Where to start with Arthur C. Clarke: 5 award-recognized books
Arthur C. Clarke wrote some of the most influential hard science fiction ever, full of wonder at the universe and the engineering it takes to explore it.
If you read just one: Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, because it is pure wonder, and short.
The picks
1. Rendezvous with Rama
Won the Hugo, Locus and Nebula Awards (1974) ·
A crew explores a vast alien object as it passes through the solar system.
2. The Fountains of Paradise
Won the Hugo and Nebula Awards; finalist for the Locus Award (1980) ·
An engineer sets out to build an elevator into space.
3. A Fall of Moondust
Finalist for the Hugo Award (1963) ·
A tourist vessel sinks beneath the dust of the Moon, and a rescue begins.
4. A Meeting with Medusa
Won the Nebula Award; finalist for the Hugo Award (1972–1973) ·
A pilot descends into the atmosphere of Jupiter, and finds life.
Good to know: A novella.
5. 2010: Odyssey Two
Finalist for the Hugo and Locus Awards (1983) ·
A joint mission returns to Jupiter to learn what happened to the ship from 2001.
Good to know: Follows 2001: A Space Odyssey.
How we chose
Every book in this guide won or was a finalist for at least one of the Hugo, Nebula, Locus or Arthur C. Clarke awards. Each book page lists its full award history with sources. Page counts come from English print editions and vary by edition. 5 books in all.