Reviews

The City and The Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

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kdaedwards's review against another edition

3.0

A solid classic sci-fi book. While some of the plot was obvious, there were still some good surprises that made it enjoyable. It definitely made me wonder if this is the source material for some common sci-fi tropes or if the ideas appear in other books/stories written around the same time.

war76wick's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

I found the book very interesting, but nothing really special. It’s a good story.

thinkingbookishthoughts's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jaclyntriestoread's review against another edition

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Painfully slow and boring

the_sleepy_nightowl's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

An old sci-fi classic set billions of years in the future where mankind has abandoned travelling to the stars and most of his own planet as well. Life has shrunken down to an enclosed city where everyone is immortal and no one wants to leave. The main protagonist Alvin sets out to explore the outside world and find out what made everyone isolate in the city. It is a classic sci-fi story from the 50s/60s with a single narrator perspective and a fast pace. There are also classic elements of strange, alien landscapes and creatures mixing elements of supernatural and horror with futuristic technology and biology.

It's riveting, immersive read. Following our introduction to the Earth of the future in the short setting (around 70 pages), we directly leap into action and an exciting journey across the world and the stars is told. The wrap up is less engaging and compared to the rest of the book a bit dull. Highly recommended for every fan of 50s/60s sci-fi and post-apical futuristic stories.