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Science Fiction
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"the [science fiction] writer should be able to convince the reader (and himself) that the wonders he is describing really can come true...and that gets tricky when you take a good, hard look at the world around you."
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Several ships are attacking a stationary installation on the Moon. The ships have the benefit of mobility in attacking a fixed target; what advantage could the defenders of the installation have that could turn the tide of battle?
Note: this is a different version of the weapon from that used in Clarke's original version of the story. See the article describing the polaron beam from Clarke's original 1951 novella Earthlight, published in Wonder Stories.
I love this story, and I avoided putting this item on the site for a long time. However, now that DARPA is working on it, I'll put it up. **SPOILER ALERT**
Clarke puts the problem this way:
The answer, of course, is that it only looked like a beam of light.
The answer is provided to the reader:
Here's an early Earthlight cover detail.
![]() (Earthlight cover) Compare to the daisy projector from The Derelicts of Ganymede (1932) by John W. Campbell and the Cyclotronic Ore-Hurler from Exit From Asteroid 60 (1940) by D.L. James. Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This | Additional
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Science Fiction
Timeline
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'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
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'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'
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'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
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'We had discovered that metal was relatively impervious to the telepathic effect.'
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'Detailed plans for the construction of the Gundstetter-Halone warp drive were flowing.'
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'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'
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'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
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