The Songs of Distant Earth
 Dust-jacket from the 1st edition | |
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
Publication date | 1986 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 256 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-33219-9 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
The Songs of Distant Earth is the common title of several science fiction works by Arthur C. Clarke, including a science fiction short story, a short movie synopsis, and a 1986 science fiction novel that all bear the same title. This article deals with the novel.
Plot Summary
The story is set 1, 500 years into the future, on the far-away oceanic planet of Thalassa. Thalassa was populated by humans with an embryonic seed pod, sent out from Earth in a last attempt to continue the human race's existence. Unlike Clarke's other works, this piece focuses on characterization and emotional development, instead of technological change. In some sense, it was written as a response to critics who attacked his writings as cold and impersonal.
It starts with an introduction to the native Thalassan's; Marissa, an attractive marine biologist, her de facto partner, Brant, and other friends and family. Their peaceful existance comes to an end with the appearance of Magellan, a spaceship from Earth containing 1 million colonists put into cryonic suspension.
The events leading up to the race to save the human race is explained through the book in flash-backs. Scientists in the 1960's discovered that the neutrino emission's from the sun - a result of the nuclear reactions that fuel the star - were much less than they should have been. Less than a decade later it was confirmed; the problem was not with their equipment. The sun was due to go nova around the year 3,600 AD.
Technology advanced enough for various factions to send out pods containing human and mammalian embryos, along with robot 'parents', to planets that were considered habitable. Sending live humans was ruled out, scientists and mathematicians proving that the invention of the Quantum drive, essential to give humans the required speed to travel such great distances, was impossible. Seed pods continued to be sent out across the galaxy, and less than a hundred years before the sun was set to go nova, a mistake was uncovered; a minus sign had been accidentally converted to a plus, and the Quantum drive was possible. The time remaining meant that only one ship could be built and sent to the stars; the Magellan.
Thalassa's only connection with Earth was a single communication dish, which was destroyed during a volcanic eruption and not repaired. Magellan stopped at Thalassa to replenish the mammoth ice shield that prevented micrometeors from damaging the ship. Thalassa was the obvious choice for such an operation, as the planet was 95% water, before the space vessel continued on to its destination, the planet Sagan 2.
A semi-sentient life form was discovered beneath Thalassa'a oceans, which were named Scorps. They are similar to Earth's own sea scorpions, or the eurypterids, only much larger. The discovery of their race was prompted by the frequent event of robots designed to seek out fish going missing; the Scorps interfered with these pieces of technology in order to gain the precious metal they were made from in order to make bands of honour and rank. The Scorps were proven farmers, and had created their own villiage out of underwater rock caves.
Some of the crew aboard the Magellan begin to consider mutiny, wanting to stay in the secure environment of Thalassa, rather than risk the unknown for a planet that may or may not be habitable. The situation was solved just before take-off - the mutineers were left with the Thalassan's while the rest of their collegues continued on to Sagan 2.
The book finishes with Marissa sending messages to her lover aboard Magellan, showing him their son, who he will not see until both Marissa and her son are long returned to dust. Marissa'a last clear sight when she is old is of the fading star that is the Magellan.
The novel explores the impact of this reunion, documenting the efforts of the Magellan crew to repair their ship, and most poignantly, the growth of love amidst the barriers of distance and time.
Scientific Aspects
The story explored one possible outcome of the solar neutrino problem, which was unsolved at the time the story was written. The solar neutrino problem has since been explained. There were indeed a lack of neutrinos reaching the Earth from the sun, but as neutrinos have mass, they are able to change state. Earlier scientists were only looking for a single state of the neutrino particle, thus explaining the mystery of the missing neutrinos.
Experimental work on cryonic suspension (sometimes called cryogenic stasis) is ongoing. While recent tests (2005) have shown the possibility of inducing a short term hibernation-like state on mice [1], there is no feasible method of revival currently known or theorized.
Vacuum energy is a controversial feature of modern physics, and the concept has repeatedly been hijacked by pseudoscientific theories. In the acknowledgments to the book, Clarke considered using vacuum energy a scientifically viable, but highly futuristic, propulsion technology.
The logistics of space travel at near-light speeds is also explored in the novel in some detail, albeit with some errors for the sake of dramatic tension. The novel is also notable for featuring a space elevator. In his introduction notes to the novel, Clarke states that he wished it to be a realistic interstellar voyage, without use of warp drives or other fantastic technologies.
Cross-media Influences
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Mike Oldfield was so moved by the novel, that he wrote an entire album based on it (see link above). Around this time, Oldfield was exploring computer game possibilities, and on UK editions of the CD album "The Songs Of a Distant Earth", Oldfield included a CD-ROM multi-media interactive exploration "game" of some notable locations from the book, including the "Hibernaculum". Buried within the game is the promotional video for the album's single "Let There Be Light". The album's artwork features stills from the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM portion is only playable on Mac (not PC) computers.
The total forms "Songs" has taken as of 2005:
- the original short story, published in 1958 in The Other Side of the Sky
- a little-known 5-page movie outline, published in 1979 (Omni Magazine, vol III no 12)
- full-length novel (1986)
- original album by Mike Oldfield
- CD-ROM computer game (from the UK edition of the album)
- promotional music video: "Let There Be Light"
- A song by Kuribayashi Minami used in the video game Muv-Luv (the final chapter of the game is also named after Songs)
References
- Brown, Charles N. "The Locus Index to Science Fiction". Retrieved 2007-12-06.
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