[Book Reviews] ‘Childhood’s End’ by Arthur C. Clarke

"Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke

Humans often think of themselves as the acme of evolution. But what if we’re simply a transitional state – an incubator, even – for a much greater consciousness that will appear in future generations? And what if everything we thought we knew about deities, angels, demons, and spirits, was simply a vision into what the future held for mankind?

This is the premise of Childhood’s End, a wonderful classic science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. The beginning of the book will seem familiar, since the strong visual Clarke envisions has been used elsewhere in sci-fi since. Alien spaceships appear in the sky, and hover over all the major cities. But the aliens don’t reveal themselves immediately, and they communicate with humans through a series of psychic messages. These aliens judge humanity harshly, forcing the world to disarm its weapons and to stop its violent ways. They take a particular vengeance on those who harm animals in a cruel way. The aliens guide humanity to become better, and as the generations move forward, the aliens gradually reveal themselves, and it’s clear why they have been so hesitant to show themselves. (I won’t spoil the surprise, but let’s just say they have to wait for Western civilization to outgrow some of its medieval mythology.)

At first, it appears that the aliens are on Earth simply to make it a better place, and humanity enters a golden age of peace and prosperity. But as children begin exhibiting strange behavior, it’s clear that something more is going on. These aliens aren’t ambassadors, but midwives… waiting to take humanity from its fetal state into the birth of something new, and something wonderful… but something downright terrifying as well. Humanity’s era is over, and in one generation, everything on Earth will change forever.

And that’s where Childhood’s End is different from other science fiction stories like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, V, Independence Day or The Day The Earth Stood Still, where mysterious aliens make first contact with humans –  these aliens are not on Earth to warn humanity about its impending doom, or to feed upon the humans or destroy the planet. No, they’re motivated by a higher purpose, with a higher understanding of events that really is beyond anything humans will be able to understand. What winds up happening in the end is so intense, so awe-inspiring, that it’s like watching an act of God occurring. And since the change into the next state occurs in human children, there is no way that human parents could have been informed without getting massively over-protective.

One of the great things about science fiction is its ability to question what it really means to be human, and, in fact, whether being human is such a great thing to begin with. Other genres of literature would simply accept the idea that humanity is a good thing, and stop asking questions then and there. But in science fiction, the idea that humanity is not the greatest point of evolution can be put forth. In Clarke’s view, humans are simply the primitive ancestors of the wonderful, powerful, terrible things to come. The universe is waiting not for humanity to arise and voyage to the stars, but some other entity that began as human, but which became something different entirely.

Childhood’s End is a great read. It’s short, it’s interesting, and it’s full of twists and turns. There are a few places where it’s a little dated (it’s pretty clear that it was written in the 50s due to the gender attitudes and ideas that show up), but the themes are fairly universal. There is a sense of wonder and amazement in this novel… but also a profound sense of melancholy. I’d recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in science fiction, because it’s very readable, with interesting characters and clear explanations of what’s going on… but at the same time, it represents the biggest of big ideas that science fiction can put forth.

GENRE: Hard Science Fiction
STORY: ****
CHARACTERS: ****
CONCEPT: ****
RE-READABILITY: ****