The Fountains of Paradise – Arthur C. Clarke

Author: Arthur C. Clarke

Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 1917 – 19 March 2008)

to pontificate

Imagine a really, really tall tower that stretches all the way up to space! That’s what the main character, Vannevar, wants to build. This special tower would allow people to travel to space without having to use rockets. Isn’t that amazing?

But building such a tall tower is not easy. Vannevar and his team have to find the perfect spot to put it, and they also have to convince everyone that it’s a good idea. There’s a problem though – the tower is supposed to be built on top of a sacred Buddhist temple! The monks in charge of the temple don’t want to let Vannevar build his tower there.

Check the Wikipedia.

　Hugo Nebula Locus Award Triple Crown Op.

The Fountains of Paradise is a 1979 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This “orbital tower” is a giant structure rising from the ground and linking with a satellite in geostationary orbit at the height of approximately 36,000 kilometres (approx. 22,300 miles). Such a structure would be used to raise payloads to orbit without the expense of using rockets. The novel won both the Hugo^[1] and Nebula^[2] Awards for Best Novel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountains_of_Paradise

Keyword: future world, orbital lift, past, present and future

　

Expanding the Pontificate:

While Vannevar is dealing with these challenges, the story also shows us two other exciting tales. One is about an ancient king named Kalidasa, who built a beautiful garden with amazing fountains a long, long time ago. The other is about what happens in the future, when people from another planet come to visit Earth!

The Fountains of Paradise is a really imaginative and adventurous story. It makes you dream about what amazing things humans can build, and how exploring space can bring us together with other beings in the universe. Even though it has some tricky parts, I think elementary school students would find it a fun and inspiring read!

On ‘The Fountains of Paradise’

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