A clash of cymbals. cover

A clash of cymbals.

by James Blish

Earth is finished as a galactic power. From the heart of the Milky Way come the first tentative strands of the Web of Hercules -- the strange culture that is destined to be the next great civilisation in the galaxy. All this was of little concern to the contented citizens of New Earth, secure in their corner of the Great Magellanic Cloud. Only Amalfi dreams restlessly of the old, nomadic days. But then an old friend returns, bringing some unimaginably bad news...

More by James Blish

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?