Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke

Synopsis: 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?

Published: August 1953 | ISBN: 978-0345444059

Mini-bio: Arthur Charles Clarke was a British science fiction writer, science writer and futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Wikipedia

Author’s Foundation: https://www.clarkefoundation.org

Brilliant! Overlords – purely altruistic creatures (or are they?) who look after the hapless humans. I loved how they agglomerated the human children into a super being, and how their own body shape, resembling that of the western devil (although perhaps a bit biblical for me), brilliantly drove home the contrast between their seemingly benevolent actions and the underlying alien intent. – From 10 Great Books selected by a Neuroscientist

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Paperback Edition – Childhood’s End (Del Rey Impact)
Kindle Edition – Childhood’s End (Arthur C. Clarke Collection)
Audible Edition – Childhood’s End