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Loading... Childhood's End (original 1954; edition 1987)by Arthur C. Clarke
Work InformationChildhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke (1954)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 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. A fascinating book, with an ending that was completely unexpected. The 2nd half of the book is better than the first. I won’t spoil it, but the last act turned this from a three-star to a four-star experience for me. It’s dated, and lacks any meaningful female characters. Infused with the sensibilities of the time in which it was written, it’s still worth reading. The two most powerful nations on Earth are reaching for the stars when suddenly the stars reach down, and everyone waits. Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke is one of the most important novels of “the golden age of science fiction” with its surprising twist and interesting ending. Given the time the book was published and how Clarke projected the “future” timeframe that the story took place, it didn’t hurt the overall story. The benevolent alien contact trope, but with a unique hidden agenda twist was good as well. The surprise twist of the appearance of the aliens was cool, though the later explanation at the end about how their appearance was ingrained in human consciousness was disappointing though it went with the ending of the book. Clarke’s point-of-view characters were a bit flat just there to move the narrative along, which overall was fine. Yet it was Clarke’s prologue for the 1990 edition—which I read—unfortunately undermined the story even before I had begun that I wish that Clark had decided to make it an epilogue. Overall, I thought this novel was okay, I wasn’t dissuaded from reading other of Clarke’s works. Childhood’s End is one of science fiction’s most important works from its golden age and put Arthur C. Clarke on the literary map.
I'm not sure Childhood's End is the first book my dad gave me, but it was one of the first, and it's certainly the one I remember most vividly. And it's probably a book that changed my life. Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inHas the adaptationInspiredAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Fiction.
Science Fiction.
HTML:In the Retro Hugo Awardâ??nominated novel that inspired the Syfy miniseries, alien invaders bring peace to Earthâ??at a grave price: "A first-rate tour de force" (The New York Times). 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. Their purpose is to dominate Earth. Their demands, however, are surprisingly benevolent: end war, poverty, and cruelty. Their presence, rather than signaling the end of humanity, ushers in a golden age . . . or so it seems. Without conflict, human culture and progress stagnate. As the years pass, it becomes clear that the Overlords have a hidden agenda for the evolution of the human race that may not be as benevolent as it seems. "Frighteningly logical, believable, and grimly prophetic . . . Clarke is a master." â??Los Angeles T No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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