Archive for the ‘Arthur C Clarke’ Category
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
published in 1953
where I got it: purchased new
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
There’s going to be some spoilers, because I don’t feel bad about spoiling a book that was published the year my Dad went into kindergarten.
The novel opens with a momentous event: the day the aliens come. Their giant ships hover over every major city, but they came in peace. Forced peace, actually. The Overlords announce they will be taking over all of Earth’s governments, they will be stopping all wars, stopping hunger, disease and poverty, they will be making sure us Earthlings live peaceful lives. This is the first step towards Earth joining a galactic community, and the Overlords have been tasked with making sure we take this first step. The Overlords give us no choice in the matter, and any earthly warlords or take it upon themselves to violently disagree are shamed into submission. No choice at all, really.
But no one has ever seen an Overlord, and humans aren’t known to be trustworthy of anything we can’t see. The Overlord spokesperson, Karrelen, tells us that in fifty years they will show themselves to us, it will take that long for us to be ready. And they were right.
Welcome to the year 2012! and Welcome to the Vintage Science Fiction not-a-challenge month! There’s a new tab up top for you to link to your reviews and discussions in the comments. The badge on the sidebar is clickable to that page as well.
During the next 31 days, I’ll be reviewing vintage science fiction books and the authors who wrote them, along with the occasional futurehistory predictions of Arthur C Clarke as essayed in his Profiles of the Future, original publication date 1963.
To get into the mood, let’s dive right into Clarke’s predictions. This little gem of a book offers an introduction followed by seventeen essays and a time line. The book is dedicated to Hugo Gernsback, “who thought of everything”. Yes, that Hugo Gernsback. And Bantam had a “Science and Mathematics” imprint? Sweet! Here’s a taste of Riding on Air, and You Can’t Get There From Here.
the Little Red Reviewer 
Recent Comments