Clarke makes for an expert and personable guide. Another distant place Clarke takes us to.
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Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. He spent the first half of his life in England, where he served in World War Two as a radar operator, before emigrating to Ceylon in 1956. He is best known for the novel and movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
, which he co-created with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.
Clarke was a graduate of King's Co ...more
More about Arthur C. Clarke...
Clarke was a graduate of King's Co ...more
