Arthur C Clarke has the short story down to a very fine art and his science fiction and fantasy stories are fantastic. He writes very well and is always clear and interesting, his stories often have unexpected endings. I read these stories over a long period, but many of the ideas in them have stuck in my mind. He tells us of people and times when people live peaceful lives, in very different times. Many of the stories are very emotional; a love story between a colonist from earth on another planet and an engineer from earth, who was visiting the planet briefly when his ship had a problem sticks in my mind. Others are strange and fantastic - the one that included the building of a huge wall by two young men is another that has stayed with me. ( )