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A review by fipah
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
3.0
3 stars = good, I liked it kinda-ish
First of all, I can't say I really liked this because that's just a personal thing, yet for sure this is a good read.
My succinct notes:
1.) it feels a bit dated, the technology depicted in the beginning used to try and "see" the aliens is rudimentary and shouldn't work against super-intelligent species. And how come only one person – an American, of course – can speak and visit the aliens? Wtf?
2.) no women, all characters are basically male, the default gender
3.) lack of descriptions, we readers don't really know how the aliens look even though we get to meet them
4.) [b:Stories of Your Life and Others|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334] (the film ARRIVAL) is much more profound and much better in my opinion, what the aliens give us here is much more nuanced and thought-provoking
5.) today, the ending is not such a huge revelation, especially if you've dabbled into films like the aforementioned Arrival.
6.) the aliens here act and speak like humans do, I am not a fan of that. Of course, it fits the narrative as they are super-smart and know everything about us, but it felt less humbling and less intriguing.
I did not really care for the characters or the story, especially because no women were represented (if they were for short glimpses, they were built through a sexist and reductive point of view) and the whole premise is harder to connect with as it is less nuanced, less enthralling when compared with [b:Stories of Your Life and Others|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334]. It just doesn't hit my heart and out deep human core like Arrival did. The best sci-fi very often hits us deep down in our human hearts as it reveals a lot about the human condition in a heart-warming or poignant way. The Childhood's End is not that kind of story, yet, of course, it does work with similar ideas.
First of all, I can't say I really liked this because that's just a personal thing, yet for sure this is a good read.
My succinct notes:
1.) it feels a bit dated, the technology depicted in the beginning used to try and "see" the aliens is rudimentary and shouldn't work against super-intelligent species. And how come only one person – an American, of course – can speak and visit the aliens? Wtf?
2.) no women, all characters are basically male, the default gender
3.) lack of descriptions, we readers don't really know how the aliens look even though we get to meet them
4.) [b:Stories of Your Life and Others|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334] (the film ARRIVAL) is much more profound and much better in my opinion, what the aliens give us here is much more nuanced and thought-provoking
5.) today, the ending is not such a huge revelation, especially if you've dabbled into films like the aforementioned Arrival.
6.) the aliens here act and speak like humans do, I am not a fan of that. Of course, it fits the narrative as they are super-smart and know everything about us, but it felt less humbling and less intriguing.
I did not really care for the characters or the story, especially because no women were represented (if they were for short glimpses, they were built through a sexist and reductive point of view) and the whole premise is harder to connect with as it is less nuanced, less enthralling when compared with [b:Stories of Your Life and Others|223380|Stories of Your Life and Others|Ted Chiang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356138316l/223380._SY75_.jpg|216334]. It just doesn't hit my heart and out deep human core like Arrival did. The best sci-fi very often hits us deep down in our human hearts as it reveals a lot about the human condition in a heart-warming or poignant way. The Childhood's End is not that kind of story, yet, of course, it does work with similar ideas.