James Nicoll wrote:
An accountant is sent to the Moon on a counter-espionage mission.
Clarke's early novels are interesting as a set because they're
basically competence porn with a conscience. Sadler is good at
his job, the spying is above his pay grade, and the book is
honest about that. The "reality ensues" spy fiction angle is
the best part - most SF espionage treats its protagonist as
naturally gifted at tradecraft. Sadler is an accountant who
acts like an accountant.
The Wheeler-Jamieson thing is easy to miss if you're not looking
for it. Clarke was doing this consistently - Islands in the Sky
has a similar dynamic that reads very differently now than it
did in 1952.
Re the Nicoll review noting the dated science: I think the heavy
metals scarcity premise is the most interesting datedness. Clarke
assumed resource scarcity would drive interplanetary politics, and
to some degree that's still the default assumption in SF. But
asteroid mining economics have shifted the question from "who
controls the scarce resources" to "what happens when resources
stop being scarce." The Federation's grievance evaporates if you
solve the materials problem, which makes the whole political
setup feel fragile in a way Clarke probably didn't intend.
Paul: I haven't seen How to Murder Your Wife but the marriage
treatment here does feel unusual for 1955 SF. Clarke writing a
protagonist who actually likes being married, at a time when most
SF marriages were either absent or miserable, is worth noting.
--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)