"The Nine Billion Names of God" | |
---|---|
Short story by Carter Scholz | |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Science fiction |
Publication | |
Published in | Light Years and Dark: Science Fiction and Fantasy of and for Our Time |
Publication type | Book |
Publication date | 1984 |
"The Nine Billion Names of God" is an epistolary science fiction/ metafiction short story, by Carter Scholz. It was first published in 1984, in the anthology Light Years and Dark: Science Fiction and Fantasy of and for Our Time.
After author Carter Scholz submits a story to a science fiction magazine, the editor rejects it for being an exact copy of Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 short story " The Nine Billion Names of God". Scholz and the editor then exchange several letters about the nature of reality and fiction.
Orson Scott Card called the story "unforgettable", [1] while in the Los Angeles Times, Ed Park described it as an "amusing cover version" of Clarke, [2] and "deeper-than-it-looks". [3] The New York Times felt that the story suffered from "too strong a wall of irony". [4]
Locus noted that although the story begins as "one of those epistolary-story goofs that used to turn up in the [science fiction] magazines", it soon "develops a sharper bite". [5]
SF Signal praised it as "a fascinating idea-centric story", and emphasized that it "works on multiple fronts, whether it’s on the metafictional level or in sheer plot." [6] The SF Site, conversely, felt that it "isn't SF at all", while noting that it nonetheless "could be considered a kind of science fiction criticism". [7]
"The Nine Billion Names of God" | |
---|---|
Short story by Carter Scholz | |
Language | English |
Genre(s) | Science fiction |
Publication | |
Published in | Light Years and Dark: Science Fiction and Fantasy of and for Our Time |
Publication type | Book |
Publication date | 1984 |
"The Nine Billion Names of God" is an epistolary science fiction/ metafiction short story, by Carter Scholz. It was first published in 1984, in the anthology Light Years and Dark: Science Fiction and Fantasy of and for Our Time.
After author Carter Scholz submits a story to a science fiction magazine, the editor rejects it for being an exact copy of Arthur C. Clarke's 1953 short story " The Nine Billion Names of God". Scholz and the editor then exchange several letters about the nature of reality and fiction.
Orson Scott Card called the story "unforgettable", [1] while in the Los Angeles Times, Ed Park described it as an "amusing cover version" of Clarke, [2] and "deeper-than-it-looks". [3] The New York Times felt that the story suffered from "too strong a wall of irony". [4]
Locus noted that although the story begins as "one of those epistolary-story goofs that used to turn up in the [science fiction] magazines", it soon "develops a sharper bite". [5]
SF Signal praised it as "a fascinating idea-centric story", and emphasized that it "works on multiple fronts, whether it’s on the metafictional level or in sheer plot." [6] The SF Site, conversely, felt that it "isn't SF at all", while noting that it nonetheless "could be considered a kind of science fiction criticism". [7]