Other editions of book Childhood's End

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

Arthur C. Clarke's novel of the same name is the basis for this full–cast radio drama, starring Steven Pacey as Jan Rodricks. As mankind began to take its first faltering steps into the vast darkness of space, huge ships appear over every city on Earth. They bring the Overlords, seemingly benign but vastly superior in technology and intelligence. So begins their rule of our planet, bringing peace, prosperity, and a new world hope. But when mankind begins to question the purpose of the Overlords, it seems that they themselves may be in thrall to an even greater power

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.

Childhood's End is science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, a winner of many awards for his outstanding scientific achievement, including the Franklin Institute Gold Medal for oginating communication satellites. In 1951, Clarke published a short story, The Sentinel, which later became the basis for the epic movie, "2001--A Space Odyssey." Childhood's End begins in the late twentieth century as the United States and the former Soviet Union are about to launch spaceships for military means when aliens arrive to intervene. The aliens take over the planet with overlords indirectly ruling from their spaceships, resulting in a utopian society. Decades later, children begin exhibiting powerful psychic abilities and evolution to a group mind.