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The novel first took shape in July 1946, when Clarke wrote "Guardian Angel", a short story that would eventually become Part I of Childhood's End. Clarke's portrayal of the Overlords as devils was influenced by John W. Campbell 's depiction of the devilish Teff-Hellani species in The Mightiest Machine , [ 2 ] first serialized in Astounding ...
Childhood’s End is Arthur C. Clarke’s first successful novel. Set in the future, the novel spans over 130 years from the arrival of the alien race known as Overlords to the completed absorption of the world’s children to the entity known as the Overmind.
A short summary of Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of Childhood's End.
- Knowledge, Technology and Power
- The Problems of Utopian Society
- The Purpose of Humanity
In much of his fiction, Arthur C. Clarke supports the idea that knowledge, particularly knowledge of technology, equals power—and not just physical power, but psychological power as well. One of Clarke's three "Laws" is the idea that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." In Childhood's End,the Overlords use their t...
While the main concepts of Childhood's Endrevolve around the irony of the Overlords as benevolent masters that look like "devils" and the division between technological and evolutionary achievement, the book also deals heavily with the possible problems of a utopian society. Before we are even aware that the Overlords have started making beneficial...
Several of Clarke's novels tackle the big questions of the meaning of human existence. Much like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End tries to find a purpose for humanity by putting it against a backdrop of alien intelligence. Clarke has often said that he believes humanity is meant to reach out into space and explore the stars. However, in Child...
Karellen steps out first before a crowd of onlookers, holding two human children who entered his ship to meet him. The Overlord looks like the quintessential picture of the Devil: 12 feet tall; black, armored skin; leathery wings; barbed tail; short horns protruding from his head.
The novel opens with the arrival of the Overlords. The first chapter provides two perspectives on the moment of arrival: those of Helena Lyakhov, a cosmonaut, and Dr. Mohan Kaleer, a scientist and researcher.
When the children of the planet begin their transformation into a new type of creature, Karellen finally announces the Overlords’ true purpose: They were sent to Earth by some superior force...
