Childhood's End

Description

The inspiration for the Syfy miniseries.

 

Childhood's End is one of the defining legacies of Arthur C. Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey and many other groundbreaking works. Since its publication in 1953, this prescient novel about first contact gone wrong has come to be regarded not only as a science fiction classic but as a literary thriller of the highest order.

 

Spaceships have suddenly appeared in the skies above every city on the planet. Inside is an intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior alien race known as the Overlords. At first, their demands seem benevolent: unify Earth, eliminate poverty, end war. But at what cost? To those who resist, it's clear that the Overlords have an agenda of their own. Has their arrival marked the end of humankind . . . or the beginning?

 

Praise for Childhood's End

"A first-rate tour de force."--The New York Times

 

"Frighteningly logical, believable, and grimly prophetic . . . Clarke is a master."--Los Angeles Times

 

"There has been nothing like it for years; partly for the actual invention, but partly because here we meet a modern author who understands that there may be things that have a higher claim on humanity than its own 'survival.' "--C. S. Lewis

 

"As a science fiction writer, Clarke has all the essentials."--Jeremy Bernstein, The New Yorker

Promotion info

An all-time science fiction classic from the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Reviews

The master of science fiction The Times A first-rate tour de force The New York Times Frighteningly logical, believable, and grimly prophetic ... Clarke is a master Los Angeles Times Arthur C. Clarke is one of the truly prophetic figures of the space age ... The colossus of science fiction The New Yorker There has been nothing like it for years; partly for the actual invention, but partly because here we meet a modern author who understands that there may be things that have a higher claim on humanity than its own 'survival' C. S. Lewis Arthur C. Clarke is one of the true geniuses of our time. Ray Bradbury Arthur literally made my Star Trek idea possible, including the television series, the films, and the association and learning it has made possible for me. Gene Rodenberry Nobody has done more in the way of enlightened prediction than Arthur C. Clarke Isaac Asimov I count myself among the millions who have been inspired and encouraged by Arthur C. Clarke's contributions to literature Neil Armstrong

Author description

Arthur C. Clarke was a British science-fiction author, inventor and futurist, most famous for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, written in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, a collaboration which also produced the film of the same name. He was the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society from 1947 to 1950 and again in 1953. Clarke emigrated to Sri Lanka in 1956 and lived there until his death in March 2008. He was knighted in 1998.