First Published: 1953

Rating: Excellent

"Before she flew to the launch site, Helena Lyakhov always went through the same ritual."

The first two-thirds of Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End were the most suspenseful pieces of science fiction I've ever read. In fact, I don't even want to tell you much about the novel, because I try to keep these reviews spoiler-free and this book is definitely one where you don't want the suspense ruined.

I'll say this in terms of a plot summary: the Overlords come to Earth and lead civilization into a golden age of peace and prosperity. Really. That's pretty much what the back of the book says. Essentially, it's about what happens to the man who gets everything he ever wanted, only on a global scale.

The novel presents a frightening view of what might happen if humanity ever achieves a utopian existence. I think part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was that I read it after studying utopia in science fiction, but hey--it's not a classic in the science fiction genre for nothing.

But I also loved the scope of the story--Clarke covers 100 years in a little over 200 pages, and the manner in which he does it reminds me a lot of Asimov's "The Last Question". The story skips a couple of years here and there, and there is no single main character--but we get to know each character well enough to have the idea of them, and care about them, and when their time is over we move onto the next character.

I also love that Clarke doesn't feel the need to bludgeon the reader over the head with the plot. Too many books these days make you feel like the author is talking down to you, because you couldn't possibly understand the storyline unless they spell it out for you. Not so here; Clarke's storytelling is so smooth you'll never notice him slipping in the backstory and filling in pieces of the plot.

 Childhood's End is, however, a little dated. This isn't always a bad thing--vintage science fiction is, after all, supremely awesome--but here, Clarke makes a point of showing how black men are equal to white men in society. While this is all well and good, it drives home that other groups, especially women, aren't considered equals in this utopia. There are very few female characters in the story: one briefly seen astronaut, a housewife, and a trophy wife are the only ones that I can remember.

That certainly wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment of the book--just something that seemed off about the story when everything was said and done. What didn't work for me was the last third of the book. The suspense was still there, but hardly in the amounts it was earlier in the novel, and the conclusion just seemed a little flat in comparison. It was a little like watching a fireworks display in reverse.

But just in comparison--the book as a whole is one of the best works of science fiction ever written, one of the few that's taken seriously when it comes to critically analyzing the genre. And it's a thrilling read. Of course, I want you to just go out and buy it, borrow it, or swap for it right now, but if you don't, do be careful of other reviews of Childhood's End--a lot of them will tell you a lot more than you want to know about this story, and this is one book you don't want to have spoiled.

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