"Prelude to Space, the first of the novels, is a vivid account of the events that culminate in a man's first voyage to the moon. Written when the adventure seemed a remote possibility, and now regarded as a classic in its field, it gains fresh interest from an introduction discussing ways in which the actualities of space travel are overtaking the author's speculations about it. Actuality has yet to overtake Sands of Mars, a novel in which courageous and visionary men bring off a vast experiment to make permanent colonization of that forbidding planet possible"--Front jacket flap.

The omnibus edition of three classic and inspirational Clarke tales ISLANDS IN THE SKY, first published in 1954, sees Roy Malcolm winning a trip to the Inner Station, a space station rotating 500 miles from Earth. THE SANDS OF MARS, set in the 21st century, has a group of pioneers struggling to change the face of this inhospitable planet. In EARTHLIGHT, two centuries hence, man has colonised the planets and the inhabitants of the Moon owe no allegiance to any nation on Earth - or to Earth itself ... This omnibus edition of three of Arthur C. Clarke's early novels shows the author of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY exploring space and time in adventurous and thoughtful ways.

A search for a scientist who disappeared while exploring the Martian desert. He is Alwyn Stafford and as the search progresses it becomes clear he has discovered something which other people want kept hidden. A new alien civilization? A first novel by a Mars astronomer.

When Nyssa is kidnapped, the Doctor and Tegan must stop the plans of Sadan Rassul in order to save her and the future of England.

Predating the earliest manned space mission: the first full-length science fiction novel from the acclaimed author of 2001: A Space Odyssey. First published in 1951, before the achievement of space flight, Arthur C. Clarke created this visionary tale. Renowned science fiction writer Martin Gibson joins the spaceship Ares, the world’s first interplanetary ship for passenger travel, on its maiden voyage to Mars. His mission: to report back to the home planet about the new Mars colony and the progress it has been making. In The Sands of Mars, Clarke addresses hard physical and scientific issues with aplomb—and the best scientific understanding of the times. Included are the challenges of differing air pressures, lack of oxygen, food provisions, severe weather patterns, construction on Mars, and methods of local travel—both on the surface and to the planet’s two moons. “[Clarke is] one of the truly prophetic figures of the space age.” —The New Yorker

The Firstborn–the mysterious race of aliens who first became known to science fiction fans as the builders of the iconic black monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey–have inhabited legendary master of science fiction Sir Arthur C. Clarke’s writing for decades. With Time’s Eye and Sunstorm, the first two books in their acclaimed Time Odyssey series, Clarke and his brilliant co-author Stephen Baxter imagined a near-future in which the Firstborn seek to stop the advance of human civilization by employing a technology indistinguishable from magic. Their first act was the Discontinuity, in which Earth was carved into sections from different eras of history, restitched into a patchwork world, and renamed Mir. Mir’s inhabitants included such notables as Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and United Nations peacekeeper Bisesa Dutt. For reasons unknown to her, Bisesa entered into communication with an alien artifact of inscrutable purpose and godlike power–a power that eventually returned her to Earth. There, she played an instrumental role in humanity’s race against time to stop a doomsday event: a massive solar storm triggered by the alien Firstborn designed to eradicate all life from the planet. That fate was averted at an inconceivable price. Now, twenty-seven years later, the Firstborn are back. This time, they are pulling no punches: They have sent a “quantum bomb.” Speeding toward Earth, it is a device that human scientists can barely comprehend, that cannot be stopped or destroyed–and one that will obliterate Earth. Bisesa’s desperate quest for answers sends her first to Mars and then to Mir, which is itself threatened with extinction. The end seems inevitable. But as shocking new insights emerge into the nature of the Firstborn and their chilling plans for mankind, an unexpected ally appears from light-years away.