Summertime on Icarus is a slow-burn tale of survival from Arthur C. Clarke, plunging listeners into the heart of a solar system where the sun itself becomes the enemy. When astronaut Colin Sherrard crashes on the two-mile-wide asteroid Icarus, he wakes to an impossible race against time: sunrise. As the asteroid spins toward a star thirty times larger than it appears from Earth, Sherrard must crawl, think, and fight to cling to the sliver of darkness that protects him from instant destruction. What follows is a tense struggle marked by psychological strain, moment-to-moment improvisation, and the frightening simplicity of a single truth—he has minutes to survive, not hours.
Clarke makes the harsh beauty of the inner solar system come alive in blinding, furnace-bright detail. He places the listener inside Sherrard’s mind as he battles vertigo, isolation, and the vast indifference of space itself. This story is for fans of realistic science fiction—tight, atmospheric, and grounded in real physics—who love the thrill of humans pushing against the limits of nature. Its intensity is not derived from monsters or cosmic terror but from the stark, overwhelming power of the universe.
Arthur C. Clarke, one of the most influential science fiction writers in history, helped define the genre with stories rooted in scientific wonder and technological possibility. From Childhood’s End to “The Sentinel,” his visions shaped both popular imagination and the future of space exploration. Clarke’s storytelling blends clarity, curiosity, and a sense of awe that continues to inspire readers, scientists, and dreamers alike. His work remains a cornerstone of classic science fiction, reminding us how small—and how extraordinary—the human race can be.
