The City and the Stars

Arthur C. Clarke

1956

The city of Diaspar had been closed off from the rest of a desert covered world for longer than any of its citizens could recall.

The citizens of the city had been given the gift of personal immortality in exchange for the ability to reproduce. Like the city itself, the citizens are held in the great Memory Banks of the Central Computer that was the real ruler of the last city of Earth, to be recreated every few thousand years complete with the memories that they desired to retain from their earlier lives.

When Alvin reached his twentieth year, he was expecting to start recalling those past lives but is instead confronted by his tutor who explains that this won’t be happening to him. Apparently Alvin is unique; this was the first time that Alvin had come from the Hall of Creation. It was unknown what purpose Alvin served, but there must be some purpose.

As Alvin explores the city, even out to the far edges, he becomes aware of Khedron who had the role of Jester in Diaspar’s society. While Khedron was willing and able to help Alvin with his search for a way out of the imprisoning city, when they finally work out the mystery of Yarlan Zey’s statue he was still so much a part of the city that he was unable to accompany Alvin on his trip to the mysterious city of Lys.

The 35-minute trip to Lys was probably the most momentous trip ever undertaken by a human in the thousand million years since Diaspar had turned its back on the stars.

Imagining a city like Diaspar, Alvin is startled by the apparently simple fashion in which the inhabitants of Lys prefer to live. Each district is surrounded by flora and most transport is by shank’s pony or specialised beasts of burden, but those of Lys are masters of genetic manipulation and telepathic control. Threatened by those masters with having his memories wiped out, Alvin asks for a chance to explore Lys and in companionship with Hilvar of Lys he goes to the ancient fortress of Shalmirane where the youngsters make a discovery of earth shattering consequences.

Will the discoveries of Alvin and Hilvar be enough to break down the barriers between Diaspar and Lys? Two cities locked in prisons of their own making, offered the Stars once more!

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This is part of the Science Fiction Masterworks series.

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