Clarke |

Dog Star

Post category:Short Stories

Dog Star illustrates science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke’s sentimental side. Despite the title, the story has nothing to do with stars of the celestial kind. It does however feature a dog. An introverted astronomer finds and raises a lost puppy. On two occasions, the dog’s heightened senses save his life. The second time, the dog had been long dead. If you love animals, especially dogs, you are sure to be moved by the story. But BE WARNED… the conclusion has been known to bring tears to the eyes. Themes: kindness, human/animal bonding, career sacrifice, supernatural connections.

The Star

Post category:Short Stories

In Arthur C. Clarke’s The Star, a manned spaceship travels to the edge of the galaxy to explore a nebula (cloud of interstellar gas) surrounding a collapsed star. Within the nebula is a burnt out planet that miraculously survived the explosion. On the planet is a huge stone marker left by a highly advanced civilization that did not survive. Under the marker, buried deep inside the planet, is a vault containing the civilization’s secrets. Among these is a disturbing discovery that challenges our traditional concepts of God. Themes: religious faith, science vs. religion, humankind as the center of the universe.

‘If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…’

Post category:Short Stories

'If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...' : Short story by Arthur C. Clarke This coming of age story by Arthur C. Clarke carries a familiar theme for 1950s/1960s science fiction: the prospect of Earth being rendered uninhabitable due to nuclear conflict, and humankind existing only in isolated settlements throughout space. Here, a man takes his ten-year-old son on his first trip outside the protective dome of a moon colony. The boy’s wonder at seeing stars for the first time soon fades as he observes the glowing, radiated Earth and realizes that his generation will never be able to return. Other themes include isolation, survival, self-sufficiency, misused technology, legacy, hope.

Reunion

Post category:Quick Reads

Reunion: Short story by Arthur C. Clarke This story by Arthur C. Clarke packs a powerful message into just two pages. It takes the form of a radio message reassuring the people of Earth that they have nothing to fear from a group of beings approaching from space. The visitors claim to share a common ancestry with man, both being descended from an advanced race of aliens who colonized Earth during the time of the dinosaurs. Those who could fled when a terrible genetic plague brought on division, conflict and savagery among the population. They are returning with a cure for any who might still be affected.

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Approximate Reading Times

Quick Read: under 5 minutes
Short Story: 5 to 30 minutes
Novelette: 30 to 90 minutes
Novella: 1.5 to 2.5 hours

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Trick or Treat
Short Story by Padgett Powell. A bored, frustrated housewife is approached by a twelve-year-old boy intent on exploring his sexuality. The boy is fixated on having sex with the woman. She had sought relief from her unsatisfying marriage before, and compares the possible tryst to Orpheus’ ascent from the underworld.
The Voter
Short Story by Chinua Achebe. A Nigerian politician’s wealth has improved dramatically since being elected. To retain his place at the trough, he appoints a group of canvassers to bribe influential villagers. His most trusted canvasser faces a dilemma when offered an unheard-of bribe to vote for the opposition.
Bigfoot Cinderrrrella
Grade 5-6 Story by Tony Johnston. Bigfoot prince is holding a fun-fest. A magic grizzly bear makes a Bigfoot girl especially dirty and smelly, and gives her special wooden shoes. When she inevitably loses one, she is the only girl in the forest with feet big enough to fit them!
Jeremiah’s Song
Young Adult Story by W. D. Myers. A nine-year-old boy and an older friend are enthralled by his dying grandfather’s stories, which the old man refers to as the “songs of my people”. The boy’s friend puts some of the stories to music, potentially enabling them to live on.

Borrowing a Match
Quick Read by Stephen Leacock. All he asked of a stranger was the loan of a match. In the process of looking for one, the stranger destroys his overcoat and the parcels and letters he is carrying, then threatens to beat his young son when he gets home.
A Letter to God
Quick Read by Gregorio López Fuentes. A farmer whose crops are destroyed in a hailstorm writes to the only one he knows of that is sure to help his family: God. He posts the letter, and is not at all surprised when he gets a letter in reply containing money.
A Small, Good Thing
Novelette by Raymond Carver. Parents mount a vigil by their unconscious son’s hospital bed. Whenever one of them goes home to freshen up and feed the family dog, they receive prank phone calls mentioning the boy’s name. The boy dies after three days, but the calls continue.
The Railroad and the Churchyard
Novelette by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson. Two friends fall out over a proposal to sell the public grain magazine. Years later, they clash again over a proposal to allow a new railway to follow the only route possible, which includes part of an old, disused cemetery. This leads to a fiery ending.
The Bottom-Pincher
Short Story by Khushwant Singh. A humorous story about an admitted “bottom-watcher” who dreams of becoming a “bottom-pincher”. When he encounters a serial bottom-pincher, he becomes obsessed and stalks the man, obtaining vicarious pleasure from his exploits. Later, he begins to harass the pervert, before succumbing to the temptation himself.