 Cover of the first UK edition | |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Michael Whelan |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Grafton Books (UK) Del Rey Books (US) |
Publication date | 1986 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 0-345-33219-9 |
| OCLC | 12807679 |
| 823/.914 19 | |
| LC Class | PR6005.L36 S66 1986 |
The Songs of Distant Earth is a 1986 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, based upon his 1958 short story of the same title. Of all of his novels, Clarke stated that this was his favourite.[1] Prior to the publishing of the novel, Clarke also wrote a short step outline with the same title, published in Omni magazine and anthologised in The Sentinel in 1983.
The story is set in the 39th century and depicts the journey of the spaceship Magellan as it carries a large group of colonists in suspended animation to a distant planet after Earth's sun goes nova. En route, it has to stop for repairs at the planet Thalassa, which was colonised 700 years earlier but the colonists there lost contact with Earth for the past couple of centuries. The story delves into the cultural and emotional impact of the distant Earth’s demise on both sets of colonists, and how humans from two different worlds and societies interact with each other.
The novel explores apocalyptic, atheistic, and utopian ideas, as well as the effects of long-term interstellar travel, high technology, and extra-terrestrial life. Additional themes include human survival, adaptation, and the challenges of starting anew on an alien world.
- ^ Clarke, Arthur C. (2001). "Foreword: The Songs of Distant Earth". The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. Gollancz. ISBN 0-575-07065-X.