Vast, mysterious, fun, gripped

Klasik bilim kurguları çok seviyorum. Geçmişten günümüze bilim kurgu edebiyatının temel konuları çok fazla değişmedi. Bilinmezlik, gelecek tasavvuru, başka medeniyetler, insanlığın geleceği..vs dün olduğu gibi çağdaş bilim kurguların da temel malzemesi. Ama klasik eserlerin bu konulara yaklaşımını son derece sofistike buluyorum. Arthur Clarke'ın eserlerinde ise ayrıca güçlü mistik bir hava da var; özellikle Rama serisini okuyanların iyi bileceği.. Çocukluğun Sonu, Arthur Clarke'ın eşsiz anlatımı ile tam bir klasik. Özellikle insanlığın yabancı medeniyetle ilk karşılaşmasını soğuk savaşın en ateşli noktasında tam da bir dünya savaşı arifesinde yaşanması, Hükümdarların çaresizliği gibi anlatımlar Clarke'a özgü felsefi ve mistik havayı çok güzel yansıtıyor. Sonuç olarak benim gibi klasik bilim kurguları seven herkes bence bu kitabı okumalı..

One of the most inspiring sci-fi books I've ever read, truly a classic.

Moving, compelling, thought-provoking.

One of the best finales I've ever read.

** spoiler alert ** Well done, Mr. Clarke! I loved how the more I read, the more he subverted my expectations. Clearly written, beautifully structured and presented. I'm eager to read more Transhumanist sci-fi to see how well it meshes with modern interpretations of man's eventual ascension.

A história da humanidade é interrompida pela chegada das naves. Dentro delas, um misterioso povo alienígena que não mostra a cara nem mesmo ao humano escolhido para ser o representante do planeta em reuniões semanais dentro da nave-mãe, mas que passa a governar o nosso planeta e as nossas vidas para o bem, erradicando guerras, doenças e todos os tipos de problemas que atrapalham a evolução da espécie. Condensada em um parágrafo, essa é a interessante premissa inicial de Childhood’s End — mas antes da metade do livro, Arthur C. Clarke ultrapassa todos os limites do que você pode estar imaginando em termos de como essa história pode se desenvolver. Questões imediatas, como a dificuldade em confiar em alguém que não é transparente o bastante para se deixar ver, são resolvidas sem muita espera, deixando a história livre para buscar novos, impressionantes e inesperados horizontes. O final é de desejar ver em um filme (ou melhor, num sonho), e o caminho até ele é amarrado com maestria, tão evocativo quanto as melhores poesias e tão cheio de imaginação quanto o mais elaborado delírio Tolkiano. Definitivamente não é sem motivo que consideram essa história uma obra-prima. É do tipo de história que dá vontade de voltar para a primeira página assim que se termina a última.

This was written in 1953, but feels like it could have been written this year -- which shows how timeless Clarkes style of science fiction is. The story is familiar if you've watched the movie Independence Day. But what happens if the aliens seem inteligent and malevolent? How long does it take for humans to accept aliens? This relatively short novel was beat out for Retro Hugo Award by Fahrenheit 451.

"HIGHLY ENGAGING, THOUGHT-PROVOKING" A great start to 2022. This was my first ever introduction to classic sci-fi and an amazing one at that. It's a perfect example of why Arthur C Clarke is so well-known in the classic sci-fi world. The plot was engaging and gripping, start to end, and dealt with heavy concepts that resemble our current situations. I always wondered, what would happen if our world turned utopian. And this book presented the most logical and interesting possibilities. It starts off with a cliche: Alien invasion on Earth, but as of 1953 it was still a unique and intriguing concept. The book is divided into three parts that basically start off with the advent of aliens on earth (Overlords), and the later parts deal with the after-effects of the event. While something like an alien invasion is a scary concept, Arthur C Clarke does something different by making them the good guys who just want to make Earth a better place. A utopian world where there is no lack of resources, no troubles, no poverty, and hence no struggle, makes up for a prison in itself. It leads to boredom and lack of creativity as there lies no necessity or requirement for any innovation. And such consequences lead to the collapse of society. Such concepts are much more elaborately discussed and effectively presented in a very easy-to-grasp manner. I'll highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to deep-dive into the sci-fi genre but with a mind-blowing start.

The true genius of Childhood's End only hits you towards the end. As the last page ends transcends into a searing crescendo, you can only sit there revelling in its delicious aftermath. It almost seems impossible that such ideas could have been conceived in the '50s. It's a horror-humane-alien-thriller story all wrapped into one that questions the very place of man in the universe. By the time you reach the third story, things spiral out of control and you simply can't stop reading. Even though it may seem a bit gimmicky for a while, wait for the sheer brilliance to show up eventually. Deeply philosophical and powerful in its narration, this book has been a revelation.

** spoiler alert ** Initially, I really struggled to get into this book. As someone that usually reads fantasy and contemporary fiction, hard science fiction was difficult to read and enjoy initally. I considered DNFing the book up until around halfway through. This was mostly due to the very swift changes in perspective throughout the novel. As soon as I got acquainted with a character and their backstory, the perspective was switched. This is probably a comment on how the characters as individuals and their lives are meaningless in comparison to the Overlords' work and the universe as a whole. Yet, any artistic intention did not make the novel any easier to read. However, I am glad that I continued reading. The plot was an exciting one, and as soon as Jan began planning to sneak aboard an Overlord vessel, I finally became invested in the story. Despite issues with perspective, the novel was gorgeously written. I wish I had read it and underlined lines in pencil, because there was some wonderful figurative language. And ending with Karellen's perspective was the ending I didn't know I needed until I read it.

An uncertainty of greatness This is my first classic science fiction read, and I'm just confused. I am not sure whether that confusion will dissipate when I absorb the story over time, or whether I'm just going to stay confused! This story did not go in the direction i expected at all, and though that's not a bar thing by any means, it's frustrated me, as I kind of feel disoriented by where we got to. Saying all this, sometimes you read something and you understand is greatness, but you just don't think it works for you, or maybe I'm just a bit slow in understanding.

A little slow but ultimately interesting.

A book that starts out slow but ends fast. A melancholy book.

This was written in 1953, but feels like it could have been written this year -- which shows how timeless Clarkes style of science fiction is. The story is familiar if you've watched the movie Independence Day. But what happens if the aliens seem inteligent and malevolent? How long does it take for humans to accept aliens? This relatively short novel was beat out for Retro Hugo Award by Fahrenheit 451.

** spoiler alert ** What the actual fuck. I don't remember reading this mind-bender when I was a kid. WEIRD. But in a good way.