Arthur C Clarke has died

[Terry B]

See http://www.smh.com.au/news/books/writers-odyssey-comes-to-an-end/2008/03/19/1205602429117.html

[Dujon]

Whilst it comes to all I'm rather saddened by the news.

[programmer]

Just beat me to it. My favourite author for many years and good friend of Patrick Moore, among many others of course. A true visionary and (was) one of the last remaining links to the golden age of SF.

[h0ughy]

Yes our orbits are finite, so it was his turn to deorbit!!

[tnbk00]

May he rest in peace.

[Ric]

A fantastic writer, I enjoyed many of his novels.

And now he is off to the stars he wrote about.

[mark3d]

R.i.p.

[Stephen65]

Sad new, RIP

[fringe_dweller]

sad news, but I cant mourn a ped, sorry he was a creep in the end, moved to sri lanka for the diving indeed hmmph

[programmer]

Charges were dropped. Let it go. What a great man and contributor to knowledge. I'm going to re-read "Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds!" over Easter :)

Edit: I should say, he was cleared.

[Sausageman]

I'm saddened too,
He was one of my favourite authors when I was younger, a lot younger!
I still have some of his books from the golden years.

here is an article posted only recently.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jWab-TXO_DymFmU13CzSNVObE6FQ

Mike.

[jjjnettie]

He was the last link to the "Golden Age" of SF.
Who will replace these genius's, these visionaries?

[Starless]

A true visionary and a man of peace.
He will be sadly missed.
R.I.P Arthur

[wavelandscott]

Bummer...I've enjoyed reading his material for a long time!

[DJDD]

but they are making "Rendezvous With Rama" into a movie.
he would turn in his grave...

[skeltz]

Very sad news ,and now he will join with the greatest writer of all time,...............ISAAC ASIMOV....................

[Gargoyle_Steve]

I was thinking the same thing ... I was dumbfounded when I heard years ago that Isaac Asimov had passed on, and I find a similar feeling of losing an old friend now hearing that Arthur C. Clarke has also passed on.

A great man, a great mind - the man who conceived of the communications satellite, the "Waldo" robotic arm, etc, etc.

Old friends indeed .... I do hope that these great writers and friends are now forming a new Asimov-Clarke Treaty somewhere else, a place where the skies are clear and the stars burn like diamonds.

R.I.P. Mr Clarke

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The Asimov-Clarke Treaty of Park Avenue, put together as Asimov and Clarke were travelling down Park Avenue in New York while sharing a cab ride, stated that Asimov was required to insist that Arthur C. Clarke was the best science fiction writer in the world (reserving second best for himself), while Clarke was required to insist that Isaac Asimov was the best science writer in the world (reserving second best for himself). Thus the dedication in Clarke's book Report on Planet Three reads:"In accordance with the terms of the Clarke-Asimov treaty, the second-best science writer dedicates this book to the second-best science-fiction writer."

[jjjnettie]

The relationship between Asimov and Clarke was very close.
The Forwards and Editorials they'd write for each others books were so funny.
(Correct me if I'm wrong on this story, I don't have the book in front of me.)
Asimov wrote in one Forward about this lady who was in an aeroplane reading one of Arthur's latest books. When suddenly the plane got in trouble and they had to assume crash positions. She apparently didn't mind dying in the least, as she wouldn't have to finish the novel then. Unfortunately the plane landed safely and she went on to complete reading the book.

[jjjnettie]

I'd have to disagree with you there, Robert A Heinlein, to me, was the Greatest One of all.;)

[cahullian]

Sad day for all sci-fi buffs. I loved the rama series of books. I hear they are making a movie of one of them.

Gazz

[gaa_ian]

RIP Arthur C Clarke ...
The Greats of SF were formative in the passion I now have for Astronomy
Their passing is always a sad thing, but what a legacy the leave behind !