Childhood's End

[AcesHigh]

Childhood´s End is really a masterpiece, although its hard to say I liked WHAT happened in the story. (supposedly we shouldnt be envious of the all powerful protectors, since in fact, they just couldnt evolve to a higher degree. But I couldnt help but do exactly that, since as a human, I just could not accept that it was such an inevitable fate that our children would just turn into pesky transcendental beings).





I noticed nobody talked about THE CITY AND THE STARS in here. Do you guys dont love that Clarke book?

[AcesHigh]

I noticed nobody mentioned The Fountains of Paradise either, the classic that popularized the Space Elevator.

[D_Davis]

Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, is a prototypical alien invasion story. It is safe to assume that just about every book or movie featuring such a scenario made after Clarke's Hugo award winning novel owes some deal of debt to it.

Humongous spaceships appear in the skies over the Earth's major cities, and throughout the course of many generations the seemingly benevolent alien Overlords solve all of humankind's problems. They create a so-called “Utopia,” in which crime, hunger, homelessness, and other undesirable things vanish completely.

But at what cost? For every good thing that the Overlords give to mankind, for every problem they help to solve, what are they taking away? And why won't they let us explore the heavens? Why have they declared that “the stars are not for man?” What are the Overlords hiding from the people of Earth?

Clarke's book is, for the most part, an enjoyable read. There are many remarkable moments peppered throughout the short, two-hundred page volume. The book possesses more than a handful of sequences that are truly gripping: I recall a few times when I simply could not read fast enough to discover the outcome of a particularly suspenseful situation.

However, also sprinkled throughout are a few passages of highly questionable quality. It is quite strange, really. Taken as a whole, the book is well written, engaging, thought provoking, and endearing. But, during some of the long-winded exposition, in which there is too much “telling” and not enough “showing,” Clarke lapses into territory that can only be called amateurish, and makes some baffling continuity errors.

Most of these ill-conceived passages occur when Clarke is describing the Utopian society mankind enjoys, one that doesn't sound all that appealing to me. We do not get to experience the Utopia, but, rather, it is simply and drably detailed in an unengaging manner. Sure, some of the ideas are neat, but how did the Overlords orchestrate their master plan?

I get the impression that Clarke didn't really know how or why, either, and so he just came up with the final outcome; these passages feel empty because they skip past the most interesting aspects of the notions. Clarke does not reveal the subtle societal changes through the actions of his characters, but rather he just comes out and tells us that religion no longer exists, or that mankind has grown lazy and no longer creates stuff, or that scientific discover has been halted.

He also seems to contradict himself from time to time. During one passage, he tells of how mankind has grown apathetic towards the arts, and has lost its creative edge because of the over abundance of entertainment and television. But, then, who is creating the entertainment and the programming the people are spending all of their time watching?

These moments are rare, but they are baffling enough to stand out because the majority of the stuff surrounding these missteps is interesting and entertaining. Like most of the books I've been reading lately, Childhood's End is divided into three distinct parts. The first part focuses on the initial “invasion” and the discovery of mankind's chosen emissary, Rikki Stormgren. Stromgren is the only human to which the Overlords directly speak, and he finds himself in a no win situation being pitted between a group of human malcontents and the plans of the Earth's new rulers.

The second portion of the book introduces the ideas of Utopia and a surprising paranormal twist. It begins with the aliens finally revealing themselves to their human subjects; this part is incredibly awesome. I won't spoil what the Overlords look like, but rest assured Clarke delivers an interesting glimpse into human-born mythology, psychology and religion.

The final third of the book takes a detailed look at a colony of outsiders, whose goal it is to preserve the arts, through which the Overlords' reveal their end game. Here, the book takes a remarkable turn, and ends up going in a direction that I never expected. During the final pages of Clarke's book, I was constantly being reminded of Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human, and I'll simply leave it at that.

To give anything more away would rob future readers of a fantastic conclusion. The closing chapters are quite powerful and poetically written, and I couldn't help but feel a little wistful about all of things that had come to fruition. This is clearly an example of powerful science fiction, and I will remember the closing moments for some time to come.

While the book is far from perfect, it still comes highly recommended. It covers a ton of ground, spanning hundreds of years, and offers up some wildly imaginative plot points in its engaging narrative. It's just too bad that much of the exposition is simplistically told rather than shown, as the effects of the societal changes are rarely discussed in terms of individual impact.

I would have preferred a heavier does of characterization to accompany the lofty ideas, but I do realize that these problems, as they are, are due more to the style of this classic era of science fiction than they are to Clarke's abilities as an author. Childhood's End feels more like a collection of short stories than it does an epic narrative, but this is, by no means, a warning to stay clear, because when it is all said and done, Clarke's classic deserves all of the praise it has been given.

[manephelien]

Yes, well, characterization has never been Clarke's strong suit. The one exception I remember is 2001, and that probably because it was written in parallel with the script to the movie (sometimes he changed passages after particular scenes had been shot).

And in spite of being heavily involved in 2001, I don't suppose Clarke ever thought writing for television was particularly creative. Given the slew of reality tv we're subjected to, I don't blame him...

Watching Babylon 5, I suspect JMS was heavily influenced by Childhood's End in parts. I won't say more than that, but those of you who have seen B5 and read the book, you'll know what I mean.

[AcesHigh]

Manephelien, Ive read Childhood´s End but I havent watched B5 (just very few episodes).

Can you PM me telling what are the connection between the book and B5?

thanks.

[Abyssimal]

Originally Posted by AcesHigh

I noticed nobody talked about THE CITY AND THE STARS in here. Do you guys dont love that Clarke book?

I just finished re reading that one and loved it - but found it a bit more pedestrian the second time around. I would have thought society would be a bit more mature a billion years in the future.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by D_Davis

Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End, is a prototypical alien invasion story. It is safe to assume that just about every book or movie featuring such a scenario made after Clarke's Hugo award winning novel owes some deal of debt to it.

Ummm, one slight problem: Childhood's End never won a Hugo. Clarke did (on more than one occasion), but not this particular novel:

http://www.thehugoawards.org/?page_id=6

[D_Davis]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

Ummm, one slight problem: Childhood's End never won a Hugo. Clarke did (on more than one occasion), but not this particular novel:

http://www.thehugoawards.org/?page_id=6

D'oh!

Thanks mate!

Well then, why in the hell did I buy this?



I could have sworn it was on my Hugo-winners list when I bought it...

Ah, I see, it was only nominated...stupid list.

[manephelien]

Just re-read the book, this time with the rewritten first chapter. The ending was just as awesome as last time.

[TomS]

I am a fan of Pink Floyd who has a song called Childhood's End. It may or may have not been influenced by the book. For those of you unfamiliar with the lyrics:

"You shout in your sleep.
Perhaps the price is just too steep.
Is your conscience at rest
If once put to the test?
You awake with a start
To just the beating of your heart.
Just one man beneath the sky,
Just two ears, just two eyes.

You set sail across the sea
Of long past thoughts and memories.
Childhood's end, your fantasies
Merge with harsh realities.
And then as the sail is hoist,
You find your eyes are growing moist.
All the fears never voiced
Say you have to make your final choice.

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why?
Some are born; some men die
Beneath one infinite sky.
There'll be war, there'll be peace.
But everything one day will cease.
All the iron turned to rust;
All the proud men turned to dust.
And so all things, time will mend.
So this song will end."

....Any thoughts?

[chrispenycate]

Back when I knew them Floyd were science fiction fans, but it was more Ballard and Morcock than Clarke and Asimov. I suspect that, like Yes's Starship troopers, it was more 'Hey, that's a good title' than an attempt to transmute the spirit of the book into music.

Mind you, there were groups who were attempting that, both in fantasy and SY; I would cite Hawkwind…

[SpanishMill]

I've been trying to find this old book too....