Arthur C. Clarke | Lecturia

Arthur C. Clarke: Rescue Party

“Rescue Party” is an early science fiction story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in May 1946 in Astounding Science Fiction. An advanced extraterrestrial civilization receives an urgent alert: the sun of a distant system is about to turn into a nova, threatening the life on its third planet. Surprisingly, against all odds, intelligent life has arisen and evolved at great speed on this world. Faced with this critical situation, a rescue ship is dispatched with the mission of saving as many members of the species as possible. However, they face a race against time, as they have only four hours before the star explodes and catastrophe becomes inevitable.

Arthur C. Clarke: A Walk in the Dark

“A Walk in the Dark” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in August 1950 in Thrilling Wonder Stories and later included in the anthology Reach for Tomorrow (1956). The story follows Robert Armstrong, a space technician who, after his vehicle breaks down, must walk several kilometers across a remote and inhospitable planet. The path, shrouded in absolute darkness, turns into a harrowing experience when the memory of a local legend about a creature lurking in the night begins to creep into his thoughts, causing logic to give way to suggestion.

The Stories of Arthur C. Clarke

Read the best short stories by Arthur C. Clarke. Complete stories and summaries to read online or print as PDFs.

Arthur C. Clarke: The Forgotten Enemy

“The Forgotten Enemy” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in December 1948 in King’s College Review. In a post-apocalyptic world covered in snow and ice, Professor Millward lives in isolation in a deserted London, surrounded by the books he has preserved for years. One night, a mysterious sound coming from the north interrupts the stillness and awakens in him the hope that there might be other human beings returning. Millward ventures into the abandoned city and tries to discover the origin of the noises, while confronting his solitude and the dangers of a hostile environment.

Arthur C. Clarke: Report on Planet Three

“Report on Planet Three” is a science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in May 1959 in Holiday magazine. Presented as an ancient Martian document, it describes the scientific observations made by astronomers on the red planet about Earth, its mysterious neighbor. Using data obtained with advanced instruments, they analyze its dense atmosphere, vast oceans, high gravity, and extreme climate, assessing whether it could support life. Clarke uses irony to offer a subtle critique of the anthropocentric view with which we tend to judge other worlds.

Arthur C. Clarke: Encounter in the Dawn

“Encounter in the Dawn” is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, published in June-July 1953 in the magazine Amazing Stories and collected that same year in the anthology Expedition to Earth. It tells the story of three scientists from the distant Galactic Empire who descend on a primitive, fertile, and mysterious planet, where they soon discover signs of intelligent life. Cautiously, one of them attempts to establish contact with a local inhabitant, initiating a bond between two civilizations separated by thousands of years of evolution but united by their shared humanity.