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pardum's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A good duo, though Meeting with Medusa is a much more compelling story.
nedens's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
lizabethstucker's review
4.0
Howard Falcon had been seriously injured while piloting a test flight of the Queen Elizabeth IV thanks to a news camera platform that crashed through the dirigible. Doctors had put him back together, giving him some extras that will come in handy with his next adventure: a trip to Jupiter, the first gaseous planet to be explored by man.
If this type of story was more Clarke's usual output, I might be able to understand why he was considered one of the Big Three in science fiction. The sense of adventure is neatly woven into the story, particularly the suppositions made by Clarke about what might be found on and above Jupiter if we continue with ever closer flybys that can delve deeper into the atmosphere. I will say that the extent of Falcon's "enhancements" took me a bit by surprise, making me wonder just what was left of his physical self. Best guess would be his brain and nothing else. Fascinating and disturbing in equal measures. 4.5 out of 5.
If this type of story was more Clarke's usual output, I might be able to understand why he was considered one of the Big Three in science fiction. The sense of adventure is neatly woven into the story, particularly the suppositions made by Clarke about what might be found on and above Jupiter if we continue with ever closer flybys that can delve deeper into the atmosphere. I will say that the extent of Falcon's "enhancements" took me a bit by surprise, making me wonder just what was left of his physical self. Best guess would be his brain and nothing else. Fascinating and disturbing in equal measures. 4.5 out of 5.
mailem's review
1.0
Super dull, very predictable I really did not enjoyed the story, nor did I enjoyed the main character. The book was short. I could finish it in less than a day, but I couldn’t get myself through it without taking breaks. story is kind of outdated, and for a science-fiction novel, most of the Technology that was used in the book we already have them today. I guess Arthur C. Clarke isn’t my type of Author. (The only cool thing that I liked from the novel is those space creatures, they looked really cool)
chasejwise's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jemahaffey's review
2.0
I am so glad to be done with this cute, little book. Ugh. I wanted to love it so much, but these two stories literally back to back with their insufferable, arrogant, unsympathetic protagonists and really not that much in the "man-that's-such-a-cool-idea" tank to redeem them were too much even for me, and I have a pretty high tolerance for these things. I am going back for more though and diving into Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama and then KSR's 2312 which is what landed me here in the first place. High hopes.
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