mspoints's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I rarely read fiction but I quite enjoyed this. I love a good anti-war, retrofuturism space moon colony story
zee's review
slow-paced
3.5
Earthlight essentially boils down to a whodunnit novel that happens to take place on the moon. Sadler is responsible for investigating a possible leak, and must find who they are before Earth and its planetary colonies go to war (with strong flavours of the Cold War). This is far from Clarke's best work, and the spy/thriller portion lacked excitement. It's definitely a slow (but short) burn. There are no female characters, but the upside to that is there's also no weird mid-century sexism. It was fascinating to read his interpretation of the moon, as it was published well before the moon landing.
liamdearlove's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lukerik's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
A total disaster.
It’s the 22nd Century and a number of bodies in the solar system have been colonised. Now war is brewing between Earth and the federated planets. The hero is a chartered accountant called Sadler. He wanted to retrain as a lion tamer but the powers that be turned him instead into a counter-espionage agent. He’s sent to the moon to sniff out a spy. His cover is that he is a chartered accountant come to do the colony’s books.
The level of day-to-day technology is less advanced than ours today. It’s also less advanced than might reasonably have been imagined in 1955. Clarke may have done this to make the climax more impressive, but if so it’s a massive tactical error. They have radio. They have computers that have ‘ left far behind such elementary operations as integration’. And then we have this:
‘Jamieson was still wiping developer from his hands when he arrived. After more than 300 years, certain aspects of photography were quite unchanged. Wheeler, who thought that everything could be done by electronics, regarded many of his older friend’s activities as survivals from the age of alchemy.’
By the time this novel was written the first digital video had already been made. Two years later the first digital photograph would be taken. But let’s set aside the ridiculousness of needlessly exporting development chemicals to the moon because this is the moment the novel begins to fall apart. If they have electronic storage and the means to transmit, why are they writing their accounts down on bits of paper and keeping them in filing cabinets? Surely they would put them in the computer and transmit them to earth. The entire reasoning behind Sadler’s cover story is now in a state of collapse.
This is the least of Sadler’s problems as it quickly becomes apparent that Clarke has literally no idea how to write a spy thriller. We are treated instead to scenes of him having something to eat and going for a swin.
But Sadler needn’t worry because as it turns out this plot – ie the main plot – has literally no connection to the events of the novel. I’m not kidding. I don’t understand how things could go this wrong.
There is a story in here. The main character is a spy. He has critical information that must get to the Federation’s fleet. We would know what that information is and his motives for sending it. Sadler is his antagonist.
The second plotline is Brennan and the fleet. Probably he has his kid with him and he has to get them back to his ex-wife to prove he’s not a dead-beat dad.
The third plotline is Steffanson and his mad dash to Project Thor in the nick of time. You can also keep Jamieson and Wheeler in the crevice.
Now you have POVs for the battle at the base, with the fleet, in Project Thor, and a third person POV from the Mare.
Copyright Lukerik 2023. There’s been some interest from Roland Emmerich.
It’s the 22nd Century and a number of bodies in the solar system have been colonised. Now war is brewing between Earth and the federated planets. The hero is a chartered accountant called Sadler. He wanted to retrain as a lion tamer but the powers that be turned him instead into a counter-espionage agent. He’s sent to the moon to sniff out a spy. His cover is that he is a chartered accountant come to do the colony’s books.
The level of day-to-day technology is less advanced than ours today. It’s also less advanced than might reasonably have been imagined in 1955. Clarke may have done this to make the climax more impressive, but if so it’s a massive tactical error. They have radio. They have computers that have ‘ left far behind such elementary operations as integration’. And then we have this:
‘Jamieson was still wiping developer from his hands when he arrived. After more than 300 years, certain aspects of photography were quite unchanged. Wheeler, who thought that everything could be done by electronics, regarded many of his older friend’s activities as survivals from the age of alchemy.’
By the time this novel was written the first digital video had already been made. Two years later the first digital photograph would be taken. But let’s set aside the ridiculousness of needlessly exporting development chemicals to the moon because this is the moment the novel begins to fall apart. If they have electronic storage and the means to transmit, why are they writing their accounts down on bits of paper and keeping them in filing cabinets? Surely they would put them in the computer and transmit them to earth. The entire reasoning behind Sadler’s cover story is now in a state of collapse.
This is the least of Sadler’s problems as it quickly becomes apparent that Clarke has literally no idea how to write a spy thriller. We are treated instead to scenes of him having something to eat and going for a swin.
But Sadler needn’t worry because as it turns out this plot – ie the main plot – has literally no connection to the events of the novel. I’m not kidding. I don’t understand how things could go this wrong.
There is a story in here. The main character is a spy. He has critical information that must get to the Federation’s fleet. We would know what that information is and his motives for sending it. Sadler is his antagonist.
The second plotline is Brennan and the fleet. Probably he has his kid with him and he has to get them back to his ex-wife to prove he’s not a dead-beat dad.
The third plotline is Steffanson and his mad dash to Project Thor in the nick of time. You can also keep Jamieson and Wheeler in the crevice.
Now you have POVs for the battle at the base, with the fleet, in Project Thor, and a third person POV from the Mare.
Copyright Lukerik 2023. There’s been some interest from Roland Emmerich.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
zoebear's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
danielgwood's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
nyctei's review against another edition
4.0
Short book. Cute though. The technology is dated but that makes it rather quaint I think. The whole universal peace thing is a bit much for me ...it seems forced. I find it hard to imagine two powers coming to a head in battle, destroying each other, then running home, shamefaced, and signing a treaty. But maybe I'm just cynical.
mwfrendauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Some brilliant imagery of the moon in Clarke's inimitable style. Great battle sequence to finish one of his early works.
nebuus's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
fabian2301's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25