The City and the Stars

THIS is where it started, for me: this is the first mainstream SF novel I ever read, after being inducted via the New Writings in SF series, edited by John Carnell. This is the book that whisked me off into the far future and across the galaxy, and lost me in wonder.

I think this is the finest thing Clarke ever wrote: nothing else I've read of his comes close to inspiring the kind of galaxy-spanning awe this did. Which is sad, and maybe reflective of the fact that I was young when I read it (13 or so) - but just about everything else has been a little disappointing in comparison.

And this comes from someone who has read damn near everything Clarke ever wrote.