Contents

• Preface
• "The Food of the Gods
  The Food of the Gods (short story)
  "The Food of the Gods" is a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1961. It was subsequently published as part of a short story collection The Wind from the Sun in 1972....
  
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Back cover teaser: "ON EARTH—In a world where man frowns upon his carnivorous ancestors and thrives upon entirely synthetic food, cannibalism becomes the question of the day."

• "Maelstrom II"

An astronaut father looks forward to returning home to his family on Earth, but is met by a life-threatening accident.

• "The Shining Ones"

Sabotage is suspected at a coastal Soviet base, where a revolutionary thermal electric technology is to be announced to the world within a matter of days.

• "The Wind from the Sun
  Sunjammer
  "Sunjammer" is a science fiction short story by English author Arthur C. Clarke. It was originally published in 1963. It has also been published under the title "The Wind from the Sun" and has been included into Clarke's 1972 collection of short stories with this title.-Plot summary:John...
  
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Back cover teaser: "IN SPACE—Space-sailing anyone? Come ride the sun's winds in the interstellar sailing contest of the century!" Problems arise for the competitors during this race to the moon.

• "The Secret
  The Secret (short story)
  "The Secret" is a science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1963. It was first titled "The Secret of the Men on the Moon" when published in This Week magazine...
  
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Something fishy is going on in a laboratory on the Moon... An inspector presses a scientist for the truth about the Moon and mankind's longevity.

• "The Last Command"

The supreme commander of a superpower issues his final command via a pre-recorded message after he and the entire nation had been completely annihilated.

• "Dial F for Frankenstein"

A tech-crew discuss the strange happenings since they've linked the world's telecommunications system with a satellite network.

• "Reunion"

A message from extra-terrestrials, addressed to the people of Earth, speaking of the origins of mankind and a cure for skin color.

• "Playback"

A monologue of a man's consciousness which had been preserved on magnetic tape.

• "The Light of Darkness"

An assassin plots to remove the dictator of his African country.

• "The Longest Science-Fiction Story Ever Told"

A recursive letter complaining about plagiarism.

• "Herbert George Morley Roberts Wells, Esq."

Clarke's commentary about why he had confused "The Anticipator" with "The Accelerator". For a period of time Clarke believed that "The Anticipator" had been authored by H. G. Wells, and had even published this false fact, until a fan of Wells pointed out the error.

• "Love That Universe"

A scientist believes that the Earth is in peril and that the civilization living in the central hub of our galaxy is our only hope. But, how will we contact them?

• "Crusade"

In a world that does not orbit any star, an intelligent but non-biological being searches for other life in the universe like itself.

• "The Cruel Sky"

A scientist, whom was born crippled, climbs Mount Everest with the aid of his levitation invention and with the guidance of his promising assistant. However, soon after beginning their descent from the summit, gale-strength winds blow them and their levitators off the face of the mountain.

• "Neutron Tide
  Neutron Tide
  "Neutron Tide" is a short story written by Arthur C. Clarke. It is among his shortest pieces of writing, consisting solely of a 2-page, detailed description of a futuristic scenario in order to use a pun as a punch-line.-Plot summary:...
  
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A commander explains, in a letter, how an Earth battleship got destroyed when it passed too close to the gravitational field of a neutron star.

• "Transit of Earth"

The last surviving astronaut works to complete his mission while contemplating how he would commit suicide afterwards. He and three others were marooned on Mars because of an accident during orbital retrieval. His final mission is to record the raw data and video footage of Earth's and the Moon's transit across the Sun.

• "A Meeting with Medusa
  A Meeting with Medusa
  A Meeting with Medusa is a science fiction novella by Arthur C. Clarke. It was originally published in 1971 and has since been included in several collections of Clarke's writings.-Plot summary:...
  
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Back cover teaser: "AMONG THE PLANETS—Weather the hydrogen storms of Jupiter with Howard Falcon (once a man now a cyborg) as he goes where no man has ever gone before!"