The Sentinel Short Story Review

Another Arthur C. Clarke review (I’m starting to notice a pattern here)! But in the grand scheme of things, does the short story “The Sentinel” hold up to his other work? Honestly, I have some mixed feelings about the story as a whole.

Time to ramble. You might have heard me mention this story before, since it was the original story that the 2001: A Space Odyssey film (and subsequent book) was based on. Clarke originally sent this story to a contest in 1948, but it did not place. He then had it published in 1951 in 10 Story Fantasy. The story concerns a man named Wilson, who travels to the moon to investigate a strange structure just discovered. This pyramid appears to have a shield around it that no one can get through. However, through the use of atomic weapons, humanity eventually breaches the shield, but it comes at a cost. I won’t give away the twist, but those familiar with Clarke’s Space Odyssey series might be familiar with it.

I found it interesting that this story failed to place in a contest and wasn’t published for a few years. There’s no denying the story’s influence and skill. But in the grand scheme of things, I think this story proves just how far 2001 came as a concept compared to the short story. “The Sentinel” almost feels like the “rough draft” of the story as a whole. But I know Arthur C. Clarke was aware of this sentiment at the time. He compared “The Sentinel” to an acorn, with 2001 being an oak tree. If anything, it shows how well his writing developed over time. So, in essence, the short story provides the blueprint for something bigger.

I don’t mean to say that the story fails to measure up in any way. I just think that the 2001 book took the greatest aspects of “The Sentinel” and used them to create an even greater work. Taking something good and making it great. The good especially comes in the writing, along with the story itself. The story already serves as an example of how to build up the mystery of a new concept, for one. It promotes the concept of introducing something new, then building up to its reveal in a satisfying way. The story had me invested from the beginning, and it provided me with a great example for how to provide context without confusing readers.

I also think the story remains relevant because it’s another masterclass of early sci-fi writing and an introduction to the big questions of sci-fi. The story concerns how small humanity is in relation to the cosmos. It questions what might be out there, and if there are things much bigger than us waiting to be signaled.

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