Reviews

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

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janey's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting ideas, especially in retrospect. However, I thought there was too much exposition and not enough discovery for the reader. Dated, but still interesting.

rhanmitchell's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

contemplative science fiction

which paints a picture of our extinction

that is equal parts horrifying and fulfilling. it is hard to determine whether clarke sees the future he imagined as a good or bad thing,

(are the overlords benevolent guardians or are they merely conducting a kind of genocidal science experiment?)

but I personally like that it's ambiguous and left to interpretation. the overlords make for fascinating masters of humanity,

as they themselves serve an entity they do not fully understand and can only hope to someday join... or rival

. though there is a certain sadness for both species; for humanity

who does not want to leave behind their bodies/individuality, but are unknowingly forced to

,and for the overlords

who above all desire to transcend the physical world but, despite their mastery over it, cannot

. a bit dated. the biblical

and paranormal

elements weren't too much. I actually kinda liked them, especially how he merges the concept of

the collective unconscious

with conventional science fiction. but what was that about

reverse apartheid

??? weird shit. anyways, what an ending! it's a sci-fi classic with a disturbing yet beautiful philosophy. highly recommend.

kaecho's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

you are not immune to propaganda, arthur c. clarke

the entire time i read this i was like wow some of these observations are spot on and then all of the sudden this guy is like "what if i did racism with absolutely no self-awareness :D." i appreciated the fact that he kind of full sent on the weird psychic shit but are any of these characters people? no lol