See the original cover art. |
I want to be remembered most as a writer — one who entertained readers, and, hopefully, stretched their imagination as well. -Arthur C. Clarke
in my gloden age |
Clarke in Deep Time
Back in the Asimov Reality, the replicoids of Isaac Asimov and Clarke were "brought out of retirement" and given an investigative mission in the far future, when humans were spreading from star to star through the galaxy.
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According to Zeta, Asimov and Clarke were assigned to their joint mission in the future by R. Gohrlay. Asimov and Clarke were told that they had to simply keep their eyes open and try to figure out how mysterious alien influences were guiding the evolution of the human species and the development of human civilization.
According to Yōd, what Asimov and Clarke were told by R. Gohrlay was just a cover story. R. Gohrlay actually needed to position her agents where they could provide needed assistance to the hapless humans who she was breeding and selecting. Yōd believes that Asimov and Clarke never knew anything about R. Gohrlay's plan to create the tryp'At.
Life 3.0
Escape |
The Frustration of Nivsaham
Upon learning that the "Grean nanites" could be replicated by the virtual reality equipment of Eternity, Nivsaham believed that it should be possible to make many copies of Asimov and deploy them for a rapid search through the AR simulation. Strangely, she found that only one "copy of Asimov" could enter the AR simulation.
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If Clarke had also been given the "Midas touch" then Nivsaham would have made use of this copy of Clarke to double the rate of exploration of the AR simulation. However, Nivsaham soon determined that Clarke cannot achieve random access to the AR simulation.
Now after bringing them into existence, Nivsaham has these "spare" nanoscopic copies of Asimov and Clarke in the Hierion Domain. Nivsaham decides that these copies of Asimov and Clarke should be allowed to haunt the Writers Block.
Inheritance
Space walk. "Open the parachute door, Dave." Interior art by William Timmins. |
In the Ekcolir Reality. |
In Jack Vance's story Marune, the protagonist is able to retrieve memories from his father. That might be accomplished by some sort of telepathic connection between father and son. But how could anyone view the future? In "Inheritance", David's vision of the future is actually something that will take place later, after his own death, and be experienced by his son.
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Reality Viewing
Syfy miniseries |
Possibly such equipment could still provide "recorded" information about the future of the Final Reality. Sadly, nobody seems to know what happened to all that old Reality Viewing equipment in Eternity.
December 2017: celebrating Clarke
In case you missed it: Syfy's Overmind
Related Reading: "He Wrote the Future" by Andrew Robinson
Next: another retro (1952) Sci Fi story, "Shock Treatment"
visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers |
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