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Childhood's End

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Childhood's End

By: Arthur C. Clarke
Narrated by: Greg Wagland
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About this listen

When the silent spacecraft arrived and took the light from the world, no one knew what to expect. When the Overlords finally showed themselves it was a shock but one that humankind could now cope with, and an era of peace, prosperity and endless leisure began. But the children of this utopia dream strange dreams of distant suns and alien planets, and soon they will be ready to join the Overmind...and, in a grand and thrilling metaphysical climax, leave Earth behind.

©1954, 1990 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2016 W F Howes Ltd First Contact Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Space Fiction Dream

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Critic reviews

"There has been nothing like it for years." (C. S. Lewis)
"The Colossus of Science Fiction." ( New York Times)
Most relevant  
I have read so many books. So many. That such a book evaded me all these years is a great pleasure.

Masterpiece

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What a great story. amazed at the scale. when I thought I understood the direction it surprised me again.
astounded that this was written over 60 years ago and apart from a few tell tale signs (camera .. ), this could have been written today
what an amazing mind Arthur C Clarke has. Big respect.

Amazing story. Respect for the mind behind this.

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For saying this book was written at almost the beginning of science fiction it is a ultimately a chilling tail. It provides a new insight into one scenario , taking use thought c. 100 years ... And leaves so many open questions ...

Amazing ...

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Clark as ever the master story creator
A well presented tail which I really enjoyed

Arthur Clark Childhoods End

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Childhoods end so full of smart ideas, each new reveal is a pleasure. Having read the physical book 23 years ago, returning to it again while driving or commuting is an absolute pleasure.

Out of this world...

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As per usual with Arthur C. Clark, I found myself drawn more to the concepts than I did to the characters or the telling of the narrative. Childhood's End, fittingly, circles some of Clark's usual themes, like human nature, man's place in the universe, and the loss of proverbial innocence. I enjoyed the story well enough - Clark is a legend for a reason, even if I found some of the lead-ups a little long winded.
Greg Wagland is a competent reader, but he really is just that - a reader, and not much of a voice actor. I would have liked a little more variety in his voicing, intonation, and emotional conveyence.

Classic sci-fi concept

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Brilliantly structured and conceived story. Incredible to think that this was written in the early 1950s.

Wonderful story

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Story :
Interesting ideas but the rythm and timeline prevented me from feeling invested in the characters and plot elements.

The main character and focus switches often and many plot points are introduced early and then dropped until the resolution comes late and underwhelming.

In general the book seems very « concept oriented » and not character focused. There is also an important mystical aspect to the story which I personally highly disliked.

It makes for an interesting and unusual take on sci-fi however not my favorite.

Performer :
As the book is mainly focused on concepts, there isn’t much character complexity and emotion for the performer to convey. However although he did a good job, I would have enjoyed more contrast between scenes depending on importance and emotions.

Interesting unusual concept

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Thought provoking and existential fear breading. What a great yarn. One of his best stories, Not as good as 2001, but worth it's place in history.

Such a magnificent story.

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This is a great book. I've read it before, listened to the radio play, and now the audiobook. It will always remain one of my favourites.

However (and isn't there always a 'however'?), the narration is terrible. The reader has no story telling ability whatsoever. There were moments when two or more people are speaking and you can't tell when one is finished and another ends. There's no real drama in his voice and his pronunciation is difficult to behold. He seems to be trying to come over all RP (Queen's English) but that's not what is called for here.

By all means, listen to this because the book is outstanding. Just don't judge it based on the reader.

Great story ruined by awful narration.

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