Rashmi bookmarks “The Sentinel”

Arthur C. Clarke - who continues to be one of my top four favourite authors, and whom I consider the best science fiction writer of all time - once called science fiction “the only genuine consciousness expanding drug”. Every now and then, I revisit his work, and it truly enriches my mind and gives me a fresh shot of wonder and hope all over again!

From the advancement and resilience of humans in “Rescue Party” to the crime and drama of “Breaking Strain”, from the discovery of new life in “Jupiter V” to a startling discovery by a cyborg in “A Meeting with Medusa”, from a stowaway prince in “Refugee” to a race for survival with drastic results in “The Songs of Distant Earth”, the stories in this anthology wove through the farthest reaches of infinity to the deepest points in my mind.

My top three stories in this anthology were:

3. The Wind from the Sun
Imagine a spaceship - no, I really mean ‘ship’ - as in, a ship that sails on the sea - complete with sails and all. Now imagine a whole fleet of these - but in space! This story is about sun-yacht racing that starts in the Earth’s orbit, and continues in Space, pushed simply by the pressure of sunlight. The idea was fascinating enough on its own - what drew this story especially close to my heart was the final act by Merton - the kind of heroism that goes beyond the self in the name of science.

2. Guardian Angel
What happens when a much superior intelligence decides to colonize Earth? This story deals with the repercussions of such an alien invasion, including of course all the drama that comes with public opinion being invariably split between the followers and the rebels. For me, what added a final brilliant stroke to the story was the very brief glimpse of Karellen’s true form at the very end; it took the story from a world of futuristic science fiction to a distant past of myth and racial memories - a concept that is of course dealt with in more detail, in Childhood’s End.

1. The Sentinel
Although this is generally referred to as the story out of which 2001: A Space Odyssey emerged, I can see exactly why Clarke never liked that comparison. This story is about the discovery of an artefact on Earth’s Moon left behind eons ago by ancient aliens - and the alarm that that discovery triggers off. The feel of infinity in this story is matched only by the fearful brilliance of the reasoning behind the set up of the alarm.

Science fiction has always been my preferred genre, be it for reading books or watching movies; where Arthur C. Clarke touches my mind more than anyone else is in the sheer endlessness of his imagination, his unparalleled capability of taking you along with him on a journey to a far, far place you never would have imagined even existed, let alone experienced!