Gregory Benford, Arthur C. Clarke Team Up on Sequel to 1948 Novella

When science fiction writer Gregory Benford began writing short stories in the late ‘60s, he wrote a fan letter to one of his literary idols, Arthur C. Clarke, author of the classic “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

Benford, a professor of physics at UC Irvine, continued corresponding with Clarke but didn’t meet him in person until 1979, in England, during one of Clarke’s infrequent trips from his longtime home in Sri Lanka.

Since then, Benford, 49, and Clarke, 73, not only correspond with one another but they discuss scientific matters on the phone about once a month and occasionally get together in England or the United States.

It was during a private tour of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington in 1988 that Benford and Clarke came up with the idea to collaborate on a science fiction novel.

The result is the just-published “Beyond the Fall of Night” (Ace/Putnam; $19.95) by Arthur C. Clarke and Gregory Benford.

Recalling their initial discussion in the Air and Space Museum, Benford said: “We were talking about the long-term prospects of space travel. I remarked that very few people write about a really long time scale. And Arthur said, ‘Yes, I usually deal with the next century, except for this earlier work I did.’ ”

That earlier work was Clarke’s first book, “Against the Fall of Night,” a 1948 novella set on earth one billion years in the future.

As the two writers continued talking, Benford observed that in the 1940s no one even knew about DNA and how, over the years, his own image of the future had shifted “from one dominated by physical science to one dominated by the biological.”

“We talked about that as a way of really concretely thinking about what true position mankind would have in the sweep of evolution and what evolution could do next,” Benford said. “We decided we would put together all these new ideas and see what came out.”

“Beyond the Fall of Night” picks up where Clarke’s “Against the Fall of Night” left off.

The novel’s main character is Alvin of Loronei: the first child in thousands of years to be born in Diaspar, which is believed to be the last city on earth.

The inhabitants of Diaspar are too frightened to explore their past and too comfortable to venture beyond the walls of their city. But young Alvin is curious about what exists beyond the walls. Outside, he discovers an isolated city on the other side of the planet where, with the help of such friends as a boy with telepathic powers and an elderly prophet protected by ancient robots, he uncovers the story of mankind’s expulsion from space and near extinction.

Benford said “Beyond the Fall of Night” “is about imagining the human prospects over the next billion years and what, in the long run, it means to be human.”

Best known for his novels “Timescape” and “Tides of Light,” Benford has written 11 other novels. The prolific Clarke has written more than 30 works of fiction.

“I always admired his work,” Benford said. “It was quite a thrill to work with him, and I learned some things about how to think concretely about the future, which is always hard.”

As a science fiction author, Benford has never looked so far into the future as he did for “Beyond the Fall of Night.”

“In fact, hardly anyone has,” he said. “A little bit of H.G. Wells and this earlier novella by Clarke (look far into the future), but there has not been any major work that has tried to talk about the prospect for humanity or even life for a billion years. It’s so beyond our grasp.”

Writing the novel, Benford said, required the two authors to “look at evolution in general and find out what the major themes of evolution are and where will it go from here.”

“So it required probably more imagination than I have ever had to exercise,” he said. “I can see why people don’t write books on this scale because it’s extremely hard to think about this immense time span.”

Benford said “Beyond the Fall of Night” presents a positive vision of the earth a billion years in the future.

“Oh, it’s very positive,” he said. “I’m an optimist about the human prospect.”

Looking into his own future, Benford said he and Clarke have talked about co-editing a collection of fiction stories about science.

“We’ve agreed to do it, but both of us are so busy with other projects we don’t have time to do it this year,” he said.

Benford is now working on a novel set in Orange County.

Book Signings: Joe R. Lansdale (“Cold in July” and “Savage Season”) will sign from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Book Carnival, 870 N. Tustin Ave., Orange. . . . William F. Love (“The Chartreuse Clue”) will read and sign from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Upchurch-Brown Booksellers, 384 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach.

Kent State: Author Bill Gordon, a 1973 graduate of Kent State University, will discuss his theories and experiences in writing “Fourth of May: Killings and Cover-Ups at Kent State” at 7 p.m. Friday at Mercury Savings & Loan, 23021 Lake Center Drive, El Toro.

The free lecture is sponsored by the Saddleback Valley Writers’ Guild, a nonprofit literary association. Gordon, who is also the author of “How Many Books Do You Sell in Ohio: Quote Book for Writers,” will offer his tips for publishing in all genres.

For more information, call Juliet Van Der Linden at (714) 494-2425.

National Writers: Walter Schindler, a lawyer and poet, will speak at the meeting of the Southern California chapter of National Writers Club at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Irvine Marriott, 18000 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. Members: $10; non-members: $12. Includes brunch and critique session.