Childhood's End
- Downloads：5329
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-14 08:54:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Arthur C. Clarke
- ISBN：0330514016
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Earth has become a Utopia， guided by a strange unseen people from outer space whose staggering powers have eradicated war， cruelty， poverty and racial inequality。 When the 'Overlords' finally reveal themselves， their horrific form makes little impression。 Then comes the sign that the Overlords have been waiting for。 A child begins to dream strangely - and develops remarkable powers。 Soon this happens to every child - and the truth of the Overlords' mission is finally revealed to the human race。。。
Reviews
Fran
，
I must not be the right audience。 I partly liked this book， mostly the first half as it considered how humans might respond to this sci-fi situation。 I partly found it annoying。
Tayná （Tay）
，
* 2，5Em um contexto geral， o livro tem uma premissa interessante。 É curioso todo o aspecto da invasão dos Senhores Supremos — as motivações e sua aparência —， mas faltou coesão entre as partes da história。 Os saltos de tempo são confusos， assim como a narração em si， algo que prejudica totalmente a compreensão da história。 Você finaliza o livro com confusão， incapaz de pontuar certamente o que foi a causa de tudo。
M
，
What does it mean to be human， and what is our place in the cosmic pecking order？ How might we act as subjects of benevolent dictatorship？ Why do those aliens look so familiar？ Top notch scifi to be devoured over the course of 3 to 4 anthropocene thunderstorms。 8 totems out of 10。 👹👹👹👹👹👹👹👹☠️☠️
Jack Paton
，
Good short read， and always mindblowing to realise this book was written fifteen years before the moon landing。
Annie Yang-Perez
，
“The stars are not for man，” a species well-shielded from extraterrestrial forces like a well-protected child at an age of innocence。 Though the story may not seem groundbreaking today， I have great admiration for the author’s power of imagination in the early 1950s。 The human defects are hard to cure， with the presence of Overlords or without。 The thought experiment of a state of utopia is powerful:“No Utopia can ever give satisfaction to everyone， all the time。 As their material conditions imp “The stars are not for man，” a species well-shielded from extraterrestrial forces like a well-protected child at an age of innocence。 Though the story may not seem groundbreaking today， I have great admiration for the author’s power of imagination in the early 1950s。 The human defects are hard to cure， with the presence of Overlords or without。 The thought experiment of a state of utopia is powerful:“No Utopia can ever give satisfaction to everyone， all the time。 As their material conditions improve， men raise their sights and become discontented with power and possessions that once would have seemed beyond their wildest dreams。 And even when the external world has granted all it can， there still remain the searchings of the mind and the longings of the heart。“Utopia was here at last: its novelty had not yet been assailed by the supreme enemy of all Utopias—boredom。“Man was， therefore， still a prisoner on his own planet。 It was a much fairer， but a much smaller， planet than it had been a century before。 When the Overlords had abolished war and hunger and disease， they had also abolished adventure。” 。。。more
Israel
，
Capaz que sea el mejor que he leído en este año。 Hay dos momentos muy emocionantes， pero no lo voy a decir， para no dar spoiler。 Primero libro que he leído de este autor。Solo les digo una cosa: Léerlo sin prejuicios。
Letícia
，
Achei um pouco confuso e um pouco parado demais para mim， apesar disso gostei， achei a história muito interessante， como acabei de ler a trilogia do ceifador não pude evitar pensar que esse livro possa ter servido de inspiração para algumas coisas！！
Jaiden Edelman
，
3。5 Stars; weird
Alex Suslin
，
Возможно я невнимательно слушал аудиокнигу， не погружаясь。。。 но как-то очень тяжело и скучно было
Jason Blackthorn
，
Like a lot of early science fiction， this feels in many ways like a fascinating think-piece， a "what if？" in long form。 That said， there are several emotionally poignant moments， and a distinct sense of wonder that is well captured。 Worth the read。 Like a lot of early science fiction， this feels in many ways like a fascinating think-piece， a "what if？" in long form。 That said， there are several emotionally poignant moments， and a distinct sense of wonder that is well captured。 Worth the read。 。。。more
Richard Becker
，
Childhood's End is a slow-burn soft sci-fi classic with two takeaways。 Arthur C。 Clarke is a master at thought-provoking stories。 Yet， there is a passiveness in the execution， which is partly because that's the point and partly because Clarke was always more a storyteller than a novelist。 In other words， I've never found his writing that engaging even if what he writes about is engaging。 In this case， Clarke serves up an alien invasion in which the aliens kill us by ticking off every box on Harl Childhood's End is a slow-burn soft sci-fi classic with two takeaways。 Arthur C。 Clarke is a master at thought-provoking stories。 Yet， there is a passiveness in the execution， which is partly because that's the point and partly because Clarke was always more a storyteller than a novelist。 In other words， I've never found his writing that engaging even if what he writes about is engaging。 In this case， Clarke serves up an alien invasion in which the aliens kill us by ticking off every box on Harlow's hierarchy of needs。 They bring about the end of wars， crime， essential needs — you name it。 And in the process， they also bring about the end of passion， desires， and curiosity — and everything that makes us human。 And this， pulse a few interesting twists， is what really makes it worth the read。 。。。more
Andrii Mykhailov
，
Well written and thought provoking book。 It was interesting to learn from author’s afterword how he himself perceived it and the ideas it described。
Alex Hotovy
，
best $1。58 i’ve spent at half price books
Paolo Gini
，
Un grande classico della fantascienza con profondi risvolti。 Qual è il destino dell'umanità？ In questo romanzo di Clarke vedo il vero collegamento con la parte finale di Odissea nello spazio。 Certamente i personaggi non sono particolarmente approfonditi ma questo è il suo stile。 Rimane la capacità di avere grandi idee che sono per me ciò che caratterizza la fantascienza。 Un grande classico della fantascienza con profondi risvolti。 Qual è il destino dell'umanità？ In questo romanzo di Clarke vedo il vero collegamento con la parte finale di Odissea nello spazio。 Certamente i personaggi non sono particolarmente approfonditi ma questo è il suo stile。 Rimane la capacità di avere grandi idee che sono per me ciò che caratterizza la fantascienza。 。。。more
Ricardo Ribeiro
，
"'The stars are not for man'。 Yes， it would annoy them to have the celestial portals slammed in their faces。 But they must learn to face the truth - or as much of the truth as could mercifully be given to them。"Finally i discovered the book that inspired the TV Show "V - The Final Battle"。 Aliens （The Overlords） came to Earth and offered peace and the end of poverty。 They also avoided that our civilization ended with what Carl Sagan called the technology puberty （his theory was that many civiliz "'The stars are not for man'。 Yes， it would annoy them to have the celestial portals slammed in their faces。 But they must learn to face the truth - or as much of the truth as could mercifully be given to them。"Finally i discovered the book that inspired the TV Show "V - The Final Battle"。 Aliens （The Overlords） came to Earth and offered peace and the end of poverty。 They also avoided that our civilization ended with what Carl Sagan called the technology puberty （his theory was that many civilizations in the universe do not survive their own mass destruction discoveries）。 But there is a problem， man cannot thrive without agenda and the Overlords have their own。I specially like this title， so fitting in many levels。 First because it can be literal， second because our young civilization is as innocent as our children are in our adult eyes。Arthur C。 Clarke has a specific style。 His writing is quite acessible and his speculative future scenarios are believable。 That makes reading his books an enjoyable experience。 。。。more
Sarah
，
When I read Arthur C。 Clarke books as a child， there was never anything for me in them。 Stories for men， about men， with men doing things。 I read them because I loved sci-fi but the stories were never mine。 Re-reading this after about 30 odd years - it still felt the same。 Stories for men， about men， with men doing things - and I'm literally knitting and getting interested in kitchens。 It was difficult to get past that。 When I read Arthur C。 Clarke books as a child， there was never anything for me in them。 Stories for men， about men， with men doing things。 I read them because I loved sci-fi but the stories were never mine。 Re-reading this after about 30 odd years - it still felt the same。 Stories for men， about men， with men doing things - and I'm literally knitting and getting interested in kitchens。 It was difficult to get past that。 。。。more
Iza
，
2，5
Gadi Zaig
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow， what a novel。 With vague spoilers， it’s interesting to analyze how aliens perceive real human history in the novel， and parallels that with their colonization of Earth。 This is a tragic story， and what really struck me as someone who values creative art is Jan， who might be considered the world’s last pianist in the story， treasures that art as he is the last one who specialized in it， and the tragedy of him dying with it。
let
，
foi uma leitura que eu comecei com medo por achar que não me daria bem com o gênero e com a história， mas de cara já me ganhou por nas primeiras páginas falar sobre a corrida espacial， que é um assunto que me interessa muito。foi uma leitura que me prendeu bastante e sem dúvidas a ficção que eu li mais rápido。é um ótimo livro para dar de presente também
Sonia
，
Novela con grandes ideas pero personajes endebles。La premisa de unos extraterrestres que aparecen de la noche a la mañana para reconducir a la humanidad desde su autodestrucción asegurada （fue escrita tras la segunda guerra mundial） a una utopía de concordia me ha intrigado hasta su tramo final， donde ha perdido la gracia。 Clarke hace un análisis minucioso de las grandezas y las miserias de los humanos， inclinándose por el pesimismo， ni siquiera en paz y prosperidad somos capaces de conseguir sa Novela con grandes ideas pero personajes endebles。La premisa de unos extraterrestres que aparecen de la noche a la mañana para reconducir a la humanidad desde su autodestrucción asegurada （fue escrita tras la segunda guerra mundial） a una utopía de concordia me ha intrigado hasta su tramo final， donde ha perdido la gracia。 Clarke hace un análisis minucioso de las grandezas y las miserias de los humanos， inclinándose por el pesimismo， ni siquiera en paz y prosperidad somos capaces de conseguir satisfacción。 Leo que Clarke se definía como ateo， pero esta es la novela menos atea que me pueda imaginar。 La sensación que me queda es la de una revisión de la sensibilidad judeocristiana， con una humanidad que solo adquiere su sentido final en la comunión con un ser superior incognoscible para el que somos un rebaño al que guiar y finalmente quedar disueltos y absorbidos en su magnificencia。 No me lo esperaba。 。。。more
Alan Andrews Jr。
，
One of the best sci fi books ever
Ricka Ness
，
This was really high concept， but also has loads of politics and sociology。
Danny Breen
，
Phenomenal read。 From going from a book that focused strongly on characterisation to one that focuses mostly on ideas and philosophy was a little strange but I enjoyed this book a lot。 Arthur's wisdom and foresight shines here and buried in the fiction are grave insights into the human condition。 Phenomenal read。 From going from a book that focused strongly on characterisation to one that focuses mostly on ideas and philosophy was a little strange but I enjoyed this book a lot。 Arthur's wisdom and foresight shines here and buried in the fiction are grave insights into the human condition。 。。。more
Hande Allen
，
MAGNIFICENT！I knew that Childhood's End is considered as one of the sci-fi classics but now I understand the reason behind it。 Normally， most sci-fi books are full of terms or names that confuse the readers but not this one。 Karallen， my beloved overlord！ I truly enjoyed his dialogues with people。 There is an alien invasion but the intent is not killing the human race instead giving them peace and development。 Finally the Utopia arrives to the Earth but to what extent？ MAGNIFICENT！I knew that Childhood's End is considered as one of the sci-fi classics but now I understand the reason behind it。 Normally， most sci-fi books are full of terms or names that confuse the readers but not this one。 Karallen， my beloved overlord！ I truly enjoyed his dialogues with people。 There is an alien invasion but the intent is not killing the human race instead giving them peace and development。 Finally the Utopia arrives to the Earth but to what extent？ 。。。more
Jose
，
Recomendable más por las posibilidades que abre para reflexionar que por la propia historia de los personajes sobre los que no profundiza:¿Aceptaríamos a seres superiores que nos protejan de nosotros mismos o preferiríamos autodestruirnos？ Muy ameno de leer。
Julia 💁🏻♀️
，
Już od pierwszych stron czułam， że to nie to jednak dałam szanse tej książce。 Fabuła była dla mnie niezrozumiała， bohaterowie i ich konwersacje， może mają sens， ale w kontekście pisania książki zupełnie od czapy。 Po 130 stronach niestety musiałam odłożyć książkę na półkę i raczej już nigdy po nią nie sięgnę。
Nora
，
I started off thinking that I was not the right person to enjoy this book， but ultimately it drew me in。 If you want to read it but you can’t stand it， I would skip the first third。 To me it was basically a book about colonialism。 In terms of the plot， it reminded me a bit of Octavia E。 Butler’s _Dawn_ or “The Space Traders” by Derrick Bell， except initially it seemed to be from the POV that superior colonizers will make the world better。 But ultimately it turns out everyone loses and both the c I started off thinking that I was not the right person to enjoy this book， but ultimately it drew me in。 If you want to read it but you can’t stand it， I would skip the first third。 To me it was basically a book about colonialism。 In terms of the plot， it reminded me a bit of Octavia E。 Butler’s _Dawn_ or “The Space Traders” by Derrick Bell， except initially it seemed to be from the POV that superior colonizers will make the world better。 But ultimately it turns out everyone loses and both the colonizers and the “natives” （in this case， humans） are being compelled by a mysterious mental third force that no one can understand。 I’m glad I read this interesting and imaginative sf classic despite the oink oink sexist and racist mindset of its day。 。。。more
Nicole
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I can see hints of this in so many sci-fi books I’ve read， especially the Xenogenesis trilogy。 I prefer my books to have more character focus， but for what he was doing， this made the most sense。
Hiko Murs
，
WOW！ Just WOW！ Çoxdandır ki， belə möhtəşəm elmi-fantastika oxumurdum。
novelfables
，
Here we have a ubiquitous， intelligent， and technologically advanced alien presence that has come to planet Earth。 The story is interesting， and you get hooked immediately with the mystery and intrigue surrounding our alien overlords。 Where do they come from， why have they chosen our planet， and if they're here， what's out there in the universe for us to discover？ You watch the world evolve for decades while under the watch of these unfathomable alien overlords， trying to solve the enigma of the Here we have a ubiquitous， intelligent， and technologically advanced alien presence that has come to planet Earth。 The story is interesting， and you get hooked immediately with the mystery and intrigue surrounding our alien overlords。 Where do they come from， why have they chosen our planet， and if they're here， what's out there in the universe for us to discover？ You watch the world evolve for decades while under the watch of these unfathomable alien overlords， trying to solve the enigma of their presence。 We observe humans' evolution in terms of psychological， socioeconomic， and even biological growth as they grapple with their new reality over decades。 The journey through time was an enjoyable ride， and all that mystery builds up to an astonishing ending。 As for the characters， this is mostly plot-driven。 The individual characters were not all that dynamic in any sense， but the characterization of humans as a whole delivered a lot。 If you like unique， individual personalities， you won't get much of that here。 On the other hand， if you like big picture analysis and anthropological studies， you'll likely love this。 Childhood's End is a relatively short book that's easy to get through， entertaining at times， a bit dense at others。 It's packed with thought-provoking ideas about humanity's existence and the infinite Universe。 It's philosophical and ultimately transcends finite concepts of what it means to be human; Of course， it's sci-fi， but it's almost spiritual at its core。I'm blown away by this masterpiece， and I can't believe I waited so long to pick it up。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Childhood's End
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Childhood's End&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Childhood's End&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0