Reply to: Writer Arthur C Clarke dies at 90

[Bagpuss]

Didn't know that - if it's true I take it all back

Michael Jackson was 'innocent' too

[Jog On]

His "K" was delayed while they investigated him about his "proclivities". He finally got his "K" when he was exonerated.

Didn't know that - if it's true I take it all back

[Bagpuss]

What's wrong with teaching young boys to play with their instruments?

I wish I'd stuck at the piano when I was that age, but learning to fiddle would have been even better.

Something tells me you've taught a few young men how to trombone

[KathyWoolfe]

They couldn't have been _that_ unsavoury, by today's standards, or surely he wouldn't have got his K ? I mean they do background checks to ensure recipients of honours don't turn out have some frightful skeleton in the cupboard (although "Sir" Antony Blunt slipped through the net evidently)

His "K" was delayed while they investigated him about his "proclivities". He finally got his "K" when he was exonerated.


I didn't bother looking at the rest of the "Rama" books as I thought the first one was not up to standard.

[Marina]

I thought he liked to fiddle with young boys?

What's wrong with teaching young boys to play with their instruments?

I wish I'd stuck at the piano when I was that age, but learning to fiddle would have been even better.

[Bagpuss]

I thought he liked to fiddle with young boys?

[Marina]

I had a lot of respect for him until the more unsavoury aspects of his sexual preferences came out.

They couldn't have been _that_ unsavoury, by today's standards, or surely he wouldn't have got his K ? I mean they do background checks to ensure recipients of honours don't turn out have some frightful skeleton in the cupboard (although "Sir" Antony Blunt slipped through the net evidently)

[Churchill]

Who is Rama ? Was he one of the servant boys too ?

Enjoyable books imho.

[moorfield]

Who is Rama ? Was he one of the servant boys too ?

[Jog On]

It does leave a lot "up in the air", which some people may find dissatisfying. For example, you never meet any aliens (not the ones who built the ship anyway). But then the whole thing is _meant_ to be mysterious and unfathomable, which is probably how something like that would be in real life.

The sequels ("Return to Rama" I think one was called ?) wasn't as good, but then if memory serves Clarke co-authored those with Lee Gentry, which IMHO tended to make the plots turn to mush (although whether it's fair to blame Gentry for that, and not Clarke's advancing years or just having two authors, is hard to say).

The last one is called “Rama revealed”. It’s been on my bookshelf for about 6 years now, I enjoyed rendezvous a lot but found the second one quite hard work. I had a lot of respect for him until the more unsavoury aspects of his sexual preferences came out.

[Marina]

I didn't think the book was all that good, but then it's been years since I read it.

It does leave a lot "up in the air", which some people may find dissatisfying. For example, you never meet any aliens (not the ones who built the ship anyway). But then the whole thing is _meant_ to be mysterious and unfathomable, which is probably how something like that would be in real life.

The sequels ("Return to Rama" I think one was called ?) wasn't as good, but then if memory serves Clarke co-authored those with Lee Gentry, which IMHO tended to make the plots turn to mush (although whether it's fair to blame Gentry for that, and not Clarke's advancing years or just having two authors, is hard to say).

[KathyWoolfe]

What a bummer. (and I mean the situation, Churchill!) Now Clarke will miss the film of his book "Rendezvous with Rama". Filming is apparently complete, but there's still a shed load of special effects to edit and the film isn't due out until early next year. Should be a real cracker, unless the Yanks completely cock it up and sentimentalize the whole thing.

I didn't think the book was all that good, but then it's been years since I read it.

[Marina]

What a bummer. (and I mean the situation, Churchill!) Now Clarke will miss the film of his book "Rendezvous with Rama". Filming is apparently complete, but there's still a shed load of special effects to edit and the film isn't due out until early next year. Should be a real cracker, unless the Yanks completely cock it up and sentimentalize the whole thing.

[Diver]

Ah well.

At least the little Sri-Lankan Servant Boys are safe now.

At 90 I think they must have been pretty safe anyway

[Churchill]

Ah well.

At least the little Sri-Lankan Servant Boys are safe now.