Arthur C. Clarke dies ...

Sad news tonight that author Arthur C. Clarke has died aged 90 in Sri Lanka. He continued to write science fiction until quite recently, collaborating with Stephen Baxter in his final book Firstborn in 2007.

While 2001: A Space Odyssey written way back in 1968 is probably his most recognised and acclaimed work, I think it’s 3001: The Final Odyssey that I remember best, with its four towers on the equator reaching up to a massive city in the sky.

It’s about ten years since I read it, but I still carry with me the realisation that we’ll not be building any Babel-like towers for a while yet, not until humankind finds an incredibly strong but amazingly light substance to build with – otherwise towers tend to collapse under their own weight.

Time to dig out the Arthur C. Clarke books downstairs, and dust them off for another read.