2001 the movie led me to this, but I found the cinematic plot more interesting. ( )

Childhood's End was a very good science fiction novel, certainly worthy of all the praise it has received and which eventually landed it upon my shelves. The first three-quarters of the book were absolutely riveting and thoughtful, and I'd have given it five stars at that point, but then things went downhill quickly. One of the things I dislike in mystery fiction is the Hercule Poirot-style summing up of the entire solution with all the players in the drama present. This unfortunate trope is repeated in this novel, and to add to the problem, it gets very preachy and the writing descends from its initial excellence into treacle-fueled crud.

The story is of the world being benevolently taken over by extra-planetary overlords, who, without the use of force, end war, poverty, injustice, and cruelty. The conversations between Karellen, the English-speaking representative of the overlords, and the secretary-general of the United Nations are interesting and humour-filled. At the end of the first section of the book something occurs that is so rare: a revelation that shocked me into silence and temporary mental paralysis. It takes a rare writer to surprise me that greatly. The book is intelligent, thoughtful, and tells the reader not a little about the way humanity works, and its descriptions of the woes of humanity in the 21st century are certainly pertinent in these days where a pernicious virus has immobilised and terrified the entire planet.

I was really disappointed by the last section of the book, and by the denoument. It took a perfectly-crafted mixture of science fiction and horror and made it saccharine and sermony. I think it was as disappointing as it was because most of the book is unlike any novel I've read before. It's startlingly original despite being written nearly seventy years ago, and so absorbing that I've managed to skip dinner without noticing I was hungry. With a better finale, the book would have been a favourite; as it is, it is only a better than average novel with a crappy ending. ( )

This book has not aged well at all. When it came out in the 50s it probably captured people attention but feels very old-fashioned today. Apart from the fact that everything feels terribly dated the real problem of the book is the racist theme (superior races occupying and guiding inferior races in a kind of a futuristic colonial setup) that is disturbing to say the least and definitely not what I was expecting from a future-looking author. ( )

Not sure how I feel about this one yet! It really captivated me at moments but I am not sure if the total delivery worked for me.

(1953)In the near future, enormous silver spaceships appear without warning over mankind's largest cities. They belong to the Overlords, an alien race far superior to humanity in technological development-and their purpose is to dominate the Earth. Their demands, however, are surprisingly beneficial-end war, poverty, and cruelty. Their presence, rather than signaling the end of humanity, ushers in a golden age-or so it seems.But it comes at a price. Without conflict, humanity ceases to work toward creative achievement, and culture stagnates. And as the years pass, it becomes more and more clear that the Overlords have a hidden agenda for the evolution of the human race-that may not be as beneficial as it seems.Originally published in 1953, Childhood's End is Clarke's first successful novel-and is considered a classic of science fiction literature. Its dominating theme of transcendent evolution appears in many of Clarke's later works, including the Space Odyssey series. In 2004, the book was nominated for the Retro Hugo Award for Best Novel.