The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
Hello, Stranger.
Let's talk about Arthur C. Clarke's The Fountains of Paradise.
The Short of It
Plot: Humans have built many marvels, but nothing can compete with a space elevator.
Page Count: 317
Award: 1980 Hugo and 1979 Nebula
Worth a read: YesPrimary Driver: (Plot, World, or Character)
Bechdel Test: Fail
Technobabble: High.
Review: Overall enjoyable. Main narrative is about the space elevator, secondary is about an equally ambitious ancient building project - woven together in interesting ways. The science and vision offered are interesting, though characters are not and tension is infrequent. Marred somewhat by some truly bizarre (and underdeveloped) side plots and unnecessary epilogue.
The Medium of It
Spoiler Free!
Clarke has a talent for blending hard science and a sense of whimsy and wonder. This mix is what sets The Fountains of Paradise apart from many similar books that have come after. Space elevators, after all, are a staple of the genre. While I had misgivings about it initially, the parallel past and future narratives function as engaging foils, with events from the distant past foreshadowing those in the main story.
The characters of both timelines are totally uninteresting; it is impossible to care about anyone. The plot, similarly, is pretty by-the-numbers. If you read a story and someone says, "Sure, it's there, but we'll never need it!" you can bet they're gonna need it. Similarly, the more a character reflects on what they intend to do when they get back from something, the more likely it is that they are not coming back at all. Both characters and plot are, despite all that, serviceable; the story works.
Ultimately this is not about the specific science of the space elevator, though we hear a lot about it. It is not about the person who designed it, though he is arguably the main character. This is a story of human achievement in the face of remarkable odds, of both harnessing and conquering nature.
And viewed as such, it is worth a read.
If you're inclined to read it, consider using the link below! I'll get a few cents at no extra cost to you.
The Long of It
Spoilers Ahead!
Let us talk to the elephant in the room. "Hi, Elephant, do you have any thoughts on the offhand inclusion of aliens and the massive time jump to the distant future in the epilogue coupled with the completely underdeveloped story about the Sun going out?"
Because I sure do.
Let's start with the aliens. In short, an alien probe - Starglider - came from Starholme and shared knowledge about alien races with humankind. Then it ended up outside of contact range, though we knew the the aliens were coming. We are told the following:
After that encounter, nothing would ever be the same again. And yet, paradoxically, in many ways little has changed. Mankind still goes about its business much as it has always done. How often do we stop to think that the Starholmers, back on their own planet, have already known of our existence for twenty-eight years, or that, almost certainly, we will be receiving their first direct messages only twenty-four years from now; and what if, as some have suggested, they themselves are already on the way?
What a frustrating excuse for not actually showing any societal impact of alien contact. It is easy to forget that aliens are part of this story, given that there is effectively no discussion of them. You'd think that those working on a space elevator would consider the ramifications of alien life on their project, after all. But no, we are told that it has no impact, so we should just move on. Let's go to the second issue - the burning out of the Sun.
“I think the CO2 has slowed him down. And if he starts up again—well, we outnumber him six to one, though I’m not sure if we can count on his students. Some of them are just as crazy as he is. Look at that girl who spends all her time scribbling in the corner. She’s convinced that the sun’s going out, or blowing up—I’m not sure which—and wants to warn the world before she dies. Much good that would do. I’d prefer not to know.”
This aside in Chapter 55 (of 57) is, as far as I can tell, the only mention of the Sun going out. We have a few other comments on solar fluctuations, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Which makes it completely bizarre to make the Epilogue about both a cold Sun and aliens.
Yet to a being whose home had circled a faint red star, the sun that blazed down from the cloudless sky seemed intolerably bright. Though all its warmth had gone, drained away by the sickness that had attacked its core a thousand years ago, its fierce, cold light revealed every detail of the stricken land, and flashed in splendor from the approaching glaciers.
It's just so hard to care about any of this. More importantly, it does not really add anything to the already established themes of human ingenuity and determination.
I'll tell you if the elephant has anything more to say, Stranger.And don't forget to read a book!
Personally, I love Clarke's take on the confirmation of extraterrestrial intelligence. It's something we can see ourselves on a societal level that's paralleled in our individual experience. Events that seem transformative at the time but ultimately "life goes on" if it doesn't actually produce a tangible effect on a daily basis. A breakup, death of a spouse, destruction of a home, or on a grander scale a war, a terrorist attack, a natural disaster. All these things occur and seem immense, but once the dust settles things "go back to normal". To be clear: there ARE changes and they ARE meaningful, but often subtle because we are creatures of habit and routine. The more things change, the more they stay the same, etc.
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