Paperback, 305 pages
English language
Published Nov. 20, 1980 by Ballantine Books.
This is a story about space elevators.
From Sources and Acknowledgements
The writer of historical fiction has a peculiar responsibility to his readers, especially when he is dealing with unfamiliar times and places. He should not distort facts or events when they are known; and when he invents them, as he is often compelled to do, it is his duty to indicate the dividing line between imagination and reality.
The writer of science fiction has the same responsibility, squared. I hope that these notes will not only discharge that obligation well but also add to the reader's enjoyment.
Having not previously read any Clarke, I was unsure what to expect from The Fountains of Paradise. What I found was a compulsive page turner that mixed excellent story telling with good science and good science fiction.
In a week that saw the first successful launch of a privately owned space vehicle to dock with the ISS, this story of epic engineering seems fittingly placed.
