| conceptual fiction |
Childhood's End
By Arthur C. Clarke
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
When Childhood’s End was first published in book
form, on August 24, 1953, science fiction seemed in a
race with scientific reality. The opening section of the
book – which depicts the arrival of aliens who step in
to halt the space race between the United States and
the USSR—was superseded by real events less than
five years later, when the successful launch of the
Sputnik and Explorer satellites made official the Cold
War race to the stars. Folks fascinated by space travel
no longer needed to buy Amazing magazine, they
could read about it in the newspapers.
Clarke later (in 1990) rewrote the opening to adapt the
story line to the historical reality of Apollo program.
But the book’s status of a science fiction classic would
hardly have been jeopardized even if he had left the
text unchanged. Orwell’s 1984 did not lose its
relevance when the foreboding date passed with
neither a bang nor a whimper from Big Brother. The
same is true of that other celebrated date in sci-fi
literature—that true millennium year of 2001 – which
came and went without the mission Jupiter anticipated
by Clarke in his most famous novel. Childhood’s End,
in particular, stands out as one of space age tales of the
1950s that best retains its charm for modern
audiences.
The story confronts the mixed legacy of mankind’s
first confrontation with intelligent life from outer
space. Shining ships arrive from the stars and float in
the air above New York, London, Paris, Moscow and
other major cities. Day after day, they hang there
silently observing. And on the sixth day (no, not the
seventh . . . that’s a different story), Karellen the
Overlord announces his intentions by means of radio
transmission. Karellen is supervisor for Earth and his
English is flawless, his knowledge of human affairs
detailed and subtle, and his plans are ambitious.
Under his command, international conflicts will end,
wars will be relegated to the dustbin of history. Few
nations attempt to challenge the Overlords, but those
that do are quickly convinced of the futility of human
intervention in the affairs of these powerful aliens.
A period of unprecedented peace and prosperity
follows. And humans might even learn to love their
Overlords . . . if it was not for the peculiar fact that
Karellen and the other aliens refuse to let themselves
be loved—or even seen. Their obsessive desire to hide
from view raises suspicions. On those rare occasions
when Karellen meets with an earthling, he relies on a
two way mirror to keep from being seen. What is the
Overlords’ dark secret? Why do they refuse to come
out into the open?
In order to allay concerns, Karellen promises that fifty
years after their arrival, the Overlords will emerge
from hiding. Clarke skillfully builds up to this
moment, and it offers one of the unexpected plot
twists that are a trademark of his stories. In the hands
of a lesser author, this emergence into the harsh light
of day of the conquering aliens might have served as
the conclusion of the book—and it would have been a
strong, memorable ending. But Clarke moves on
toward a greater climax when, one hundred years after
their arrival on Earth, the Overlords announce the true
purpose of mission.
Clarke was skilled at adapting the language and
concepts of current technology to his needs, and his
prose sometimes even aspires to the cold, even-
handed writing style of the scientist. But don’t let this
fool you. Clarke is a storyteller, first and foremost.
And a grand one, at that. Childhood’s End continued
appeal rests on the strength of its clever, multilayered
plot. And this will hardly change, no matter what
surprises the cosmos throw at us.
By Arthur C. Clarke
Reviewed by Ted Gioia
When Childhood’s End was first published in book
form, on August 24, 1953, science fiction seemed in a
race with scientific reality. The opening section of the
book – which depicts the arrival of aliens who step in
to halt the space race between the United States and
the USSR—was superseded by real events less than
five years later, when the successful launch of the
Sputnik and Explorer satellites made official the Cold
War race to the stars. Folks fascinated by space travel
no longer needed to buy Amazing magazine, they
could read about it in the newspapers.
Clarke later (in 1990) rewrote the opening to adapt the
story line to the historical reality of Apollo program.
But the book’s status of a science fiction classic would
hardly have been jeopardized even if he had left the
text unchanged. Orwell’s 1984 did not lose its
relevance when the foreboding date passed with
neither a bang nor a whimper from Big Brother. The
same is true of that other celebrated date in sci-fi
literature—that true millennium year of 2001 – which
came and went without the mission Jupiter anticipated
by Clarke in his most famous novel. Childhood’s End,
in particular, stands out as one of space age tales of the
1950s that best retains its charm for modern
audiences.
The story confronts the mixed legacy of mankind’s
first confrontation with intelligent life from outer
space. Shining ships arrive from the stars and float in
the air above New York, London, Paris, Moscow and
other major cities. Day after day, they hang there
silently observing. And on the sixth day (no, not the
seventh . . . that’s a different story), Karellen the
Overlord announces his intentions by means of radio
transmission. Karellen is supervisor for Earth and his
English is flawless, his knowledge of human affairs
detailed and subtle, and his plans are ambitious.
Under his command, international conflicts will end,
wars will be relegated to the dustbin of history. Few
nations attempt to challenge the Overlords, but those
that do are quickly convinced of the futility of human
intervention in the affairs of these powerful aliens.
A period of unprecedented peace and prosperity
follows. And humans might even learn to love their
Overlords . . . if it was not for the peculiar fact that
Karellen and the other aliens refuse to let themselves
be loved—or even seen. Their obsessive desire to hide
from view raises suspicions. On those rare occasions
when Karellen meets with an earthling, he relies on a
two way mirror to keep from being seen. What is the
Overlords’ dark secret? Why do they refuse to come
out into the open?
In order to allay concerns, Karellen promises that fifty
years after their arrival, the Overlords will emerge
from hiding. Clarke skillfully builds up to this
moment, and it offers one of the unexpected plot
twists that are a trademark of his stories. In the hands
of a lesser author, this emergence into the harsh light
of day of the conquering aliens might have served as
the conclusion of the book—and it would have been a
strong, memorable ending. But Clarke moves on
toward a greater climax when, one hundred years after
their arrival on Earth, the Overlords announce the true
purpose of mission.
Clarke was skilled at adapting the language and
concepts of current technology to his needs, and his
prose sometimes even aspires to the cold, even-
handed writing style of the scientist. But don’t let this
fool you. Clarke is a storyteller, first and foremost.
And a grand one, at that. Childhood’s End continued
appeal rests on the strength of its clever, multilayered
plot. And this will hardly change, no matter what
surprises the cosmos throw at us.
