A Walk in the Dark by Arthur C. Clarke Episode #70
Arthur C. Clarke | May 8, 2023-
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A Walk in the Dark by Arthur C. Clarke Episode #70
Arthur C. Clarke
A WALK IN THE DARK
Episode #70 · Written by Arthur C. Clarke · Narrated by Scott Miller
On a desolate world at the edge of the galaxy, engineer Robert Armstrong must walk six lonely miles through total darkness to reach safety. But something unseen walks behind him—matching his steps in the night.
Few writers could combine scientific plausibility with psychological suspense like Arthur C. Clarke. A Walk in the Dark begins with a simple predicament: Robert Armstrong’s vehicle breaks down on a distant world, and with the next ship departing in hours, he has no choice but to walk the six miles to Port Sanderson through a landscape where even starlight is faint. As his torch fails, he continues by touch alone—guided only by memory and fear. But as he ventures deeper into the silent blackness, he realizes he is not alone.
What unfolds is one of Clarke’s most gripping short works—a meditation on isolation, reason, and the thin line separating courage from terror. Each page tightens the sense of dread, yet Clarke never resorts to spectacle; the horror comes from within, as the rational mind meets the unknown and begins to crack. It’s a story that lingers long after the final line.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) was a scientist, explorer, and one of the legendary “Big Three” of science fiction alongside Asimov and Heinlein. A radar specialist during World War II, Clarke proposed the concept of geostationary satellites—a vision that became reality within his lifetime. His novels and short stories—2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood’s End, The City and the Stars, Rendezvous with Rama—brought scientific wonder to the masses while reminding readers of humanity’s smallness in the face of the universe. A knighted author and futurist, Clarke’s works continue to inspire scientists, dreamers, and storytellers around the world.
LISTEN TO THE STORY
Listen to A Walk in the Dark by Arthur C. Clarke — a gripping vintage sci-fi tale of fear and survival on a lonely alien world.
ARTHUR C. CLARKE SHORT STORIES
Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most influential figures in science fiction and a key architect of the genre’s modern identity. Born in 1917 in Somerset, England, Clarke combined rigorous scientific thinking with a sense of cosmic wonder that reshaped how readers imagined space, technology, and humanity’s future. His work helped define what is now known as “hard science fiction,” grounded in plausible science and forward-looking ideas.
During World War II, Clarke served in the Royal Air Force, working with radar technology, an experience that deeply influenced his later writing. In 1945, he published a paper describing the concept of geostationary communication satellites, a proposal that would later become a foundational element of global telecommunications. Alongside his fiction, Clarke remained an active science writer and futurist throughout his life.
Clarke’s fiction spans intimate short stories and sweeping cosmic visions, often exploring humanity’s place in a vast and indifferent universe. His collaboration with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey cemented his legacy in both literature and film, while stories like “The Star” and “The Nine Billion Names of God” remain enduring classics of vintage science fiction.
- The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke
- A Walk in the Dark by Arthur C. Clarke
- Encounter in the Dawn by Arthur C. Clarke
- Exile of the Eons by Arthur C. Clarke
- Summertime on Icarus by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Wall of Darkness by Arthur C. Clarke
- Superiority by Arthur C. Clarke
- No Morning After by Arthur C. Clarke
- At The End of the Orbit by Arthur C. Clarke
- Hide and Seek by Arthur C. Clarke
- Inside the Comet by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Parasite by Arthur C. Clarke
- Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Star by Arthur C. Clarke
- Castaway by Arthur C. Clarke
- Travel by Wire by Arthur C. Clarke
- Transience by Arthur C. Clarke
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