"The Sentinel" (short story collection) by Arthur C. Clarke
A mixed bag of shorts. From the really excellent "A Meeting with Medusa", through the interesting "Breaking Strain" and "The wind from the Sun", the boring "Refugee", to the rather irritating "Jupiter V", there is a whole range here.
Unlike say Asimov, Clarke's science fiction actually has a good dose of science in it, usually, and that's why he's one of my favorite authors. This quality is amply evident in the "A meeting with Medusa" piece. It's a story of finding life forms on Jupiter. It has its element of suspense and surprise, but is realistic as well. "The Wind from the Sun" is about solar sails - something novel at the time of its writing. Not much of a plot there, but still an interesting read. It'll be interesting to see how well Clarke's imagination has anticipated the features and problems of solar sail technology, when it actually comes to pass. "Breaking Strain" is a psycho thriller involving two space-farers facing sure, protracted death. It's probably a little too stretched out, but not a waste of time.
In all, a decent collection, but not the cream of the master's work.
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