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spiritualkungfu's review against another edition
4.0
Constantly managed to surprise and present an interesting alien contact story.
wookieeprincess's review against another edition
4.0
After watching the... intriguing... SyFy Childhood's End mini series, I felt like I had to read the book (which had been on my "to read list" for years anyway) to separate the actual ideas from the wacky presentation of the show. It was a great read (no shocker there, it's Arthur C. Clarke!), and, of course, made much more sense than some of the "plot developments" that existed in the show.
As always, Clarke's predictions about the future (not too distant from in time from our present, I assume) were fabulous and largely on point. The book opens with the strange disclaimer that "The Opinions Expressed In This Book Are Not Those Of The Author," and it is certainly a much darker/less optimistic view about the future of humankind than you may be used to reading in an ACC book. It's chilling to read about the overabundance of content ("'...there are too many distractions and entertainments... If you went without sleep and did nothing else, you could follow less than a twentieth of the entertainment that's available at the turn of a switch! No wonder people are becoming passive sponges--absorbing but never creating... Soon people won't be living their own lives any more. It will be a full-time job keeping up with the various family serials on TV!'") and its proximity to the end times.
The formatting on the Kindle version was a bit troubling, which is why I didn't give the book 5 stars. (Also, as visionary as Clarke is, it's still a book written by a British dude in the 1950s, and I would say his presentation of the role of women in the future is incomplete to non-existent. A "Negro" character is featured prominently and has tremendous significance, though.)
As always, Clarke's predictions about the future (not too distant from in time from our present, I assume) were fabulous and largely on point. The book opens with the strange disclaimer that "The Opinions Expressed In This Book Are Not Those Of The Author," and it is certainly a much darker/less optimistic view about the future of humankind than you may be used to reading in an ACC book. It's chilling to read about the overabundance of content ("'...there are too many distractions and entertainments... If you went without sleep and did nothing else, you could follow less than a twentieth of the entertainment that's available at the turn of a switch! No wonder people are becoming passive sponges--absorbing but never creating... Soon people won't be living their own lives any more. It will be a full-time job keeping up with the various family serials on TV!'") and its proximity to the end times.
The formatting on the Kindle version was a bit troubling, which is why I didn't give the book 5 stars. (Also, as visionary as Clarke is, it's still a book written by a British dude in the 1950s, and I would say his presentation of the role of women in the future is incomplete to non-existent. A "Negro" character is featured prominently and has tremendous significance, though.)
anniedrows's review against another edition
3.0
For such a short book, it took me a long time to read this. I think the long delay in reading the last 40 pages highly improved the ending for me. I do believe there’s a lot of thought in this story, but there was so much misogyny, which could be attributed to the norms of the author’s age/era, but regardless irritate me personally and distract significantly from the story.
I mean really, when did women just want to hang out in the kitchen and cook when they moved to an entirely new area of the world? No, no, you go to work, honey, I’ll take care of the house and kids. We’re not sure where our clothes or furnishings will come from, so I may need to teach myself how to knit and use a sewing machine, but I got this, you go ahead and put on another play.
I mean really, when did women just want to hang out in the kitchen and cook when they moved to an entirely new area of the world? No, no, you go to work, honey, I’ll take care of the house and kids. We’re not sure where our clothes or furnishings will come from, so I may need to teach myself how to knit and use a sewing machine, but I got this, you go ahead and put on another play.
mrbonanza's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
birdlawyered's review against another edition
4.0
So... I may have read this in one day... and now my brain is swimming in a nebula somewhere.
This was an excellent example of classic scifi. The crossroads of imagination and invention - where so much technology is yet to be discovered, but it doesnt stop the author from dreaming bigger and farther.
The philosophy behind the book is based around the simple question: What does existing mean, if it serves no higher purpose than that of simply.. existing? The implications are interesting, to say the least. And the ending was... kinda despondent kinda beautiful?
My favourite part of the novel was perhaps the moment when the Overlords' true appearance is revealed. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of all the alien tech.
Perhaps the biggest criticism is that it is a victim to its time period. Written in the 50s, many of the stereotypical gender roles are still apparent, even in this future 'utopia'. There are no female main characters, and women are mentioned as mostly objects of desire or frustration. A colony of individual humans regresses to men working and women cooking... and ofc there is the awkward references to black skinned individuals...
In saying that, I say the book is a victim of its time because it's clear the author's intentions were innocent. Forgiving these few transgressions proves to make this a great look into the past looking in to the future !
This was an excellent example of classic scifi. The crossroads of imagination and invention - where so much technology is yet to be discovered, but it doesnt stop the author from dreaming bigger and farther.
The philosophy behind the book is based around the simple question: What does existing mean, if it serves no higher purpose than that of simply.. existing? The implications are interesting, to say the least. And the ending was... kinda despondent kinda beautiful?
My favourite part of the novel was perhaps the moment when the Overlords' true appearance is revealed. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of all the alien tech.
Perhaps the biggest criticism is that it is a victim to its time period. Written in the 50s, many of the stereotypical gender roles are still apparent, even in this future 'utopia'. There are no female main characters, and women are mentioned as mostly objects of desire or frustration. A colony of individual humans regresses to men working and women cooking... and ofc there is the awkward references to black skinned individuals...
In saying that, I say the book is a victim of its time because it's clear the author's intentions were innocent. Forgiving these few transgressions proves to make this a great look into the past looking in to the future !
juliette_sarrazin's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It's a very interesting book with a very interesting take. I really liked the way they pictured the world, how they designed the overlords, and particularly the character of Jan and his chapters. I didn't particularly liked chapter 17-19, with what happens with Jean and her children. It seemed really promising at first (I absolutely loved the dreams concept), but I disliked where the book took it. This was partially fix by the ending of the book and Jan's chapters, but I'm still not a fan of it.
Overall, a great, interesting and very different book. I loved the characters and their interactions a lot.
Overall, a great, interesting and very different book. I loved the characters and their interactions a lot.
rileymcb's review against another edition
4.0
A phenomenal reimagining of religious prophecy, physics, and sci-fi concepts. There's a reason Arthur C Clarke is so celebrated.
bigals909's review against another edition
3.0
It’s a good book for its time, but not one of those that has aged well.
vanessa21james's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0