Tuesday, May 22, 2018

The Deep Range

by Arthur C. Clarke

Way back in High School I was able to take a class in Science Fiction. It didn't live up to my expectations, mainly because my expectations were to get graded for simply reading stories, not for quizzes, papers, or any of those other requirements that the teacher tacked onto the class. I did, however, get a nifty little book of science fiction tales, one of which was a short Story called "The Deep Range". It was far from my favorite, being essentially a cowboy story with the cows being replaced by whales. Yet, the name stuck in my head after many re-readings of the collection. I had also heard at some point that Mr. Clarke had expanded the short story to novel length. Anyway, at the last library sale, I was perusing the science fiction paperbacks and found this very novel. I bought it, brought it home, and have finally read it. Mr. Clarke has expanded it beyond the cowboy tale, exploring how the oceans might be converted to agriculture. Being slightly more mature, I appreciate his work more than I did in my youth. However, my enjoyment of the book came less from his story and more from his 1950s view of the future. The Deep Range presents a 21st Century where mankind is calmly farming the oceans and peacefully feeding the world. There's no hint of global warming, pollution, or endangered species. Whales are calmly raised and slaughtered, orcas and other predators simply killed when they pose a threat. Also amusing are how little a graduate student wrestles whether to continue her research or pursue an MRS, and how all the world's religions except Buddhism have declined in the face of scientific knowledge. ("And the Mohammedan faith... had suffered additional loss of prestige when the rising Star of David had outshone the pale crescent of the Prophet.") So I guess if you're more of a history buff than a futurist, I'd have to recommend that you check it out.

LibraryThing link

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