Ode to Distant Worlds

I've been a science fiction and fantasy fan for as long as I remember, maybe I because I grew up on Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimm Brothers.

I read Arthur C. Clarke, Douglas Adams, Michael Moorcock, Tolkien and even some other obscure writers before I was 17. They seemed to take me away into other worlds where even the language was new (not the Queen's English, mind you).

Tolkien led the way in creating entire new races of creatures with their own languages (with grammar !), cultures and religions. Clarke was more of a world builder and Adams, well, Adams was a hitchhiker.

The reason for this blog is to remember a great science fiction author who passed on recently.

Arthur C. Clarke became famous for Space Odyssey. It was a work that became a guide for othe r sci-fi writers. It was the ultimate Turing Test (hmmm AI anyone ?), as HAL was as close to humanity as you and I.

Readers were almost oblivious to his other works till Mike Oldfield (New Age music anyone ?) created an accompanying soundtrack to his Songs Of A Distant Earth (imagine reading a book with it's own soundtrack playing on your stereo).

He retired to Sri Lanka and passed his final days there.

Well, got get back to my copy of Songs Of A distant Earth, a cup of coffee and Mike Oldfield ........