science fiction

Islands in the Sky - Arthur C. Clarke Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!
Other books by
author Arthur C. Clarke

"Islands in the Sky"
Message Board
Arthur C. Clarke Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR: Mario De Leo

SCHOLARS:
Will B.  ArielPhillips  Selman Ercan  kyle tissue  David Loftus  Kerry Downing  Dimitri Melamoud  webpenguin  Ian Andrew  
Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review? Click here to submit a review!

Click here for free online dating advice!

Review Summary
This is basically a travelogue about a fairly ordinary kid who spends his vacation in an orbiting space station and has several adventures. Like many clark stories, this doesent have a plot with serious conflict, but instead many small subplots. It is also an exposition for Clarke's ideas about near-future solar system exploration. In fact, this is the story in which he invented the communications sattlelite.
Will B., Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Islands in the Sky
Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into
dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.

New movie search (click here) New book search (click here)
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 70%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - exploring a wondrous planet or phenomena - primitive/present day space voyage
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Age: - a kid
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
Not Earth, in Solar System? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a fair amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Islands in the Sky
Protector by Larry Niven
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Methuselah's Children by Robert A. Heinlein
Contact by Carl Sagan
For Love and Glory by Poul Anderson




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Movie search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed movie search
(click here)
or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion


Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!


Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!


Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game


Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

Charmed: What's wrong with Rose McGowan's chin? 7/5/2008 11:53:33 AM

Charmed: Is Piper really a Halliwell? 7/5/2008 11:48:59 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best Doctor? 7/5/2008 4:23:13 AM

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 7/5/2008 2:40:59 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best companion? 6/30/2008 7:37:52 AM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 6/30/2008 12:55:48 AM

Lost in Space (TV): What kind of a name is Guy for a guy? 6/26/2008 10:21:30 AM

Lost in Space (TV): Wasn't it obvious that Major West was never going to get any? 6/26/2008 10:17:45 AM

Alien Series: Was Vasquez a lesbian? 6/26/2008 6:57:27 AM

Battlestar Galactica: Do Vipers fly past the speed of light? 6/26/2008 1:27:52 AM


Newest slaves:
Luke Skywalker 8:00:53 PM
Athena 7:59:21 PM
Goodnight 7:58:42 PM
Captain Sisko 7:57:52 PM
Major Kira 7:57:52 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 7:53:49 PM
Rebecca DeMornay 7:53:34 PM
Heather Graham 7:50:21 PM
Princess Leia 7:50:00 PM
Counselor Deanna Troi 7:40:51 PM
All slaves
(click here)


Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)