By Brian Clegg

Future Perfect û 3001 Arthur C. ClarkeÆs recently published book 3001, The Final Odyssey marks the end of a thirty year progress that began with the stunning visuals of 2001, A Space Odyssey. If you think getting from 2001 to 3001 in thirty years takes some doing, you obviously donÆt read science fiction.

WhatÆs 3001 like? Who is this Clarke bloke anyway? Why did he move to lush, sub-tropical Sri Lanka, when he could have lived in Essex? Why has he spent his life wishing heÆd taken a patent out in 1945? Why are you reading these questions, when you want the answers? Browse this wayà

Who Arthur C. Clarke? Arthur C. Clarke is one of the best-known science fiction authors, living or dead. He was born in 1917 in Somerset, England. With a background in Physics and Maths, he was involved in the development of radar during the Second World War and went on to predict the communications satellite 20 years before it became a reality.

ClarkeÆs steady output of science fiction has combined a strong technical knowledge with more rounded characters than some of his contemporaries of the "golden age". Often his books feature an advanced alien presence, rarely malevolent, but not exactly sociable either. Although he is down on organised religion, thereÆs often a mystical quality to his writing. His best known work is the series beginning with the book of the film 2001, A Space Odyssey, while he gained wider exposure with his widely-seen Mysterious World TV series. Clarke has lived in Sri Lanka for many years, where he is involved in the university and a sub-aqua business.

Why Arthur C. Clarke? The critics hate science fiction. A science fiction novel might be brimming with great ideas, be a wonderful read, have well-drawn characters and a gripping story û it will be dismissed as populist rubbish. In part (large part) this is because most critics are have an educational background where science was something done by those who couldnÆt understand art. ItÆs certainly true that much science fiction (especially in the early years) is mindless entertainment, but thatÆs true of all types of writing. When a science fiction writer manages by sheer outrageousness to push his way into the literary mainstream, (s)he usually rapidly dismisses any SF roots. Equally, when a "normal" writer produces clear (and often unimpressive) science fiction, the critics say this isnÆt SF at all, itÆs merely using the science fiction conventions to say something deeper. ItÆs not exactly surprising, then, that few science fiction greats have wide exposure. Many casual readers would get stuck after Terry Pratchett (who generally writes fantasy) and Douglas Adams (who probably doesnÆt count himself as an SF author). TheyÆre both great, but hardly all there is to know. Arthur C. Clarke is the exception. HeÆs a solid, down the line SF man, and heÆs famous too. Yet the reasons for his fame are quite strange. Three things have come between Clarke and the sort of obscurity that has met even greater SF writers; none of them concern his talents as a writer.

First came the monograph. Back in 1945, Clarke showed stunning vision by describing in Wireless World how communications satellites should work. Bearing in mind this predated a practical satellite by nearly 20 years, and the fact that his monograph was so precise that it proved impossible to patent the technology, this was an amazing feat. ClarkeÆs only regret was that he didnÆt take out a patent himself. Next was the film, or rather The Film. ClarkeÆs contribution to 2001, remarkable though it may have been, was not the decisive factor in making this one of the most memorable achievements of the cinema. The special effects, masterminded by Douglas Trumbull, made all the difference. Here for the first time was space that felt real. Throw in a brilliant choice of music to accompany the visuals and you had a film that no-one could forget. To be honest, the story was almost an inconvenience.

Lastly there were the television programmes - The Mysterious World/Universe of Arthur C. Clarke. These had a slightly amateurish charm, but were hardly world shattering. None of these achievements say anything about ClarkeÆs writing ability, but a lot for his fame. Clarke richly deserves a position in the S.F. hall of fame, but his exposure sometimes overshadows others who deserve equal attention.

3001 The full title, 3001, The Final Odyssey, says a lot. Although in theory there could be sequels, this could well be the last book that Clarke writes. HeÆs getting on a bit, he is suffering from post-polio syndrome and he has a mountain of correspondence to deal with. When I got in touch late last year, he pointed out that mine was one of 20 letters he had had to deal with in a single morning. But donÆt lose hope û he retires regularly, but has always come back for more to date.

3001 ties up many of the loose ends that litter the series. ItÆs also a neat bookend with the original, bringing back the main protagonists - astronauts Frank Poole and Dave Bowman along with computer HAL - even if the last two are merged into a single entity that is a program running on a super-computer û the great monolith on JupiterÆs moon Europa.

In 3001 we finally get to see whatÆs happening on the forbidden moon, though frankly itÆs something of an anti-climax. Most of the book, though is taken up with the two themes of Frank PooleÆs defrosting after a millennium in space and the attempt to prevent the monolith from destroying the solar system. Both are managed with ClarkeÆs usual mixture of smoothness and naivety, making the book a great page-turner, but each has problems.

Travelling into the future is a hoary classic of science fiction, but none the worse for it. It can be easier to bring a historical figure to the present û take for example the 1979 film Time After Time, where H.G. Wells builds a time machine which both he and Jack the Ripper use to come forward to the future (it works better than it sounds). But Wells himself demonstrated the danger of taking someone from the present day into the far future. The potential for speculation is wonderful, we can be surprised and shocked alongside the main character with the changes that have taken place. But thereÆs a fatal tendency to turn the story into a boring discussion of the authorÆs pet topics. Wells can drone on at great length about the ways his social theories have developed. ClarkeÆs love of engineering and dislike of religion are also given free rein. His picture of Earth in 3001 is perhaps too influenced by some of the SF engineering greats of the past û AsimovÆs Caves of Steel and NivenÆs Ring World û and not enough by the move away from hard technology. Maybe the engineer has had his/her day?

ClarkeÆs vision of the dissolution of organised religion seems more wish-fulfilment than extrapolation from history. His assertion that anyone with religious beliefs is actually insane is propped up with quaint notions like since religious beliefs can depend on where you are born, they must be untrue. As a logical argument, this creaks a bit. Just because most occupants of Peru (or Yorkshire for that matter) have never heard of entropy, doesnÆt mean you have to be mad to believe in it.

The other problem I have with 3001 is the way computer viruses are used. Clarke in his enjoyable afterword (donÆt be put off by the title, Sources and Acknowledgements) points out the parallels with the (independently developed) ending of the film Independence Day (about the only original thing in the filmÆs plot). But I find ClarkeÆs viruses unconvincing. The idea of a virus so terrible it has to be locked up because there was "not even the possibility of a cureà", one that works by convincing the computer that it was possible to complete an impossible task in a finite time, smacks too much of those trite TV and film plots where computers start literally to emit smoke under the effort of understanding an impossible statement.

If that sounds negative, donÆt be put off. This is a more straightforward read than some of the series, and brings in a swathe of great ideas. If you like Clarke at all, youÆll certainly want to read 3001, The Final Odyssey.

The Kubrick challenge When 2001, A Space Odyssey came out in 1968 it changed the face of Science Fiction movies. It was long and rambling. It was obscure. But it packed a hell of a punch. I can still remember the thrill of seeing it on an immense Cinerama screen. What made 2001 so special? A lot was about the stunning special effects. The whole look of 2001 was different. Spacecraft were no longer stretched versions of V2 rockets û they could be nobbly and interesting and above all HUGE if they were never to enter an atmosphere. Before 2001, science fiction films tended to be low budget thrillers. 2001 had budget coming out of its ears û an investment that was repaid in a $21M+ income, the biggest ever for a science fiction film until the super blockbusters of the next decade.

ItÆs difficult to say just how much of 2001 came from Clarke and how much from charismatic director/producer Stanley Kubrick. Certainly the seed of the story was ClarkeÆs short story The Sentinel, and Clarke brought to the melting pot his love of engineering technology and his enthusiasm for a power "out there". Science fiction movies û and ClarkeÆs future û were changed for good.

Odyssey upon odyssey

2001 left many questions unanswered. The filmÆs ending was totally mysterious. ClarkeÆs novelisation of the film gave an interpretation of what might have been happening, but the options were left open for the future. It wasnÆt until 1982 that Clarke came up with a development of the story: 2010: Odyssey Two (filmed in 1984 by Peter Hyams). The destination of the Discovery spacecraft has changed from Saturn to Jupiter, but never mind û an expedition follows to find out what happens and comes up against a super monolith, HAL and the transformed Bowman. Having got into the swing of sequels, Clarke followed on swiftly with 2061 in 1987. With the return of HalleyÆs Comet and the implications of JupiterÆs conversion into a mini-sun examined, 2061 brings back HAL and Bowman once more. The technical details of ClarkeÆs future continue to be refined with, for instance, cold fusion drives for the ships. This was another case of Clarke getting in before the scientists, as the cold fusion idea came into popular view in 1987, though it proved not to have much future in the following decade. As one reviewer (David Pringle) puts it, the best thing with 2061 is to "forget the characters, enjoy the vistas".

Who else? If Clarke and his writings interest you, there are many other science fiction authors worth exploring û even though many are now hard to come by as the book shops increasingly concentrate on a handful of best-sellers. This list of starter suggestions is by no means exclusive, but here some names worth your attention.

╖ Asimov, Isaac û The prolific AsimovÆs greatest concepts were his excellent robot stories, and the 1950s Foundation trilogy. Always packed with ideas and adventure, if short on three dimensional characters. ╖ Blish, James û sadly forgotten, James Blish was one of those rare hybrids who could produce science fiction about people or about technology. His landmark books are the cities in flight series, with the fascinating concept of spindizzy motors that lift whole cities into space, and the soul searching, thematically link books Black Easter, A Case of Conscience and Doctor Mirabilis. ╖ Bradbury, Ray û BradburyÆs science fiction is like nothing else. His closest to pure SF is Fahrenheit 451, but most of his books, even those with apparent science fiction content like The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man, veer into fantasy. HeÆs at his best when conjuring up the fears and delights of small town boyhood û as in the wonderful Something Wicked This Way Comes. ╖ Heinlein, Robert û once a huge name, Heinlein is less visible on the shelves these days, possibly because his technocratic viewpoint has lost popularity. He had three distinct phases û his early space operas, his middle work, which broadened to have more people involvement, and his later, sprawling stuff that got positively odd. He was probably at his best in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Stranger in the Strange Land marked the move to his third phase, but is still tightly written enough to be worth reading. ╖ Pohl, Fred û Pohl rarely fails to entertain. He has written plenty of straight stories, like his alien encounter series beginning with Gateway, but itÆs probably for the dry humour of books like The Space Merchants (with Cyril Kornbluth) that he is best known. ╖ Roberts, Keith û the doyen of alternative futures, Roberts paints a glorious picture of civilisations where history has diverted from our own. Present days where steam is the most advanced form of power, or huge manned kites are a major feature of a feudalistic society are richly portrayed. Try Pavane, Kite World or Molly Zero. ╖ Wolfe, Gene û really a fantasy writer, Wolfe does overlap into science fiction. His writing is very evocative, and often drops inadequate characters into impossible situations. A real delight. My favourites is There Are Doors, but itÆs hard to go wrong with Wolfe.

Fun or future fact? Much of ClarkeÆs fiction is driven by an enthusiasm for technology. As Isaac Asimov pointed out in Asimov on Science Fiction, "There are two poles of SF writing û cool versus warm; logical versus emotional; scientific versus humanistic. Both Arthur and I are warm, emotional and humanistic in spots, but there is no question that our favoured mode of expression is cool, logical and scientific". Clarke delights in the possibilities of technology and uses his wide technical understanding and vivid ability to imagine developments to bring us all the excitements of what may be coming along. In all the excitement generated by ClarkeÆs invention of geostationary satellites, we shouldnÆt forget, though, that science fiction is not about prediction. ItÆs about putting people in unusual situations generated by the technology of the future, or the alienness of a biological development or another planet and seeing how they react. And itÆs about entertainment. The problem with SF as prediction is that even the best writers are limited by extrapolating from what is happening now. Take poor old James Blish. He once described the difficulties of working on Jupiter, as the huge gravitational force made it impossible to use electronics. The vacuum tubes would all collapse. He wasnÆt to know that the transistor was just about to come into usage. Of course, like the satellites, (not part of ClarkeÆs fiction, as it happens) there can be genuine inventions in SF, but in the end, if you want predictions try Mystic Meg.

IBM to HAL One of the great achievements of the film 2001, A Space Odyssey is the computer HAL. Though we can see as we approach that date that thereÆs the usual mixture of over-optimism (in HALÆs easy conversational skills) and misguided extrapolation in assuming the mainframe would be the model for the computers of the future, HAL is quite a character. Much has been made of the way the initials HAL can be made from IBM by moving each letter one back in the alphabet. Clarke denies this stoutly. In 3001 he says that he has been embarrassed for many years by this totally unfounded "computer-age myth". In fact it seems that IBM is quite proud of the association, so Clarke has abandoned efforts to put the record straight. It probably was a coincidence. But then, itÆs likely that even back in the 1960s Clarke and Kubrick had heard of IBM. ItÆs amazing what the unconscious mind can come up withà

Clarke in print Arthur C. Clarke has written over 80 books. Worth looking out for are: ╖ ChildhoodÆs End û the first of his explorations of the influence of a powerful alien force. ItÆs a bit dated now, but still worth reading. ╖ The City and the Stars û a lovely quest story with a real sense of wonder as a dying, high-tech city finds a new future. ╖ Rendezvous with Rama û an immense, apparently deserted alien ship proves a challenge for the people of earth. Almost a combination of science fiction and archaeology. ╖ The Fountains of Paradise û pre-echoes some of the technology in 3001 with a space elevator linking the earth and a geostationary platform.