Clarke's narrative is conservative, his vocabulary undemanding, his imagery conventional, and his point-of-view solidly that of the omniscient narrator. His style will occasionally rise to a semi-Biblical chant, which some critics have found bathetic, or become more sober for an occasional essay upon a remarkable feature of the physical world, for he clearly believes in the didactic potential of science fiction.

Each of his major novels seems composed of short stories. Childhood's End began as a short story entitled "Guardian Angel" (1950). In its final form it breaks into five sections, the prologue, the story of Stormgren, the scene at the seance, the story of Jan, and the story of the Greggsons and their children; it is, however, especially adroit in its last half, juggling the quests of Jan, George, the children, and Karellen. 2001 (1968), which also began as a short story, falls into three sections around the three protagonists...