Childhood's End (original 1953; edition 1966)

amazing book! ( )

Well maybe I should be able to get past the outdated attitudes and whatnot and just enjoy the story, like I do with Nevil Shute!
But Nevil Shute is a fucking awesome storyteller, and you, my friend, are no Nevil Shute. ( )

I read this long ago, just when I was becoming a teenager and my tastes were changing, you might say I read it at childhood's end. ( )

What an ending, nothing I expected - usually books are so predictable.

The first 1/2 of the book I felt to be a little slow without much direction on where it was headed, then the second 1/2 picks up and becomes rather exciting where I finally wasn't able to put it down till I had finished.

It's a fairly short book, it's really a shame it wasn't longer to get a chance to get into the characters a bit more, but the plot is original and for that I give it extra stars. So often you read something and it's nothing more than a variation on good vs. evil (with a main romance thrown in for good measure) but this book is not that at all, and refreshingly so.

The ending leaves you with a mixture of emotions, which I have no doubt is due to the genius of the author. ( )

I picked this one up at LAX on the recommendation of my brilliant fiancée and I'm happy I did. A short but powerful novel about a future that befell the Earth. Before man had a chance to land on the Moon Earth was surrounded by a fleet of alien craft. Their ultimate purpose was unknown but they quickly turned the world to peace.

Arthur C. Clarke was well ahead of his time with a lot of his predictions. Time will tell what else comes true. I think it was a little too quick though, I would have liked more set at the end when the truth is revealed.

A brilliant book though and well worth reading. ( )