num_pages: 219
description: Astrophysicists in 1964 discern an immense cloud of gas entering the solar system. The cloud, moving to interpose itself between Sol &amp; Terra, could wipe out most life on earth by blocking solar radiation &amp; ending photosynthesis. A cadre of astronomers &amp; other scientists is drawn together in Nortonstowe, England, to study the cloud &amp; report to the British government about the consequences of its presence. As the behavior of the cloud proves to be impossible to predict, they conclude it might be a life-form with a degree of intelligence. Desperately, the scientists try to communicate with the cloud--to their surprise, successfully. The cloud is revealed to be a super-intelligent organism, who is itself surprised to find intelligent life-forms on a solid planet. When the astronomers ask the cloud how its lifeform originated, it replies they always existed. One character suggests this is incompatible with Big Bang theory. (Hoyle was hinting at his own Steady State theory of the existence of the universe, since disproved by the discovery of cosmic background radiation.) The cloud then learns another intelligent cloud has stopped communicating &amp; may have mysteriously vanished. This happens around another star, not too distant in the its terms. The cloud decides unexpectedly to move on. Two scientists die attempting to learn the cloud's language thru visual signals.
language: English
title: The Black Cloud
titlecomplete: The Black Cloud
genres: Science Fiction Fantasy, British Literature, Fantasy, Novels, Speculative Fiction, Aliens, Fiction, Classics, Hard Science Fiction, Science Fiction
ratings_count: 4174
places: England
publisher: Penguin