The monks want the computer to help them print out all the possible names of god, of which they believe there are about nine billion. Theres a complication with this interpretation as mentioned in the wikipedia article. Many of these stories were published in pulp scifi publications in the 1950s60s. They came before columbus reveals a compelling, dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and legacy of africans in ancient america. May 3, 1967 clarke has written over a hundred short stories, most of which have been anthologized before.
Dr wagner is speaking to the lama about switching to computers to compile a list of the names of god. The nine billion names of god voted into the science fiction hall of fame by science fiction writers of america, i remember babylon, trouble with time, rescue party, the curse, summertime on icarus, dog star, hide and seek, out of the sun, the wall of darkness, no morning after, the possessed, death and the. Surely no one supposes that arthur clarke really believed that god has 9 billion names and that once they are all catalogued the universe will cease to exist. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the science fiction writers of. The nine billion names of god by arthur clarke this is a slightly unusual request, said dr.
In 2004 it won the retrospective hugo award for best short story for the year 1954. It was reprinted in the science fiction hall of fame, volume one, 19291964. The nine billion names of god collection wikipedia. All the many names of the supreme being god, jehovah, allah, and so on they are only manmade labels. The nine billion names of god is a 1953 science fiction short story by british writer arthur c. It is loosely inspired by clarkes short story the sentinel, but it became its own novel while he was collaborating on a screen play with stanley kubrick.
Nepalese monks hire an ibm computer to print all possible nine letter words in a special language which could be the name of their god. Nonfictional story from clarke about his conversation with a telecommunications traitor to the ussr and their plans for the unrestricted american airwaves. Many sites number pdf file records, and much less typically, doc files, that must definitely be launched in foxit viewer and microsoft termopenoffice, respectively. If it contains a prophecy, it is one that cannot be verified for several billion years. The ideas are still fresh and the plots thoughprovoking. In the 1950s clarke wrote two short stories that became science fiction classics.
Astronomy, totally rad science fiction friday the nine billion names of god by arthur c. The newsleader reserves the right to correctly classify, edit or delete any objectionable wording or reject the advertisement in its entirety at any time prior to scheduled publication if it is determined that the advertisement or any part thereof is contrary to the general standard of advertising acceptance. In the hugo awardwinning the star 1955, an expedition to a distant planet finds the ruins of a civilization that was destroyed. This collection of short stories constitute his own personal favorites out. I do not know who gave the nebula its name, which seems to me a very bad one. The nine billion names of god the best short stories by arthur c. Contents introduction the nine billion names of god 1953 i remember babylon 1960 trouble with time 1960 rescue party 1946 the curse 1946.
Clarke new york august 1966 the nine billion names of god the nine billion. Arthur c clark nine billion names of god free download as pdf file. Collection of the best science fiction of arthur c. The human race will have finished what it was created to do. If so, there was no trace of annoyance in the reply. Auto insurance quotes make shopping for insurance easy. The nine billion names of god i radio drama based on the 1967 science fiction story by arthur c. Etext library the nine billion names of god the nine billion names of god arthur c. Full text of the commercial and financial chronicle. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the.
Now i have seen that handiwork, and my faith is sorely troubled. Clarke contents view concise listing vi introduction the nine billion names of god 1967 essay by arthur c. Before pden superiority a walk in the dark the call of the stars the. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in. It is hard to believe that most of these stories were written in the fifties. There are some stories about antigravity, new worlds, horse like creatures who meet tiny creatures who may outsmart them before too long. Science fiction friday the nine billion names of god by arthur c. The nine billion names of god is another religiously rooted story about monks getting a supercomputer to find all names of god to be ready when he comes. Obrien and other ebooks from all genres of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, historical documents and sheet music, all of which are available on a subscription basis. Daniel barker daniel is the founder of you can science, and also the producer of a science podcast called uncertainty principle, which this website hosts.
Over the years there have been quite a few collections floating around, but none had them all. The nine billion names of god was the first arthur c clarke story i ever read, and within a week of reading it i was devouring his work. Bleiler 1983 in the guide to supernatural fiction pages 295 454. The nine billion names of god 1967 is a collection of science fiction short stories by arthur c. The nine billion names of god 1967 collection by arthur c. Call it ritual, if you like, but its a fundamental part of our belief. Wagner, with what he hoped was commendable restraint. The nine billion names of god is a collection of short stories from acclaimed sciencefiction author arthur c.
Clarke the nine billion names of god signetnew american library, paperback, 1980. Help with the theme of the short story the nine billion. In the same vein as the rc5 and desii challenges, we will attempt to harness the idle computing power of the world to find the 9 billion names of god and bring about the destruction of the universe. If anyone has read the short story the nine billion names of. Clarke is the most celebrated science fiction author alive. There are also some stories that are precursors for. Clarke, first published in 2001, is a collection of almost all science fiction stories written by arthur c. The nine billion names of god voted into the science fiction hall of fame by science fiction writers of america, i remember babylon, trouble with time, rescue party, the curse, summer. As far as i know, its the vrst time anyone s been asked to supply a tibetan monastery with an automatic sequence computer. The story improving the neighbourhood has the distinction of being the first fiction published in the. As far as i know, its the vrst time anyones been asked to supply a tibetan monastery with. Sir arthur predicted the use of communications satellites in 1945 and submitted a proposal for such a system that was nearly laughed out of court. Search the history of over 418 billion web pages on the internet. The only problem with those is that clarke was an athiest so im not sure why he is so concerned with god in this story.
The nine billion names of god was written by the venerable sir arthur c. The admiral telling this story is doing so from his prison cell. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Help with the theme of the short story the nine billion names of god. Nine billion names of god by arthur c clarke, 9780848821814, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
The nine billion names of god arthur c clarke this is a slightly unusual request, said dr. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the science fiction writers of america as one of the best science fiction short stories published before the creation of the nebula awards. It is about a captured general who is giving the reasons why his side lost a war due to superior technology. Clarke sir arthur charles clarke, charles willis, e. As far as i know, its the first time anyones been asked to supply a tibetan monastery with an automatic sequence computer. Clarke left the conclusion of the nine billion names of god openended.
This story appeals to me on so many levels, but the thing that sticks with me the most is the very last line of the story. Clarke, the colossus of science fiction 319, that appeal to the imagination. One thing that stood out was the humor of the stories something i dont necessarily associate with clarke. Superiority is a 1951 science fiction short story by arthur c.
Clarke click on names to see more mathematical fiction by the same author as much about computers as it is about mathematics, we join two programmers hired by a buddhist sect seeking to find all true names of god by exhausting a combinatorial library of possibilities. Also, he was a known advocate for everything advancing through the use of technology. Clarke while scifi isnt my norm especially scifi written before man ever landed on the moon, theres just something about the yarns of arthur c. Clarke in 1953 and is included in his science fiction anthology of the same name. The nine billion names of god follows three employees of a computer company as they sell, deliver and maintain a relatively large and fast computer to a group of tibetan monks. In the nine billion names of god 1953, a tibetan monastery buys a computer to finish its centurieslong task of compiling the possible names of god. Clarke and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. To include a little background from clarkes forward in his 1974 reprise anthology the nine billion names of god signet, the new american library inc. Clarke this is a slightly unusual request, said dr. The nine billion names of god arthur c clarke ministry. Science fiction friday the nine billion names of god by. The nine billion names of god i remember babylon trouble with time rescue party the curse summertime on icarus dog star hide and seek out of the sun the wall of darkness no morning after the possessed death and the. But these are his twentyfive favorites and they combine to. The nine billion names of god i remember babylon trouble with time rescue party the curse summertime on icarus dog star hide and seek out of the sun the wall of darkness no morning after.
Well, they believe that when they have listed all his names and they reckon that there are about nine billion of them gods purpose will have been achieved. A space odyssey, childhoods end, the city and the stars, and the hugo and nebula awardwinning rendezvous with rama, arthur c. These documents should be labeled with the symbol representing the document variety, and a connect to obtain the correct audience if the end user lacks it. This work is a comprehensive collection of sir arthur c clarkes short stories. Heinleinone of the writers who define science fiction in our time.
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