The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke

By: Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: Ralph Lister, Ray Porter, Jonathan Davis

Length: 51 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's Summary

Author of the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novels Rendezvous with Rama and The Fountains of Paradise along with such memorable novels as Childhood's End, Sir Arthur C. Clarke was - with Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein - one of the writers who defined the classic era of science fiction. From early work like "Rescue Party" and "The Lion of Comarre" through classic stories including "The Star", "Earthlight", "The Nine Billion Names of God", and "The Sentinel" (kernel of the later novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey), all the way to later work like "A Meeting with Medusa" and "The Hammer of God", this comprehensive short story collection encapsulates one of the great science fiction careers of all time.

©2000 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Ralph Lister makes Arthur C. Clarke come alive in the foreword to this collection.... [Narrator Jonathan] Davis's portrayals of uptight Captain Grant and casual Engineer McNeil are perfect... In 'All The Time in the World,' a story that led to Clarke's first television program, narrator Ray Porter is masterful in his handling of text and dialogue.... Listeners will find these classic stories fascinating and timeless." ( AudioFile)

Chapter Titles

Any additional comments?

It's great to have these stories in audio form. Looking for my favourites without the names of the chapters is a bit frustrating. Here is how they are arranged in my copy from Audible. (There are two stories in 2 parts and two stories are 6 in 1).

1. Forward
2. Travel by Wire!
3. How We Went to Mars
4. Retreat from Earth
5. Reverie
6. The Awakening
7. Whacky
8. Loophole
9. Rescue Party
10. Technical Error
11. Castaway
12. The Fires Within
13. Inheritance
14. Nightfall
15. History Lesson
16. Transience
17. The Wall of Darkness
18. The Lion of Comarre
19. The Engineer
20. The Forgotten Enemy
21. Hide-and-Seek
22. Breaking Strain
23. Nemesis
24. Guardian Angel
25. Time's Arrow
26. A Walk in the Dark
27. Silence Please
28. Trouble with the Natives
29. The Road to the Sea pt 1
30. The Road to the Sea pt 2
31. The Sentinel
32. Holiday On the Moon
33. Earthlight pt 1
34. Earthlight pt 2
35. Second Dawn
36. Superiority
37. If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth
38. All The Time in the World
39. The Nine Billion Names of God
40. The Possessed
41. The Parasite
42. Jupiter Five
43. Encounter in the Dawn
44. The Other Tiger
45. Publicity Campaign
46. Armaments Race
47. The Deep Range
48. No Morning After
49. Big Game Hunt
50. Patent Pending
51. Refugee
52. The Star
53. What Goes Up
54. Venture to the Moon (six individual connected stories)
55. The Pacifist
56. The Reluctant Orchid
57. Moving Spirit
58. The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch
59. The Ultimate Melody
60. The Next Tenants
61. Cold War
62. Sleeping Beauty
63. Security Check
64. The Man Who Ploughed the Sea
65. Critical Mass
66. The Other Side of the Sky (six individual connected stories)
67. Let There Be Light
68. Out of the Sun
69. Cosmic Casanova
70. The Songs of Distant Earth
71. A Slight Case of Sunstroke
72. Who's There?
73. Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting…
74. I Remember Babylon
75. Trouble with Time
76. Into the Comet
77. Summertime on Icarus
78. Saturn Rising
79. Death and the Senator
80. Before Eden
81. Hate
82. Love That Universe
83. Dog Star
84. Maelstrom II
85. An Ape About the House
86. The Shining Ones
87. The Secret
88. Dial F for Frankenstein
89. The Wind from the Sun
90. The Food of the Gods
91. The Last Command
92. Light of Darkness
93. The Longest Science-fiction Story Ever Told
94. Playback
95. The Cruel Sky
96. Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq.
97. Crusade
98. Neutron Tide
99. Reunion
100. Transit of Earth
101. A Meeting with Medusa
102. Quarantine
103. 'siseneG': 'Genesis' spelled backwards
104. The Steam-powered Word Processor
105. On Golden Seas
106. The Hammer of God
107. The Wire Continuum (with Stephen Baxter)
108. Improving the Neighbourhood

A Bargain and a Classic

This is a fantastic collection of stories. You get to relive the golden age of science fiction, and do it at a bargain price. This is 51 hours of stories for just a single credit. I wish all of the older books came packaged like this, I would be going through them all.

List of stories from

With thanks to Alexander Arsovon August 30, 2011 review of the paperback I took the list from.
Be sure to check the complete MUCH longer and better review https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RN9FZFUXK9SMB?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

Arthur C. Clarke The Collected Stories

Tor, Hardback, 2001
8vo. x+966 pp. Foreword by Arthur Clarke, June 2000 [ix-x].

First published thus, 2000.

Contents*

PART 1
Foreword 05:48
1. Travel by Wire! [1937] 11:54
2. How We Went to Mars [1938]** 24:17
3. Retreat from Earth [1938] 29:41
4. Reverie [1939]** 05:44
5. The Awakening [1942] 06:49
6. Whacky [1942] 03:03
7. Loophole [1946] 12:43
8. Rescue Party [1946] 1:06:40
9. Technical Error [1946] 46:20
10. Castaway [1947] 16:32
11. The Fires Within [1947] 24:24
12. Inheritance [1947] 19:16
13. Nightfall [1947, aka "The Curse"] 06:37
14. History Lesson [1949] 22:43
15. Transience [1949] 15:07
16. The Wall of Darkness [1949] 50:19
17. The Lion of Comarre [1949] 1:13:14 + 48:43
18. The Forgotten Enemy [1948] 16:16
PART 2
19. Hide-and-Seek [1949] 26:22
20. Breaking Strain [1949] 1:16:00
21. Nemesis [1950] 43:18
22. Guardian Angel [1950] 1:11:41
23. Time's Arrow [1950] 32:10
24. A Walk in the Dark [1950] 24:55
25. Silence Please [1950] 28:11
26. Trouble with the Natives [1951] 29:25
27. The Road to the Sea [1951] 1:04:05 + 1:07:42
28. The Sentinel [1951] 25:19

PART 3
29. Holiday On the Moon [1951]** 1:11:47
30. Earthlight [1951]** 59:51+ 1:00:55
31. Second Dawn [1951] 1:22:58
32. Superiority [1951] 23:50
33. "If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth..." [1951] 11:42
34. All The Time in the World [1952] 28:32
35. The Nine Billion Names of God [1953] 15:46
36. The Possessed [1953] 14:54
37. The Parasite [1953] 29:37
38. Jupiter Five [1953] 1:16:39
39. Encounter in the Dawn [1953] 30:11

PART 4
40. The Other Tiger [1953] 09:09
41. Publicity Campaign [1953] 10:31
42. Armaments Race [1954] 16:34
43. The Deep Range [1955] 21:21
44. No Morning After [1954] 15:19
45. Big Game Hunt [1956] 14:39
46. Patent Pending [1954] 27:04
47. Refugee [1955] 30:21
48. The Star [1955] 16:06
49. What Goes Up [1956] 27:09

Venture to the Moon [1956] 1:01:28
50. The Starting Line 51. Robin Hood, F.R.S. 52. Green Fingers
53. All that Glitters 54. Watch this Space 55. A Question of Residence

56. The Pacifist [1956] 25:20
57. The Reluctant Orchid [1956] 23:43
58. Moving Spirit [1957] 29:38
59. The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch [1957] 14:59
60. The Ultimate Melody [1957] 18:29
61. The Next Tenants [1957] 22:50
62. Cold War [1957] 16:37
63. Sleeping Beauty [1957] 24:07
64. Security Check [1956] 11:33
65. The Man Who Ploughed the Sea [1957] 44:02
66. Critical Mass [1949] 16:28

PART 5
The Other Side of the Sky [1957] 49:25
67. Special Delivery 68. Feathered Friend 69. Take a Deep Breath
70. Freedom of Space 71. Passer-by 72. The Call of the Stars

73. Let There Be Light [1957] 16:00
74. Out of the Sun [1958] 16:59
75. Cosmic Casanova [1958] 15:28
76. The Songs of Distant Earth [1958] 1:20:23
77. A Slight Case of Sunstroke [1958] 18:19
78. Who's There? [1958] 11:17
79. Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Orbiting... [1959] 13:12
80. I Remember Babylon [1960] 27:56
81. Trouble with Time [1960] 14:25
82. Into the Comet [1960] 24:17
83. Summertime on Icarus [1960] 31:29
84. Saturn Rising [1961] 25:26
85. Death and the Senator [1961] 50:53
86. Before Eden [1961] 26:41
87. Hate [1961] 42:01
88. Love That Universe [1961] 09:58
89. Dog Star [1962] 14:03
90. Maelstrom II [1965] 33:25
91. An Ape About the House [1962] 15:38

PART 6
92. The Shining Ones [1962] 41:27
93. The Secret [1963] 14:23
94. Dial F for Frankenstein [1965] 16:41
95. The Wind from the Sun [1964] 54:08
96. The Food of the Gods [1964] 11:15
97. The Last Command [1965] 05:19
98. The Light of Darkness [1966] 18:48
99. The Longest Science-fiction Story Ever Told [1966] 01:33
100. Playback [1966] 08:36
101. The Cruel Sky [1967] 48:44
102. Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq. [1967] 05:31
103. Crusade [1968] 13:12
104. Neutron Tide [1970] 04:34
105. Reunion [1971] 04:22
106. Transit of Earth [1971] 36:45
107. A Meeting with Medusa [1971] 1:59:04
108. Quarantine [1977] 02:35
109. siseneG [1984] 00:45
110. The Steam-powered Word Processor [1986]***15:05
111. On Golden Seas [1986] 09:17
112. The Hammer of God [1992]** 34:02
113. The Wire Continuum (with Stephen Baxter) [1998]**55:12
114. Improving the Neighbourhood [1999]** 05:04

* In square brackets: the year of first publication, usually in magazine.

** Apparently first appearance at all, or at least first appearance in book form.

*** The only appearance of this piece in book form before seems to have been in the collections of essays Astounding Days (1989) and Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! (1999).

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real science fiction - lots of it!

It seems that there are tons of series in science fiction many of which are space battle or end of the world type scenarios. While many of those are good, they tend to build up one universe and then 'just' inhabit it with people with apparently similar stories. While there is a lot of work that goes into those, they tend to be limited in scope.

On the other hand, this book has over 100 stories from Arthur C Clarke. Instead of being build no the same future world, each one tends to be unique and full of vision. The stories range in length but it is totally amazing the breadth of the imagination of this one master of Science Fiction.

In addition to the huge variety of stories, each ones well written and holds up remarkably well over the decades.

Then you add the narrators - each of them does an excellent job on the individual stories they read.

This is a must listen for anyone who loves Science Fiction.

I am only ½ through (21 hours still to go) and still enjoying it no end! Which is obviously as I am writing a positive review even before I am done.

Excellent work - appreciate the gathering of all of them into the audio format with narrators that know how to bring a story up to life.

Wow! So happy in Audio form!

For anyone who does not know who Arthur C. Clark is, then you are missing one of the great minds of all time. This giant tome of stories (over 100!) is a great way to be introduced to the original master of SciFi.
For A.C.C. fans, this is a very good find! The narrators are top notch.

Excellent SF from an earlier era

These are the collected shorter works of Arthur C. Clarke, and that almost ought to be enough to say about it. It spans his entire career, and includes his best-known classics, lesser-known works, and has the Tales From the White Hart stories sprinkled throughout. The stories here are funny and grim, optimistic and pessimistic, and feature the best and the worst of the human race. I found Clarke's view of women's and girls' roles to be interesting. He seems to have never thought women were less intelligent or less capable, but at the same time he started out taking women's roles for granted. Only later in his career do we start to see women who are not only intelligent and capable, but also having independent lives and careers.

Unlike some male writers of his generation, though, he doesn't seem to have resisted the realization that social roles were changing.

He was a good, solid, entertaining writer who took his science seriously. The ones we have now with that same seriousness about the science are mostly edgier, and you wouldn't want them not to be. It's a different time and a different culture. Clarke's perspective on the universe is still his own, though, and well worth a read or a listen. Ray Porter, Jonnathan Davis, and Ralph Lister do excellent work in reading these stories.

Note that at 51 hours, this is quite a few listens!

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Audible in exchange for an honest review.

The joy of Arthur C Clarke!

All of Clarke's marvelous short stories in one compilation, what can I say other than WOW! I have many of these stories in books one my shelves, but these narrations really bring them to life. That said, if I could caution Ralph Lister, I would try to convince him to avoid an American (let alone Texan) accent at all costs! But seriously, five stars and two thumbs up, this audio presentation was fabulous!

Great short story compilation, uneven experience

The book is a long experience. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to hear Clarke's works, and they sparked many ideas of my own!

Some of the stories are mildly interesting, while others are fantastic wanderings into science fiction! I can definitely recommend the book to science fiction enthusiasts, and I would not recommend listening if you're looking for a consistently gripping story. This compilation contains a lot of content and is more like a historical account in some ways, containing both the most and least compelling works of Clarke. I personally enjoyed this book immensely!

Two minor editing and production errors do hinder the audiobook. First, the announcement of each title is oddly placed, making it difficult to catch and associate with the next story. Second, the narration is inconsistent, making some stories a slog and others a delight!

If you think the book sounds long or not quite your cup of tea, I recommend skipping this. A shorter compilation, such as Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles or The Illustrated Man are much easier listens and end in roughly one seventh of the time.

If you are interested in riding along as one of the masters of science fiction slowly discovers his style and develops his craft, then I cannot recommend this book enough!

Great value, stands up to time

Clearly, A.C.C. Is one of those foundational authors of science fiction. If you have enjoyed his work, this is a wonderful collection of his work. Using a single credit to get this is amazing. If you don’t like his work, then buying 50+ hours of his work is unlikely to change your mind. I would not buy this if you aren’t a fan of sci-fi or of ACC. While that should be obvious... well it isn’t.

As a side note, in case you have not read a lot of ACC. His stuff is certainly dated to a degree. It was written over 3 decades ago. However, most of it holds up over time. The ideas are well considered and wonderfully appropriate through time. His writing itself is excellent. Great word selection, flow and pacing. Clarke does wonderful writing. I read this alongside Clines’ short story collection, and it was difficult to immediately recognize the difference.

I really enjoyed the stories here. I had to leave and come back because of how much content is here, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Loved a lot of these stories

There were several short stories in this book that I had to immediately re-listen to a couple times, because they were just so phenomenal and awe-inspiring. The stories range from only a minute long up to a couple of hours long, and include a couple of short stories which inspired some of Clarke's longer novels. I wasn't a big fan of the narrator Ralph Lister, who seemed to read the most, however there are a couple of other narrators who read as well.