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Childhood's End

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 36,884 ratings · 1,319 reviews

The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city--intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.

But at what cost? With the advent of peace, man ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a malaise settles...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published July 3rd 2001 by Del Rey (first published 1953)

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Apr 21, 2013 Megan Baxter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From my vast expertise of having read all of two, count them, two, Arthur C. Clarke books, I am seeing a common theme. I don't know if it extends beyond that to his other books, but here it is: The universe is a very, very big place. And humans might just be irrelevant to it. What is going on out there is so vast that it's an immense piece of egotism to think of ourselves as central, or even incidental, to it.

This theme, of course, is deeply unsettling. But also challenging and exciting. He is...more From my vast expertise of having read all of two, count them, two, Arthur C. Clarke books, I am seeing a common theme. I don't know if it extends beyond that to his other books, but here it is: The universe is a very, very big place. And humans might just be irrelevant to it. What is going on out there is so vast that it's an immense piece of egotism to think of ourselves as central, or even incidental, to it.

This theme, of course, is deeply unsettling. But also challenging and exciting. He is the only science fiction author I know of to be delving into these ideas. Many have had humans as the poor cousins of intergalactic power structures, but Clarke's books (again, the two I've read) have us as virtually below notice.

Except, in Childhood's End, we are noticed. The Overlords come. They help solve human problems. Their ships linger over cities. They help mold humanity into a saner race. And yet, that's not what they're really after. But the humans who oppose them make certain assumptions about what the Overlords want, and why they've done what they've done. They're wrong. The truth is far weirder.

Like Rendezvous with Rama, this is certainly more a novel of ideas than a novel of character - there is very little setting each human apart. So I wasn't engrossed in the struggles these individuals had in a changed and quickly changing world. But the ideas behind it, the musings on what losing war and poverty and famine would do to humans were interesting, and the final reveals truly breathtaking.

I didn't find Childhood's End to be grim or pessimistic, although the ending is certainly, in many ways, shocking. It is so different and offputting, I can see why people have seen it as negative. But I was also intrigued by it, excited by it, got some sense of why this utterly different world might be something to see. Or at least, to explore through fiction.

Humans might be irrelevant to the wider universe, but there might be the seeds of something more.

Crossposted to Smorgasbook (less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, dystopian

Childhood's End has been sitting on my bookcase for quite a while. I made a promise to my friend Jason: we traded recommendations for our favorites; he fulfilled his end of the bargain by reading my favorite scifi novel (Dune), so I read his.

In recent times, I've shied away from scifi novels published 50+ years ago as I've been sucked into a good sounding stories only to be disappointed. I don't doubt that these novels were fantastic at the time they were written. It's hard to stand up to time i...more

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Aug 06, 2012 mark monday rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: futuristik-classik, rain-man-reviews

you think you're so fucken smart, don't you mark? ha, think again. all your little plans and goals, your little community of friends and family and colleagues, your whole little life... what does it matter in the long run? not a whole fucken lot. grow up, you sad little child.

take this book for example. a classic of the genre, written by a classic author. you thought you knew what you were getting into; you've read countless examples of the type. you sure are a well-read little scifi nerd, aren'...more you think you're so fucken smart, don't you mark? ha, think again. all your little plans and goals, your little community of friends and family and colleagues, your whole little life... what does it matter in the long run? not a whole fucken lot. grow up, you sad little child.

take this book for example. a classic of the genre, written by a classic author. you thought you knew what you were getting into; you've read countless examples of the type. you sure are a well-read little scifi nerd, aren't you? for the first half, maybe longer, you were right. a well-crafted central character, flavorful supporting characters, intriguing aliens, a spicy mystery to solve. it was all laid out as expected and the pleasures were of a familiar sort. when the mystery of the aliens' appearance was solved, you were a wee bit surprised. but it was a comfortable sort of surprise. it's not like it blew your little mind. it was clever. but overall everything up until then was as you expected. well fucking Congratulations, chump, your predictions came half-true. you want a medal? you don't get one. there aren't any half-medals.

there are some fucking spoilers that follow!

you weren't expecting what came after. those revelations came out of the blue for you, didn't they? you didn't expect to be made to feel so small, to get a little depressed, to have your expectations pounded all to pieces. it was kinda beautiful in a way, kinda mind-blowing. but mainly it was fucken sad. oh you poor baby. you have your own private little dreams of widespread empathy and the future of children and the future of humanity and our future place in the world and - at the most secret, sentimental heart of you - some corny spiritual post-life higher consciousness transcending type shit. you didn't expect that to be a part of the novel, did you? you didn't expect it to all come out, be laid out on the page like a body in a morgue, your body, and then just get eviscerated. your dreams of some sort of future beyond this present, where you are still you, a wistful dream that you like to think is both delicate and profound like one of those origami things you like to do. what's your favorite one? a pinwheel. well you get to watch that pinwheel of a dream get smashed and turned inside out and torn up into bits. revealed as a typically naive and childish fantasy. ha! so much for that. grow the fuck up, chump.(less)

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Dec 23, 2011 Terence rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Clarke fans (of course), big-idea SF fans

Shelves: sf-fantasy

When I was in 8th grade, I wrote a story about humans evolving and becoming “luminous beings” (similar, I suppose, to those Yoda mentions in The Empire Strikes Back), and I was reminded of this when I read the ending to Childhood’s End. Humanity’s last generation joins a vast collective intelligence that has been assimilating civilizations for countless eons, and in the process consumes the Earth and all other life on it. (As I recall, my process wasn’t quite so genocidal; in fact, it took place...more

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Aug 18, 2008 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, literature

I've done a lot of odd jobs over the years. At one point, back before I got my degree and I was still working to put my wife through school, I worked as a delivery driver for a company that sold construction supplies - 50 lb boxes of powdered Kool-Aid, portable generators, hammers, safety harnesses, 2x4's, circular saws. It was one of those barely above minimum wage jobs generally populated by people who for whatever reason find themselves unable to get anything else and competing against a larg...more I've done a lot of odd jobs over the years. At one point, back before I got my degree and I was still working to put my wife through school, I worked as a delivery driver for a company that sold construction supplies - 50 lb boxes of powdered Kool-Aid, portable generators, hammers, safety harnesses, 2x4's, circular saws. It was one of those barely above minimum wage jobs generally populated by people who for whatever reason find themselves unable to get anything else and competing against a large number of similar people where the decisive advantage is often no more than you show up everyday.

My colleagues were an interesting mix: an ex-door gunner on a SOCOM gunship, a teenage kid dreaming of rapping his way off the street, the musician whose real job was Jazz and who’d played everywhere in N’awlins, a bow-kneed redneck that could still remember fondly when racism was acceptable but couldn’t manage to make his hatred stick because he didn’t really believe it, and the black racist ex-boxer would be preacher who once told me with an apologetic smile that white people couldn’t get into heaven because they had no souls. One of my colleagues was an aging chain smoking gray haired country boy missing half of his teeth and so learning disabled as to need my help with basic addition.

He probably knew more about literature than many of the professors I've had, or at the least he was more interesting to talk to and his opinions were less rote. I found this out after he came in one day aglow after seeing 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. He absolutely needed someone to talk about the experience with, and by that time I was unable to hide the fact that I was an "egghead" so I was probably the only person he knew that was qualified. Turns out, he'd lived a rather interesting life. He was fluent in Spanish and had spent his youth working construction on hotels up and down the Central and South American coasts. And, he'd read everything. As I came to realize that this redneck knew something about books, despite as best as I could tell never completing high school, I started inquiring into his tastes. What I found remarkable was not so much that he'd read everything I'd ever read and then some, but that on those things we'd both read he shared much of the same opinion. At some point in one of the conversations Arthur C. Clarke came up, and he said, "Well, I liked 2001, but I really think that 'Childhood's End' is his real masterwork."

Not only do I agree, but I lack the ability to give a better recommendation.

I don't recommend the works of Clarke in general, and certainly not to anyone who isn’t a fan of science fiction. His works - even the better ones - always suffer from seeming to be short stories turned into novels. He also displays a strange combination of fascination with but complete incuriosity towards religion and spirituality that can probably be infuriating at times to the religious and non-religious alike. But this work rises above its defects and is well worth your time.(less)

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Dec 04, 2011 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

Oddly, I finally got spurred into reading this great book while watching a documentary on UFOs, featuring Dan Aykroyd! Aykroyd is evidently quite a UFO buff, and during the documentary the discussion (What do UFOs want?) touched upon Clarke's book, Childhood's End. Well, I’m into UFOs. Saw one (at close range) when I was 13 or so. So I went and dug this puppy out of my large “To Read” box downstairs. (My wife says there’s more than one box.)

I’m glad I did, though the book is one of the most prof...more Oddly, I finally got spurred into reading this great book while watching a documentary on UFOs, featuring Dan Aykroyd! Aykroyd is evidently quite a UFO buff, and during the documentary the discussion (What do UFOs want?) touched upon Clarke's book, Childhood's End. Well, I’m into UFOs. Saw one (at close range) when I was 13 or so. So I went and dug this puppy out of my large “To Read” box downstairs. (My wife says there’s more than one box.)

I’m glad I did, though the book is one of the most profoundly sad books I've ever read. It’s one of those reading experiences that will stay with me forever. Childhood’s End is also a prime example of Science Fiction at its best. The novel makes you think, and takes you into unexpected areas that defeat your expectations of what you think Science Fiction is. In this case, you have a bundle of traditional science fiction tropes, Mankind on the verge of exploring the stars, impending nuclear confrontation, and, suddenly, a sky filled with very large alien ships, commanded by “Overlords.”

But Clarke takes it further. There were times, given the deliberate imagery (you’ll see what I mean once the Overlords reveal themselves) that I thought I was reading a religious allegory. Imagery from Milton’s Paradise Lost, Dante, the Bible, and even a Billy Graham like figure in the early pages, as if to underscore what is to come, left me surprised and impressed at the range of Clarke’s mind. None of this is done ham handedly, but is weaved quite thoughtfully into a larger story of Man’s End.

Very briefly, and without revealing too much, the story is told in three phases. The human race is probably on the verge of nuclear disaster, when the Overlords show up in large ships positioned over the major cities of the world. Soon, the Overlords take most of humanity’s troubles, famine, war, crime, poverty, away. But there is a price, as some warn (see the Billy Graham figure (“Alexander Wainwright”) that part of what makes us human is our ability to choose – and make mistakes, even horrendous ones. Because, wrapped up in our complicated nature are also the desires to strive and create. The seemingly benevolent Overlords have robbed us of something essential. How this plays out over the course of 100 years (the remaining two sections of the novel) is the story of our End. It’s not an obvious one, but its suddenness is a strong reminder of how fragile civilization can be.

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Apr 03, 2013 Samadrita rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, hugo-nebula-locus-awards, 1001-and-more, omg-aliens, the-cosmos-beckons, sort-of-good, yawn-inducing, dystopian-fiction, fantasy

If science fiction usually treads the fine line between mere speculation and actual scientific feasibilities, then Arthur C. Clarke can be accused of taking a cosmic leap of faith into the realm of highly unrealistic speculation, in this book.

For at least 75% of the narrative, I remained largely clueless about where the story was heading and for the remaining 25% I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the ludicrousness of it all.

Plot:- Aliens, who are referred to by a fancy name like 'Overlords' (*...more If science fiction usually treads the fine line between mere speculation and actual scientific feasibilities, then Arthur C. Clarke can be accused of taking a cosmic leap of faith into the realm of highly unrealistic speculation, in this book.

For at least 75% of the narrative, I remained largely clueless about where the story was heading and for the remaining 25% I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the ludicrousness of it all.

Plot:- Aliens, who are referred to by a fancy name like 'Overlords' (*eyeroll*) to boot, come down from a distant galaxy in the universe and establish their rule over Earthlings. Earth transforms into a kind of utopia in a hundred years during which disease, poverty, hunger, crimes, social inequality, threat of nuclear wars are permanently eliminated thanks to the diplomacy and benevolence of the Overlords. And then comes the shocker or the real reason for the Overlords colonizing our cherished planet - turns out the almighty Overlords are no more than mere agents in the service of an even higher form of intelligence called the 'Overmind' (*more eyeroll*) who seek to tap into the reserves of metaphysical power of the mind of man and help mankind transition into the next stage of evolution.

Don't bother trying to make sense of that last part. It didn't make much sense to me either and I generally keep an open mind while reading science fiction. And what happens at the end sounds way more ridiculous that what I wrote for the sake of this review.

In his effort to explore a subject like existential crisis (why are 'we' here? what is the meaning of life?) and ponder on phenomenon Science has still not been able to explain convincingly enough, Clarke has taken a tumble into the abyss of sheer absurdity. Not even willing suspension of disbelief helped endear me to your theories Mr Clarke.
(view spoiler)

Neither is Childhood's End event-driven nor does it contain the heart-stopping suspense that I have come to associate with Clarke's creations. And to further intensify my lack of interest in the book, none of the characters made an impression.

I guess Clarke's aim was only to propound a theory (albeit a far-fetched one) rather than to weave an intriguing tale revolving around space exploration/travel. And I was clearly not among the target audience of this book.

But this does not in any way diminish my love for Clarke. My science-fiction adoring soul, will come back to this man time and again, in search of a story as fascinating as 2001: A Space Odyssey.
I just hope I find something better next time.(less)

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Jan 21, 2008 Joshua rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-and-fantasy

I've always felt a bit mixed about Childhood's End . While at times the writing felt bogged down and a little sluggish, the ideas and concepts Clarke comes up with are astounding and thought provoking. This is a story not just about man's first contact with an alien species and creating a utopia, but also about man's eventual evolution and transformation, by breaking off the shackles of its previous existence.
Clarke has always been intrigued by the idea of transcending ones body and achieving...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Nancy Lewis rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I've tried so many times to like classic science fiction, but can't get past the dated writing style. It reads as if Dick Van Dyke is traveling through space, while Mary Tyler Moore is at home fixing his dinner.

Even so, it's interesting to read Clarke's predictions of the future - the one hundred year period between 1975 & 2075. We are well into that time period now. Some of the predictions from this book have come true, some were grossly mistaken, & some have yet to be determined.

I re...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a fan of science fiction, and I wanted to read Childhood's End after hearing it is supposedly one of the best novels in the sci-fi genre. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't enjoy it.

I won't belabor this review by posting a synopsis; I'll just summarize my general impression of the book (SPOILERS ahead).

First off, the characterization is extremely weak. I understand that some science fiction is more plot driven than character driven, but I still think it is important to w...more I am a fan of science fiction, and I wanted to read Childhood's End after hearing it is supposedly one of the best novels in the sci-fi genre. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I just didn't enjoy it.

I won't belabor this review by posting a synopsis; I'll just summarize my general impression of the book (SPOILERS ahead).

First off, the characterization is extremely weak. I understand that some science fiction is more plot driven than character driven, but I still think it is important to write good characters. None of the characters in this book were all that dynamic or multi-layered. The human characters were very similar to one another. The same can be said of the aliens (the overlords).

Prior to reading this novel, I was unaware that Clarke was an atheist. However, his disdain for God and religion in general becomes clear throughout the novel. The overlords are described as having horns and a tail. It's interesting that the race that comes to save the humans from themselves is given the physical attributes of the devil. After the overlords come to Earth, all religions are eliminated as false by the overlords (who are apparently omniscient themselves). Here is a direct quote from the book regarding religion: "Within a few days, all mankind's multitudinous messiahs had lost their divinity. Beneath the fierce passionless light of truth, faiths that had sustained millions for twice a thousand years vanished like morning dew."

Despite showing a level of condescension toward people who believe in God, Clarke seems very interested in the paranormal. Despite the overlords having dismissed all religion as fantasy, they are extremely interested in psychic phenomenon. At one point during the book, an overlord is sent to a man's home to stay so he can study the myriad of books the man has on the topic of the paranormal. In the same chapter, this man has a party in which he and his guests use a Ouija board. I found the whole scene (complete with a woman fainting) to be silly and it took away from the seriousness of the rest of the novel.

My final complaint is with the book's ending. We learn that humanity's final stage in evolution is for its children to join the overmind. In joining the overmind (a vast cosmic intelligence), the children become essentially mindless zombies. They lose all aspects of individuality and uniqueness. Oh yeah, and the earth is destroyed. I'm not sure how this is supposed to be humanity's triumphant evolution, as it just seems sad and fatalistic to me.

While there were some interesting ideas in the book, it was just not an enjoyable reading experience for me. I didn't relate to any of the characters (or care about them for that matter), I didn't agree with the author's dim view on religion and God, I thought the plot progression was slow for the majority of the book, and the ending was anti-climactic and downright depressing. All in all, I would not vote for this book to be considered one of the best science fiction has to offer. I might give Mr. Clarke another try, but this one certainly did not impress me.
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Jul 17, 2011 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fizzle

Unlike Isaac Asimov, Clarke's characters have depth, nuance and reality to them. In addition to this, his stories are filled with the wonderful hard sci-fi crack you are used to from Asimov.

Childhood's End has quite a few twists and turns, and you'll notice a lot of similarities to V during this alien invasion, similarities which Clarke notes in the introduction. Fortunately, Clarke's aliens are not trying to find and extract the human soul. The twists weren't the ones I expected - and were som...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Sean DeLauder rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As one with high aspirations for the human race, in spite of its frequently embarrassing stumbles (wars, politics, persistent absence of flying cars, etc.), the premise and final revelation of this tale saddened me somewhat. The Overlords come to Earth, halting millennia of strife and suffering amongst humanity, yet at a price--essentially the end of extraterrestrial human exploration. People become peaceful, happy, and largely sedentary (two of these three points I find, understanding the often...more As one with high aspirations for the human race, in spite of its frequently embarrassing stumbles (wars, politics, persistent absence of flying cars, etc.), the premise and final revelation of this tale saddened me somewhat. The Overlords come to Earth, halting millennia of strife and suffering amongst humanity, yet at a price--essentially the end of extraterrestrial human exploration. People become peaceful, happy, and largely sedentary (two of these three points I find, understanding the often determinedly irrational, domineering, and destructive human mind, nigh impossible without some kind of pharmacological intervention), and the explorer spirit is largely quashed with the aim of a different goal for humanity.

If you're looking for rollicking sci-fi adventure, you're never going to find it with Clarke. He's a good, straightforward, but largely tension-free writer. This is not to say that his stories are not enjoyable or don't explore interesting avenues of thought, but you're probably never going to be rushing through a story to keep up with characters racing against a ticking clock. If anything, it will be to learn exactly what is going on (and maybe end up disappointed in the anticlimax... ahem... Rendezvous With Rama).

In what might be a mild spoiler, I found myself disappointed in the resolution of the tale, which ended up being nigh spiritual, and a justification of many popular pseudosciences over the years (telekinesis, ESP, clairvoyance, etc.--all of which, I feel, are slightly less bunk than UFOs, ghosts, etc.). I understood it, and I thought Clarke's explanation was successful, but I'd prefer a science fiction novel have humanity succeed without transcending humanity. With that said, I didn't deduct any stars, since that's just a personal preference. In Clarke's defense, he did provide a disclaimer at the beginning of the book which read "The beliefs expressed in this book are not those of the author." And why should you have to believe everything you write? That would be rather limiting, wouldn't it?

I did deduct a star because it was, though much less than others, a hum-drum (yet concise and effective) telling of extraterrestrial contact. Still, that's what you get with Clarke, who is ever the even-keeled pragmatist, and it's a less tedious story than some others. Clarke isn't really a writer you get excited about (Yeah! An alien spaceship entered the solar system, then just kept going, because it was just using our sun to propel it onward!), but you feel like you've broadened your mind a bit by having read him. He's a highbrow writer who manages to write probing stories without coming off as condescending or forcing his intellect down your throat by beating you over the head with his scientific knowledge or highly literate background. He writes without an overly heavy hand on subjects that could very easily bury the common reader. Perhaps that is part of Clarke's larger appeal.

Please don't interpret this story as a condemnation of Arthur C. Clarke, I feel he's a very good writer of speculative fiction, but his approach is so pragmatic and without... urgency... that he doesn't quite generate the same amount of enthusiasm in me that, say, Isaac Asimov's Foundation series might.

All in all, a good story. Go into it if you're interested in a look at how humanity may turn out for the better, or if you're up for a more grim interpretation, end.(less)

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Jun 25, 2012 David Sheppard rated it 5 of 5 stars

{Warning: lots of spoilers.}

I read Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End many years ago. I also read it to my son when he was eight. So why did I come back to a book that was originally published in 1953, read it yet again, and feel it necessary to write a review?

What got me thinking about Childhood’s End again is the emergence of the Internet as force for change within the Global Community. Also, my limited experience teaching university students impressed upon me the impact that the Internet is h...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I see that a lot of my GR friends have read this fine book. I just wondered if any of you have had the thought that's occurred to me several times over the last two or three years.

One of the things I find most confusing about the current state of the world is that you can view it in two diametrically opposed ways. On the one hand, there's the terrifying stuff you see most days in the paper. Not only are we using up our irreplaceable natural resources, we're doing it in a way that's well on track...more I see that a lot of my GR friends have read this fine book. I just wondered if any of you have had the thought that's occurred to me several times over the last two or three years.

One of the things I find most confusing about the current state of the world is that you can view it in two diametrically opposed ways. On the one hand, there's the terrifying stuff you see most days in the paper. Not only are we using up our irreplaceable natural resources, we're doing it in a way that's well on track to destroy most of our planet's ability to sustain life. People keep saying that we better do something about it, and no one does. The Western world spends trillions of dollars sorting out the largely artificial banking crisis, but when it comes to finding a few tens of billions of dollars to do something about climate change, it's mostly excuses. At least, so far.

So that's one side of the story. On the other side, we have people like Ray Kurzweil, who point out that, over the last fifty thousand years or so, technology has moved forward at an exponentially increasing rate. Each advance takes half the time of the preceding one. It follows that we are now close to the Singularity, when machines will become smarter than people, and it is no longer possible for us to guess what will happen next. I think that Kurzweil's concrete figures are wrong, but I am much less certain that I disagree with his basic argument. The story so far in Artificial Intelligence has frequently been that people make optimistic predictions and get laughed at, but do in fact deliver in the end. The clearest example of this pattern is computer chess. As recently as 1985, I remember all sorts of very clever people, both computer scientists and chess players, explaining why machines would never even reach Grandmaster standard. It's now clear that they are stronger than any human players.

But, when I think of Childhood's End, I wonder: is it possible that both sides are right? Maybe we're destroying the Earth, but it doesn't matter any more than it does at the end of this book; the next stage of evolution, which is almost here, will have completely different priorities. Once the tree has grown, who cares about the seed it sprouted from?

If you're one of the people currently negotiating in Copenhagen, please don't pay any attention to me. I'm just free-associating.

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Mar 17, 2009 Zigger rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I always feel so terrible when I read, or attempt to read, Arthur C. Clarke. But I also feel terrible when I don't. I like fantasy. I like science fiction. Arthur C. Clark is a genius, a pioneering, farsighted sci-fi icon. I should like reading his books. And so I try every once in a while, in the same spirit that I eat half a banana once or twice a year. I like fruit. Bananas are good for you. But I have yet to finish either a banana or an Arthur C. Clarke book.

It's me. It must be. So I'm givin...more

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Apr 23, 2008 Clinton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

In honor of the late, great Arthur C. Clarke, I picked up one of his books I'd never read: Childhood's End. The book recounts the story of an alien civilization that comes to Earth and rules over it for 150 years, before mankind's true destiny is revealed.

I won't get into the overall story of the book itself - it's a quick read and certainly worth picking up. One of the most interesting things to me about the book was that Clarke wrote it in 1953, but it's set between about 1970 and 2120. It's f...more In honor of the late, great Arthur C. Clarke, I picked up one of his books I'd never read: Childhood's End. The book recounts the story of an alien civilization that comes to Earth and rules over it for 150 years, before mankind's true destiny is revealed.

I won't get into the overall story of the book itself - it's a quick read and certainly worth picking up. One of the most interesting things to me about the book was that Clarke wrote it in 1953, but it's set between about 1970 and 2120. It's fascinating to read what a sci-fi author, writing 60 years ago, THINKS will be the great technological innovations of his future (our present). As an example, here's a passage from the book. The timeframe for this passage is about 50 years from now, but keep in mind it was written 55 years ago:

"Do you realize that every day something like five hundred hours of radio and TV pour out over the various channels? If you went without sleep and did nothing else, you could follow less than a twentieth of the entertainment that's available at the turn of a switch! No wonder that people are becoming passive sponges - absorbing but never creating. Did you know that the average viewing time per person is now three hours a day? Soon people won't be living their own lives any more. It will be a full-time job keeping up with the various family serials on TV!"

Clarke, how right you were. Your timing was a little off - we hit this point in the mid-80s! And according to a Nielsen Media report published in 2006, the average American watches 4.5 hours of TV a day. And of course, in a world where everyone has cable, the number of programs you could watch for outstrips the amount of time you have. For that matter, you could probably spend 24 hours a day just watching tournament bass fishing if you wanted to. Add the Internet to the mix, and the formula becomes much more complicated.

Anyway, I just thought it was interesting how off Clarke was with his predictions. Often you think of sci-fi authors as building these fanciful worlds that could never come to be, at least not in our lifetimes. In this case, I think it came to be far too quickly!(less)

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Jun 01, 2007 Illyria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, 2007

Childhood's End is signature Arthur Clarke in that it blends hard science and wild fantasy and elements of metaphysics and mysticism; if you've read Clarke's "The Nine Billion Names of God" you get the picture.

The story begins with the arrival of an alien race with superhuman powers, whose subtle and not-so-subtle interference in the lives of Men changes the course of human history. Take for instance their first demand: an end to all cruelty to animals. This is enforced by causing all spectators...more Childhood's End is signature Arthur Clarke in that it blends hard science and wild fantasy and elements of metaphysics and mysticism; if you've read Clarke's "The Nine Billion Names of God" you get the picture.

The story begins with the arrival of an alien race with superhuman powers, whose subtle and not-so-subtle interference in the lives of Men changes the course of human history. Take for instance their first demand: an end to all cruelty to animals. This is enforced by causing all spectators of a bullfight to suffer a sudden inexplicable pain once the toreador stabs the bull with the first lance. (And in true Clarkian humor, he added that the Guardian suggested the Spaniards to take up cricket as their national sport).

Earthlings, after some misgivings due the secrecy and mystery cloaking the Overlords (or so the people of Earth refer to these extraterrestrial beings) accept their presence because their rulings bring about what has hitherto been impossible to attain: peace, prosperity, comfort and ease for everyone on Earth.

But such bounty comes at a high price. The culture of Men dwindles, teetering on the verge of death. Space exploration, still at its infancy when the Overlords arrived, virtually grinds to a halt. When a community called New Athens is founded to rekindle the verve for creativity and aethetics appreciation, it turns out to be the cradle for what eventually marks the end of humanity, the death of the human race, the deletion of the blue planet.

Although the change of POV is a little unsettling at first (I think it's also one of trademark Clarke--rendering it rather impossible for character exploration and development) and it's quite a bumpy read at the beginning, the book gets more and more engrossing about two-thirds in. The description of faraway stars and their denizens is simply breathtaking, and the report of the last man on Earth as the planet nears its destruction is nothing short of poetic.

Like many Clarke's writing this is a book to open our mind to the possibilities presented by nature, as interpreted by the, admittedly, limited vocabulary of science. Although I don't particularly agree with Clarke's assumption that with plenty and peace the human culture with all its facets will languish and eventually die out, I still love the way he provokes me to think about mankind and its longing for the stars, while around us there are facets of the universe still left unexplained and unexplored, even dismissed to the realm of the occult and the unscientific.(less)

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Apr 21, 2011 John Karabaic rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Sep 30, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Karen by: Colin M.

Shelves: top_25_scifi_book_club

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Oct 24, 2008 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-fantasy

I was expecting this book to bore me to tears. Since the book is a classic, I had to give it a try. Clarke's sophisticated, yet easy to read prose had me riveted! While lacking to some degree in human character development, the plot, descriptions and depth of the story more than compensated. I wish Clarke had expanded on the details about how crime, poverty, class consciousness, religion and menial labor were eradicated.

The book left me feeling moved, vaguely sad, yet hopeful about the future o...more

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Jan 18, 2011 figura4 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantascienza

E’ incredibile la quantità e la grandiosità delle idee contenute in questo romanzo di 200 paginette scarse.
Si inizia con una delle scene più suggestive e memorabili che la SF abbia mai proposto: enormi navi aliene che compaiono nei cieli delle maggiori città della Terra, stravolgendo per sempre la concezione del mondo nella mente degli uomini. Prima di dire “ma questa l’ho già vista un milione di volte!” guardate bene la data di pubblicazione del romanzo, e pensate un attimo a chi è che può rive...more

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Jan 16, 2009 Shaun Duke rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Most of us who read SF have read works by Clarke or have at least heard about him. He is, after all, one of the most popular 'golden age' SF authors. So, by saying this I want it to be clear that Childhood's End is a classic. It was written in a time when SF had practically no foothold whatsoever in the mainstream market. Like Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Childhood's End was written in installments and published in magazines. I didn't know this when I first started reading it, but now that I do k...more Most of us who read SF have read works by Clarke or have at least heard about him. He is, after all, one of the most popular 'golden age' SF authors. So, by saying this I want it to be clear that Childhood's End is a classic. It was written in a time when SF had practically no foothold whatsoever in the mainstream market. Like Foundation by Isaac Asimov, Childhood's End was written in installments and published in magazines. I didn't know this when I first started reading it, but now that I do know this it makes some of my dislikes for the book less pronounced. I have to now take into account that rather than a full fledged novel, this book is more like a set of connected short stories all set in the same universe on the same plotline.
The synopsis is this:
Set in a not so distant future (at least when it was written) an alien race known as the Overlords comes to Earth in giant ships (think Independence Day, only not violent). They establish themselves as overseers of Mankind, ridding the world of war, famine, prejudice, racism, etc. All this is done without violence. The Overlords could easily wipe out Mankind, but that is not their goal. They are there to establish a long lasting peace, a veritable utopia where none go hungry and everyone can live a life of leisure.
But something else is going on, something that Mankind is not prepared for and could very well make them extinct...
That synopsis is somewhat vague simply because I cannot give anything at all away or it would ruin the ending of the book. I can tell you this, you will have one of two reactions to the end: you'll either feel sad and sympathetic, or you will be angry.
Now, stylistically speaking Clarke is a very good writer--one of the best really when you think about it. He is able to draw you into the characters deep enough to care about them even though you know them for such a short time (remember, written in short story installments).
The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. To me it seemed far too sudden and I can't imagine reacting in the way the characters did to the final twist. This isn't to say that the ending is unbelievable, although scientifically speaking from a more modern view it does seem tremendously unlikely, but it is saying that the ending seemed somewhat out of place. Many in my lit class discussed this same subject. Some liked the ending, others didn't. I personally didn't much care for the ending.
Regardless, this is a classic. A must read. If you are into the foundations of SF, as I am, then you should probably pick this one up, along with Foundation by Isaac Asimov and early works by Poul Anderson and the like. For a classic it is good; but from a modern prospective it lacks due to various circumstances. Still, I'm glad I read it.(less)

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Dec 24, 2008 Jessi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I ended up reading this book after a chain of events that actually started in a parenting community. Anyway, reading this was like going back to my first beloved genre, science fiction.

I liked the book a lot at first even though it was a little difficult to follow, but towards the end, I got a strong sense of depression. I probably would've thought a lot differently about this book if I had read it back in high school, but now that I have a child, the story left me feeling empty. The end of man...more

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May 01, 2013 Ericliu marked it as to-read · review of another edition

It is been a long time. People experienced long time to improve ourselves. Our ancestor is apes. In the hundred thousand years, there are lots of things changed people, Such as environment, climate, geographical location and life style. People created langrage and words. We live in a modern world. There are lots of masterpiece and culture. Is that the end of human? No. We are still continuing the evolution.
Childhood is the early time of whole life. We learned knowledge in this time. We made mis...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Nilesh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: good-fiction

A wonderful sci-fi that moves beyond the stories of strange places, people or individual characters (despite talking about all of them) and dares to talk about the end of the world as we know it (almost too casually),

The best part of the novel is the breath-taking pace. The author does not try to impress the readers with the imagination of unknown technologies or aliens but keeps the focus on the tale of where humans stand in the fantasy on the totem pole of alien intelligence and how they get m...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Yousuf Ali rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I admit, I am a sucker for Sci-Fi. However, sadly, presently the genre, like everything else, is heavily plagued with commercialism. Writers focused on working on "successful projects" that sell, produce loads of merchandise, get adapted into movies that produce sequels. A lone space marine, taking on entire advanced alien civilizations, that have existed eons before mankind learned to dispose off properly their fecal matter, and anally raping them into extinction with his single assault rifle w...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Balam Abello rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The novel Childhood’s End was written by Arthur C. Clarke and published in 1953. Although I have read several fiction and non-fiction books by Clarke, stylistically, the first few paragraphs of this book bothered me a lot, to the point that I was tempted to put down the book for good. However, I stuck with it and a few pages into the book, I was hooked. It was Mr. Clarke in full style. Perhaps this minor hiccup was due to the fact that this is one of his earlier works. Nonetheless, the story is...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Ben De Bono rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

What if a dominant race of aliens came to earth but instead of using their superior might to invade and conquer they used it to impose world peace? That is the central question that drives Arthur C. Clarke's wonderful, golden-age sci-fi classic.

What Clarke understands - and so many of his literary descendants fail to grasp - is that the most interesting part of an alien invasion isn't how but why. When sci-fi films and novels try to dissect the question of how the plot typically devolves into a...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Sandy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I couldn't figure out why I was coming home so grouchy over the last few days, but then realized it was because I was listening to this book in the car. I have read and enjoyed lots of Asimov and Heinlein, but never had read much of Clarke. Now I know why. I REALLY DISLIKE this story! I got through about 2/3 of it and felt more depressed and angry every day, so I cheated and looked at a summary of the book. It ended just as badly as I thought it might.

I found the idea of an alien race forcing h...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Carl Cranney rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nprs-top-100-science-fiction-and-fa

Arthur C. Clarke is just one of my favorite science fiction authors. Period. His ability to weave both science and wonder together is masterful, and this book was no exception.

The Overlords descend upon the earth with such advanced technology that the instantly can take control over human civilization. They are to be our shepherds, and since they are very long-lived, they can shepherd human civilization to its next stage of evolution-a process taking generations. I liked that the book took plac...more

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About Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most important and influential figures in 20th century science fiction. He spent the first half of his life in England, where he served in World War Two as a radar operator, before emigrating to Ceylon in 1956. He is best known for the novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he co-created with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke was a graduate of King's Co...more

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2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)

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“Science is the only religion of mankind.” — 47 people liked it

“Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware, the nonexistence of Zeus or Thor, but they have few followers now.” — 18 people liked it

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