''Expedition to Earth'' () is a collection of
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
by English writer
Arthur C. Clarke.
There are at least two variants of this book's table of contents, in different editions of the book. Both variants include the stories "
History Lesson
"History Lesson" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1949 in the magazine '' Startling Stories''.
The two-part story speculates on the cooling of the Sun as a doomsday scenario for Eart ...
" (1949) and "
Encounter in the Dawn" (1953), but only one story is included under its own title; the other story is included under the title "Expedition to Earth". Variants differ in the story that is included under its own title.
Contents
This collection, originally published in 1953, includes:
* "Second Dawn"
* "
If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth"
* "
Breaking Strain
"Breaking Strain", also known as "Thirty Seconds - Thirty Days", is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1949. It was adapted into a movie in 1994 under the title ''Trapped in Space''.
Plot ...
"
* "
History Lesson
"History Lesson" is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1949 in the magazine '' Startling Stories''.
The two-part story speculates on the cooling of the Sun as a doomsday scenario for Eart ...
" (as "Expedition to Earth" in the British Edition,
Sidgwick & Jackson
Sidgwick & Jackson is an imprint of book publishing company Pan Macmillan. Formerly it was an independent publisher; as such it was founded in Britain in 1908. Its notable early authors include poet Rupert Brooke and novelist E.M. Forster. In mo ...
, 1954)
* "
Superiority"
* "
Exile of the Eons" (as "Nemesis" in the British Edition,
Sidgwick & Jackson
Sidgwick & Jackson is an imprint of book publishing company Pan Macmillan. Formerly it was an independent publisher; as such it was founded in Britain in 1908. Its notable early authors include poet Rupert Brooke and novelist E.M. Forster. In mo ...
, 1954)
* "
Hide-and-Seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chos ...
"
* "
Expedition to Earth" (as "Encounter in the Dawn" in the British Edition,
Sidgwick & Jackson
Sidgwick & Jackson is an imprint of book publishing company Pan Macmillan. Formerly it was an independent publisher; as such it was founded in Britain in 1908. Its notable early authors include poet Rupert Brooke and novelist E.M. Forster. In mo ...
, 1954)
* "
Loophole
A loophole is an ambiguity or inadequacy in a system, such as a law or security, which can be used to circumvent or otherwise avoid the purpose, implied or explicitly stated, of the system.
Originally, the word meant an arrowslit, a narrow ver ...
"
* "
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officia ...
"
* "
The Sentinel"
Reception
Anthony Boucher
William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio d ...
and
J. Francis McComas
Jesse Francis McComas (June 9, 1911 – April 19, 1978) was an American science fiction editor. McComas wrote several stories on his own in the 1950s using both his own name and the pseudonym Webb Marlowe.
He entered publishing in 1941 as a sale ...
selected the collection as one of the best sf books of 1953, praising the stories' "humor, technical ideas, science-fictional thinking and all-around excellence."
Groff Conklin
Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904 – July 19, 1968) was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories (co-edited with physician Noah Fabricant), wrote books on home improvemen ...
said that "The stories are continuously fascinating" and "exhibiting their author's versatility".
P. Schuyler Miller
Peter Schuyler Miller (February 21, 1912 – October 13, 1974) was an American science fiction writer and critic.
Life
Miller was raised in New York's Mohawk Valley, which led to a lifelong interest in the Iroquois Indians. He pursued this as ...
praised it as "an excellent collection . . . span
ing
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...
the whole range of
larke'stalents. Writing in the ''
Hartford Courant'', reviewer R. W. Wallace declared that the stories "show
larkeas a more skilled literary artist" than even his novel ''
Childhood's End
''Childhood's End'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by the British author Arthur C. Clarke. The story follows the peaceful alien invasionBooker & Thomas 2009, pp. 31–32. of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decade ...
'' had.
["Time and Space", ''Hartford Courant'', February 7, 1954, p.SM19]
References
Sources
*
External links
*
{{Footer The Novels of Arthur C. Clarke
1953 short story collections
Short story collections by Arthur C. Clarke
Books with cover art by Richard M. Powers
Ballantine Books books