
The City and the Stars
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Narrated by:
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Geoffrey T. Williams
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By:
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Arthur C. Clarke
About this listen
A journey of discovery that will shake the foundations of everything the people of Earth have ever believed...
Diaspar is Earth's last city - surrounded by deserts, on a world where the oceans have long since dried up. It is a domed, isolated, technological marvel run by the Central Computer. Diaspar has conquered death. People are called forth from the Hall of Creation; they live for 1,000 years and then are recalled, stored in the Central Computer's memory, to be born thousands of years later, over and over again, with memories of earlier lives intact.
No one has entered or left Diaspar since anyone can remember. Its people have an unreasoning dread of the unknown, of the world outside the city. And no child has been born for at least 10 million years.
Until Alvin. He is unique. He has no past lives, no past memories. He also has no fear of the outside world. In fact he has an overwhelming curiosity, a drive to explore, to see what lies beyond the sterile boundaries of the city.
When he finally escapes, he discovers a place he could hardly have imagined: a country called Lys. Its people are telepathic. They know life and death. In Lys, Alvin finds friendship and love. And he begins his fateful journey to the stars and back. On his return he brings with him something so strange, so alien and powerful, that it will change the world forever. But for better or worse, not even Alvin can guess.
©1956 Arthur C. Clarke/Scovil Chichak Galen (P)2009 Geoffrey T.WilliamsListeners also enjoyed...
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- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Six million years ago, at the very dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones: the shatterlings. Sent out into the galaxy, these shatterlings have stood aloof as they document the rise and fall of countless human empires. They meet every 200,000 years to exchange news and memories of their travels with their siblings.
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Science fiction in Deep time
- By A reader on 05-12-10
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The Mote in God's Eye
- By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
- Narrated by: L J Ganser
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The Mote In God's Eye is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre. No lesser an authority than Robert A. Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read".
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A great read!
- By J. Rhoderick on 02-12-10
By: Larry Niven, and others
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Way Station
- By: Clifford D. Simak
- Narrated by: Eric Michael Summerer
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In this Hugo Award-winning classic, Enoch Wallace is an ageless hermit, striding across his untended farm as he had done for over a century, still carrying the gun with which he had served in the Civil War. But what his neighbors must never know is that, inside his unchanging house, he meets with a host of unimaginable friends from the farthest stars.
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A very special novel that will inspire you.
- By Noe on 08-08-10
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Tau Zero
- By: Poul Anderson
- Narrated by: Neil Hellegers
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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This science fiction novel describes the epic voyage of the spacecraft Leonora Christine. From practically the very first minute, Tau Zero sets scientific realities in dramatic tension with the very real emotional and psychological states of the travelers, exploring the effect of time contraction due to traveling at near-light speed on the human psyche. This tension is a dynamic that Anderson explores with great success over the course of the novel, as 50 crewmembers settle in for the long journey together.
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Not What I Hoped For
- By Audio Audits on 12-22-16
By: Poul Anderson
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A Fire Upon the Deep
- By: Vernor Vinge
- Narrated by: Peter Larkin
- Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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A Fire Upon the Deep is the big, breakout book that fulfills the promise of Vinge's career to date: a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function.
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What a wild, wacky, awesome book!
- By Noah Smith on 06-20-10
By: Vernor Vinge
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The Sentinel
- By: Arthur C. Clarke
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 25 mins
- Unabridged
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The Sentinel was first published in the spring 1951 issue of 10 Story Fantasy. It later served as the starting point for the film and novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
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Great Story and Narrated Very Well
- By Michael on 12-25-18
By: Arthur C. Clarke
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The Hammer of God
- By: Arthur C. Clarke
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The Hammer of God was first published in the Sept. 28, 1992 issue of Time. Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008) is regarded as one of the most-influential science fiction writers of all time. He was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
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Short and Sweet. A Grand Adventure - tiny package.
- By Andy on 03-03-18
By: Arthur C. Clarke
What listeners say about The City and the Stars
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- CT
- 07-03-10
Meh, it was okay, at least engaging
It was an interesting story, but sort of morose. I found it mostly depressing and the actions of many of the characters unbelievable. Still, it had certain appeal in that it explored thoroughly the extremes to which the diverging attitudes of humanity might lead us. And it is an excellent warning against isolationism.
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2 people found this helpful
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- G L
- 02-09-15
My favorite book by Clarke
This is the revised version of "Against the Fall of Night." Both are excellent with the huge scale he is so good at executing.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-25-12
An OK book - plot & performance was not inspiring
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
If you like Arthur C Clarke then put this on your list but not at the top of your list. It was worth the cost so I am not disappointed in that regard.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Most interesting was the young mans thoughts, trials and tribulations in adapting to his new home and how he became motivate regardless of the hardships.
Least interesting was the description of the technology. Arthur C. Clarke is usually more creative and realistic in his visualizations. This one I don't think he was properly motivated. To "Avitar'is" for my taste.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Geoffrey T. Williams?
As it goes, he was not the worst nor the best. I am more interested in plot and continuity that voice performances.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
movies are NEVER as good as one's imagination. No, I would not go see a movie of this book or any other for that matter.
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- Jan
- 12-22-16
One of my favorite audiobooks
This is the fourth time I've listened to this book! Great narration and great plot!
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- Terry
- 10-01-12
Great performance of a classic sci-fi story
Multiple voice actors and sound effects bring to life this classic sci-fi story. Well done narration. You could easily listen to this audio book every year.
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- EDWIN EDWARDS
- 04-28-12
Not one of Clark's greatest, but interesting
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The story is very much a morality tale on what happens when Man ceases to look out into the universe, ceases to grow & ceases to advance; stagnation, mechanisation and a slide into decadence. It's a theme of many of Clark's books but this one doesn't quite hit the mark. The inhabitants of the city (of the title) have immortality, freedom from all phyiscal needs and the elimination of crime, disease & all social ills. This lack of strife eliminates all desires for expansion but also eliminates everything you can hang a story off!
What other book might you compare The City and the Stars to and why?
The obvious comparision is "Childhood's End" which deals with the end of Man in a much better and more interesting way.
How could the performance have been better?
It could have been a performance. There's no emotional content and the variation between characters was attempted by varying the squeekiness of the reader's voice in subtle shades.
Do you think The City and the Stars needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
The book describes one man's struggle to break Man out of the decandent Nirvana he has trapped himself in. To prevent spoiling the plot, any follow up book could only be his continuing struggle to break Man out or Man's attempt to break back in! The book is a message not a story & having delivered the message, it's done where it is.
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- LB
- 02-08-12
The book is worth enduring the performance
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Yes -- actually, when I offered it to my teenaged son to listen while cleaning his room, I told him the same thing: The book is good enough to overcome the annoyingness of the acting. When he was finished, he agreed.
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Geoffrey T. Williams?
Just Williams, please! Ditch the rest of 'em!
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- AmazonReview
- 10-29-24
Incredible!!!
This is one of the most imaginative sci- fi I’ve ever encountered! Such great world-building.
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- Bryan
- 03-09-25
Imaginative - Deep Time
This book was very imaginative and had very captivating elements to it. I greatly appreciated the deep time concepts and the cutting edge Sci-Fi this old school novel cultivated which went on to inspire a plethora of different works and themes within my favorite genres. This is big idea sci-fi not for the faint of heart.
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- Lee
- 02-27-13
Great Audiobook with a very good cast of voices
Would you listen to The City and the Stars again? Why?
Yes - I have it on CD
What other book might you compare The City and the Stars to and why?
None it a good stand alone book
Which scene was your favorite?
Traversing the stars
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No
Any additional comments?
No
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