In Clarke's Childhood's End, aliens have finally come to Earth. Hovering in massive starships above the Earth's major cities, the Overlords, as they come to be known, are vastly superior both physiologically and technologically. The Overlords assert a benign control over humanity...banning only the most dangerous of technologies (i.e. atom bombs), they assure that everyone on Earth, for the first time in history, is free to live the life they wish to live without fear of starvation or worry about their safety.

But why have the Overlords come to Earth? What's the Overlord's stake in humanity? To be humanity's masters, ruling benignly from their perches on high? Or do they have something else in mind?

Published in 1953, Childhood's End is not only masterful storytelling, but also decades ahead of its time on countless facets; it truly felt at some points that Clarke was reflecting today's early 21st century society instead of the mid-20th one he was writing in. This tale is highly recommended.

Although I have enjoyed many of Arthur C. Clarke's books, this is one that made almost no impression upon me. Perhaps I've gotten used to the conventions of the genre which this book in part set up from scratch, but knowing that a book was groundbreaking in its time and now simply reflects standard cliches does not make it any easier to enjoy. The aliens, despite their initially mysterious behaviour, turn out to be all-too-human and banal; the touching but rather juvenile faith in the UN and other world institutions that permeates most of the book reeks of 1950s transnationalism; and the mystical aspects of the book are rather amateurish and anti-intellectual. Compare this to Theodore Sturgeon's To Marry Medusa and you will find Childhood's End seems like an appetizer in comparison to the literary feast that Sturgeon presents on a similar topic. Unless you're eager to explore the antecedents of modern sci-fi cliches, I can't honestly recommend this novel.

This was my first Arthur C. Clarke book and it definitely will not be the last. It is a chillingly humbling story about the "invasion" of Earth by some alien guardians with a secret mission. The story is very creative and brings us through the limitless galaxy of Clarke's imagination and curiosity. Some of Clarke's vision came true, such as our ability to determine paternity and much more efficient air travel. The book serves as a reminder about the "smallness" of Man and the possibility that exists beyond the minuscule world we are aware of.

As alluded by the title of the book and this review, the book is melancholic and quite depressing. I certainly hope that Clarke's other books aren't as negative. I think that when and if intelligent alien life were to come to Earth, it would indeed be the end of mankind's childhood phase.

Arthur C. Clarke was a writer a great imagination and prescience. His science fiction tales are fantastical and sometimes frightening in their prophecies for the human race. Perhaps his most famous tale of what might happen to man in regards to the cosmos is "2001: A Space Odyssey", but Clarke's 1953 novel "Childhood's End" is just as disturbing a look at the very last generation of man on Earth.

The novel begins with the Secretary-General of the United Nations holding his usual meeting with an alien species they have termed the Overlords. The Overlords arrived mysteriously one day, their giant ships hovering over every major city on earth, but they did not come to conquer, merely to observe and guide humanity through its unknown transition. The Overlords will not reveal themselves initially to humans, which causes suspicion among many who doubt the intentions of their alien guardians. Fifty years later, when man has become comfortable with the new world the aliens have wrought, one of great peace and prosperity, their alien watchers reveal themselves and the true course that humanity will take.

"Childhood's End" is a quick-paced and fascinating read, filled with some imaginings that are all too real. Clarke's vision of technical advances for the future were sometimes spot-on, and his treatise of the end of the world is laced with a wry humor and sarcasm. Yet for all of its enigmatic buildup, the last fifty pages of "Childhood's End" seems to derail from the inital story. While readers are introduced to a variety of characters and several different plotlines, by the novel's end there seems to be too little to tie these together with what happens to the last race of mankind. Still, it is an impressive tale, one that touches on many themes and questions that still resonate today.

Having read both the original opening chapter and the 1990 opening chapter, I can appreciate the updates that Arthur C. Clarke put into this often underappreciated work. Known best for the 2001 Series and its parallel movies, Clarke is among the elite science fiction writers. It is remarkable to reflect on the acccurate visions of the future such writers presented in their writing. Clarke hits the conscience of mankind with marksman like accuracy in "Childhood's End". Yet even with the stunning achievements of this book, the climax seemed a bit far out.

"Childhood's End" sees the end of the human race's childhood as an alien race arrives on Earth to guide humans to the next phase of evolution. While that phase may be hard to grasp, the themes in the process of the change are not. Along the journey, readers observe themes such as cruelty to animals, man's inability to live in a utopian society, the idea of a greater purpose than life on this Earth, and the apocalyptic idea of the last man on Earth.

Though humans come to embrace their alien overloads who save them from themselves, a mysterious set of events gives hints as to the aliens' motives. While the mystery unravels, Jan Rodricks escapes to visit the home planet of the Overlords. As he learns of the Overlords' planet, Earth is in its final stages and will not be the same when he returns.

"Childhood's End" progressed in such a way as to make the reader want to know the next phase and the story's conclusion. I found the final phase to be somewhat of a reach, though this did not take away from my enjoyment of the story. Clarke's insight into man and the glimpse into something greater speaks volumes of his skill as a writer.

Offers up a cosmic view of the Jungian spiritual perspective. One of Clarke's best.

A good book with intriging ideas. I thought the ending was very cool. It was also pretty cool the way Clark described the planets in that kid's dreams. Where does this guy come up with that stuff?

Wow! To me, this book is the epidome of science fiction. It contains everything I love about the genre. When I finished this book, I just stared at the cover for a few minutes, just letting the ending sink in, which was both dismal and uplifting at the same time. It's no wonder that Arthur C. Clarke is one of the most renowned science fiction writers ever. I felt this book was better than his 2001: A Space Odyssey, which seems to get so much more press due to the movie.

I read this recently after having heard about it for years. It surpassed all my expectations. It subverses all your beliefs and ideas. Makes you question everything you've taken for granted. Great plot, even though it is not an "action-based" one. A classic!