Alone many miles above the Earth, Jan Rodricks, the last surviving human, is witnessing the end of the world. As he watches, he records for the benefit of history how mankind was doomed...The massive spaceships appeared over every city on Earth, bringing the Overlords, a seemingly benign race vastly superior in technology and intelligence. Led by the enigmatic Karellen, they promised a new age of peace and prosperity, and with the help of UN Secretary General Stormgren, they eradicated poverty, disease and war.But contentment has its price. As the years pass, culture, science and religion start to die, and there are those who question the road down which the Overlords are leading them. For it seems the apparently benevolent and omnipotent masters of the Earth are themselves only the servants of a greater power: a power they have no choice but to obey...Steven Pacey stars as Jan Rodricks with Peter Jeffrey as Karellen in this powerful BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Arthur C. Clarke's apocalyptic vision of the future. First published in 1953, Arthur C. Clarke's tale of the evolution and eventual end of humanity has come to be seen as one of the great SF works. This CD release also includes a detailed sleeve note recounting the making of the radio serialisation, written by Andrew Pixley.
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"'There has been nothing like it for years' C. S. Lewis; 'The Colossus Of Science Fiction' New York Times"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Arthur C. Clarke's classic in which he ponders humanity's future and possible evolution.
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A brilliant book in which Clarke explores the theme of man's position within the universe. Unlike a lot of Clarke's work which draws heavily on scientific principles this is not a factually based novel.
A highly fantastic plot sees a race of aliens take control of earth and outlaw all immoral acts, instantly producing world peace, through use of their superior technology. Unlike many SF novels, however, they are here not to conquor the globe but to prepare humanity for the future. Some, of course are not willing to sit back and accept this life of blissful slavery from the moralistic aliens. They are determined to discover the truth behind the alien's plans, why noone has ever seen one an alien and precisely what this future holds. The nature of what is to come in the future may not be very believable but this is one of Clarke's space-fantasy novels not factual science-fiction. The end of the book will make you turn back to the front cover to double check it has Arthur C. Clarke's name on it.
The first few editions of the novel had the words "The views expressed in this book are not those of the author" printed on page 1. In the introduction to the later editions, Clarke explains why he insisted on those lines being included as the novel revolves around the idea that man's place is here on earth not in the stars.
This is a superb, thought provoking novel. While the plot may not be all that credible the themes discussed in this book: man's positition in the universe; whether enforced heaven is acceptable and whether man's place is on earth or in the stars are what makes it one of the best science-fiction novels ever written. It may have been written over thirty years ago but it is still relevant in today's world.
Not necessarily for all Arthur C. Clarke fans as if you are expecting a novel based primarily on hard science like "2061: Odessy 3" or "A Fall of Moondust" you will be disapointed. This is, however one of the greatest science-fiction novels ever written and and demonstrates superbly the depth of Clarke's imagination.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
For anyone who claims that science fiction is a genre that cannot produce classic literature, they should read Childhood's End. It provides, compact, readible philsophy of the first kind; something you rarely find. Childhood's end confront the value of mere survival for humaniy. A wonderful book.
37 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It will now be hard to film Childhood's End because the opening, with the great ships suspended over the cities of the earth, was cribbed, intentionally or by coincidence, for Independence Day. That's a pity because it would make a tremendous film being a shattering and most skilfully written story. Here the visitors have not come to despoil our planet, indeed so well put together is the plot that we may well forget to ask ourselves why they have bothered to come along and preside over a golden age of universal peace, prosperity and others of Clarke's (and my) liberal preoccupations such as no cruelty to animals. The book is not 200 pages long but it combines Clarke's special narrative gifts as a short-story writer with a vision of the whole nature and purpose of the universe that I find staggering and intolerably poignant to this day, 30 years after I first read it.
Brian Aldiss has perceptively said that if Stapledon has a successor it is Clarke, and Clarke himself has told us how deeply Stapledon has influenced him. However this book resembles Stapledon in nothing except the scale of the concept. Childhood's End is written by a recognisable human being with power over our emotions -- power indeed! When the overlord first shows himself, I wondered whether the story could ever recover from such a dramatic coup so early on. I need not have worried. The story has not even begun: the truth, when we finally get it not far from the end, wrenches my innards to this day, and between times the crux of the narrative (the seance) is as brilliant a false clue as was ever laid by Agatha Christie. Those of us who have been cursed or maybe blessed with a compulsion to worry about our world and our fate, and who cannot find any clue to it in bibles and such like, are bound to react emotionally to an effort like this. It is not 'tragic' in Aristotle's sense, but for a 'purging of pity and terror' I'm not sure I know anything like it.
Brian Aldiss has perceptively said that if Stapledon has a successor it is Clarke, and Clarke himself has told us how deeply Stapledon has influenced him. However this book resembles Stapledon in nothing except the scale of the concept. Childhood's End is written by a recognisable human being with power over our emotions -- power indeed! When the overlord first shows himself, I wondered whether the story could ever recover from such a dramatic coup so early on. I need not have worried. The story has not even begun: the truth, when we finally get it not far from the end, wrenches my innards to this day, and between times the crux of the narrative (the seance) is as brilliant a false clue as was ever laid by Agatha Christie. Those of us who have been cursed or maybe blessed with a compulsion to worry about our world and our fate, and who cannot find any clue to it in bibles and such like, are bound to react emotionally to an effort like this. It is not 'tragic' in Aristotle's sense, but for a 'purging of pity and terror' I'm not sure I know anything like it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece
No much else to say other than the Headline!.... Sci-Fi at its pinnacle. Great story, great characters and a very very poignant ending!...What more do you need?
Published 1 day ago by Delzx7r
5.0 out of 5 stars
a work of genius
This book was written in the early 1950s . It is the enthralling story of the invasion of the earth by a species called the overlords. Read more
Published 5 days ago by A. Browne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good SF
Great Arthur C Clarke novel difficult to fault this as all of his books are always first class reading material
Published 5 days ago by R. Florance
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book
Read this book many years ago the first time, Still available and enjoying it very much service was very good thank you very much. TMAC
Published 18 days ago by Terry McAllister
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant for its time, a bit overrated now possibly?
Let me start by saying that this is a great book and i read it in 2 sittings, so that should give you some idea of the quality! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Daniel Hunter
4.0 out of 5 stars
Childhood's End
I can't think what to say about this book without spoiling it in one way or another. Even the various blurbs I looked at gave something or other away. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Steve D
4.0 out of 5 stars
short but sweet
great book that illuminates the inability of humans to change their morals irrespective of their technical progress It takes an alien to show us the way. Read more
Published 2 months ago by JP
5.0 out of 5 stars
great science fiction
This was the book that got me into science fiction when I first read it over 40 years ago. It's still a great story and Arthur C is still the master of Sci-Fi.
Published 3 months ago by Pat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clarke at his best
For some reason I have not read this before, an omission I deeply regret. The characters are well rounded and the story everything I have come to expect from ACC.
Published 3 months ago by Comet
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read
Don't read much sci if, but I remember my brother read this years ago and tried to describe it, and I heard the radio adaptation. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Claire
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