Childhood's End

[devohoneybee]

I liked it!

Naturally, I had *some* issues with the translation from the book (which was the book that made me a sci fi fan for life, I must have read it 20 times, starting at age 12). But I also liked some of the changes that they made, including making one of the key characters a person of color, that updated the story from some very dated "norms."

Please comment on your take! I'm going to add more spoilery stuff (VERY SPOILERY, if you have neither read the book nor seen the syfy production) in the comments.

Comments

[devohoneybee]

My biggest beef was that some of the Karellen's actions seemed to imply mind powers. How else would the Overlords know what was in Ricky's memories or heart? Or be able to create what seemed like a semi-independent avatar of Anabelle? And that one of the biggest points of the book was that Karellen's race has no telepathy, no psychic powers, just pure mental processing power, and that that is their great tragedy and why they can never be one with the Overmind.

Also, who actually works Ricky's farm? And how did he afford THREE DAYS in the honeymoon suite of a MAJOR New York hotel?

I also missed the book's depictions of the children as making vast moving patterns for a long period of time as they became more and more alien from their parents. And the fascination of Karellen's people with studying them, trying to find clues as to the nature of the thing that is always and forever beyond them.

I DID like the backstories and characterizations of many of the characters, especially Milo, which is completely new to the story. Clark was not at his best at depth of character.

I kind of adored the second "Overlord" -- Vin.. something? Dorky alien for the win! And Karellen's withering look when he starts rambling on Shakespeare at the worst possible moment.

I'd love to know what others thought of the ultimately metaphysical point of the story -- the evolution to One Mind. I liked that they kept this a rather stark and drastic process from the point of view of the humans left behind. I loved the wistful longing of Karellen's people for what they can never understand (I think the book was stronger in depicting this aspect, as well as the irony of the dead end of his people's epic superiority in all things intellectual, leading nowhere new, ever).

So, thoughts? :)

[devohoneybee]

oh! AND. I might have missed this (I was distracted at points by Things), but did they ever explain that the reason the Overlords looked like demons was a massive human precognitive memory of the future associating them with the end of the earth? Because, really fascinating, major book reveal, and making sense of "no, we really aren't demons, you created the image of demons because of us, not the other way around."

[devohoneybee]

would have liked to see female "overlords" - funny that we never find out what they call themselves, though we do get a planet name

LOVED Karellen's line about consciousness being a group mind thing (even for those who, like his people, do not have the psychic dimension available). I thought it was the most important, and interesting line in the whole piece. I don't recall it from the book, which might make it the best innovation of the tv version.

[gattagrigia]

Thanks for the reminder. I haven't watch it yet, but I remember I really liked the book, and I can remember the cover. However I don't remember anything about the story! Fortunately, Amazon has it listed as kindle unlimited today, which means I've got it for free on my kindle, and don't have to search the bookshelves to see if I still have the book.

[devohoneybee]

In today's terms, very dated in that Clarke has the classic sci fi style of lot of ideas, a little short on characterization. However, the ideas in this are really interesting, at least they were to me.