Heavy Planet: The Classic Mesklin Stories
Hal Clement is a Grand Master of SF, and, of the living Grand Masters, is the one most associated with the subgenre of Hard SF. From his classic stories in the 1940s through his novels of the 1950s and on to the recent Half Life, he has made a lasting impression on SF readers. And on writers too: Clement is the model for many writers of how to write Hard SF, and this book contains the principal products of his method most often held up as exemplars. Here are the classic Mission of Gravity, its sequel, Starlight, and Whirligig World, the famous essay Clement published in Astounding SF in 1953. It describes the rigorous process he used to create his memorable planet, Mesklin, whose odd shape causes gravity to vary widely from place to place. It is on Mesklin that all the stories herein are set.
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Hal Clement
Hal Clement (1922–2003) was the pseudonym of the exemplar of hard science fiction, Harry C. Stubbs. He created the pseudonym while working for his Master's degree in Astronomy at Harvard, fearing his professor would not want him to be "wasting" his time. He did not know that this same professor submitted science fiction to Hugo Gernsback's magazines. Hal's first published story was "Proof" which appeared in the June 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. Then, like many other sf writers, the War intervened.
Mesklin
Mesklin consists of three primary books, and includes one additional book that complement the series but is not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
