Books with title Childhoods End

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?

A beautiful biographical story.“When Mother smiled, no matter how nice her face had been before, it became incomparably nicer and everything around seemed to brighten up as well.”Leo Tolstoy, Childhood The novel, published in 1852 when he was 23 years old, is the first in Leo Tolstoy’s autobiographical trilogy, which also includes Boyhood, and Youth.

"Childhood" is the first in a series of three novels and is followed by "Boyhood" and "Youth". Published when Tolstoy was just twenty-three years old, the book was an immediate success. "Childhood" is an exploration of the inner life of a young boy, Nikolenka, and one of the books in Russian writing to explore an expiressionistic style, mixing fact, fiction and emotions to render the moods and reactions of the narrator.(Excerpt from Wikipedia)

The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city—intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.But at what cost? With the advent of peace, man ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a malaise settles over the human race. To those who resist, it becomes evident that the Overlords have an agenda of their own.As civilization approaches the crossroads, will the Overlords spell the end for humankind…or the beginning?"In Eric Summerer's capable hands, the plot of Childhood's End is smoothly presented and fully credible.… Summerer excels at delivering the aliens' quiet and intensely engaging dialogue with people. His nuanced performance creates a growing feeling of uneasiness in the listener as the Overlords' insatiable curiosity and watchfulness begin to suggest something less than benign at work." —AudioFile

The Overlords appeared suddenly over every city—intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind. Benevolent, they made few demands: unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. With little rebellion, humankind agreed, and a golden age began.But at what cost? With the advent of peace, man ceases to strive for creative greatness, and a malaise settles over the human race. To those who resist, it becomes evident that the Overlords have an agenda of their own.As civilization approaches the crossroads, will the Overlords spell the end for humankind…or the beginning?"In Eric Summerer's capable hands, the plot of Childhood's End is smoothly presented and fully credible.… Summerer excels at delivering the aliens' quiet and intensely engaging dialogue with people. His nuanced performance creates a growing feeling of uneasiness in the listener as the Overlords' insatiable curiosity and watchfulness begin to suggest something less than benign at work." —AudioFile

Steven Pacey stars as Jan Rodricks with Peter Jeffrey as Karellan in this powerful BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization of Arthur C. Clarke's apocalyptic vision of the future. First published in 1953, Arthur C. Clarke's tale of the evolution and eventual end of humanity has come to be seen as one of the great SF works. Alone many miles above the Earth, Jan Rodricks, the last surviving human, is witnessing the end of the world. As he watches, he records for the benefit of history how mankind was doomed. The massive spaceships appeared over every city on Earth, bringing the Overlords, a seemingly benign race vastly superior in technology and intelligence. Led by the enigmatic Karrellen, they promised a new age of peace and prosperity, and with the help of UN Secretary General Stormgren, they eradicated poverty, disease, and war.But contentment has its price. As the years pass, culture, science, and religion start to die, and there are those who question the road down which the Overlords are leading them. For it seems the apparently benevolent and omnipotent masters of the Earth are themselves only the servants of a greater power: a power they have no choice but to obey.