Arthur Clarke (1917–2008) is an English science fiction writer who, along with Asimov and Heinlein, is one of the big three founding fathers of the SF genre. “City and Stars”, “Rendezvous with Rama”, “Fountains of Paradise” - these names are dear to every science fiction connoisseur! Throughout his life, Clark sought to popularize science, and his works are full of insights that, over the years, turned into real discoveries. Based on Clark Stanley's script, Kubrick made the film A Space Odyssey. The script later became a full-fledged novel and made Clark the brightest star of science fiction. The collection includes the writer’s early novels, “The Sands of Mars” and “Earthlight,” which raise the problems of extraterrestrial settlements. The colonists of Mars, Venus, and the satellites of the largest planets are in desperate need of help. The earth, in their opinion, does almost nothing for its neighbors. Meanwhile, people lack water, food, air purification facilities, not to mention minimal guarantees of safety, because space is a harsh, inhospitable place. The eternal tension between the metropolis and the frontier is resulting in a dangerous confrontation...