Childhood’s End is my first reading of a work by Arthur C. Clarke. Not being an enthusiast of the science fiction genre, I wasn’t much inclined to read him. But I decided to give it a go this year and started first with Asimov. The experience with Asimov gave me the confidence to try out Arthur C. Clarke. He is a genius writer. I do agree, having read this work now. But I chose him simply because I felt ashamed of not having read this world-renowned author who lived in my country all his adult life. So, in a way, reading him was also paying tribute.
The storyline is based on fantasy. The earth is ruled by aliens who call themselves the Overloads. With their rule, the Earth has become a peaceful place to live in with no wars and equality among all the species. Overloads have introduced new superior technologies to secure the forward progress of the earth and its inhabitants. In short, a sort of utopian world is created. But humans aren’t content. They feel the absence of creativity and adventure, and they fear that their restricted position will soon make them lose their human identity. So, they rebel subtly not knowing what the future holds for them.
Arthur C. Clarke was a known futurist. He was in favour of technological advances which enabled man to unravel the mysteries of the universe. At the same time, he wasn’t too happy with the idea of humans becoming complete slaves to technology. He feared that slavery to technology would extinct the once creative and intelligent race to be replaced by a dull and unimaginative one, and that the world we knew would slowly come to an end. This was not all. Clarke was also questioning the self-proclaimed superiority of the human race. In the story, the humans are overpowered and ruled by the Overloads. That shows that humans are just another race that there is no need for them to demonstrate any superiority and that the ego of “I” is meaningless. And his introduction of the all-powerful Overmind raises the interesting question of the ultimate ruler of the universe. Arthur C. Clarke believed in the Buddhist concept of Nirvana, a state of no-self, where there is neither suffering nor desire, a transcendent state in which the cycle of death and rebirth is broken and replaced by an eternal state of consciousness. The Overminds in the story were Clarke’s representation of this eternal state of consciousness.
The story goes deeper than what one comprehends on the surface. I didn’t dream I could find so much philosophy in a fantastic science fiction. I was surprised, and pleasantly so. I believe it’s the thought-provoking nature of this novel that attracted me much to the story. I’m glad to have finally read Arthur C. Clarke. I’m still not an enthusiast of sci-fi, but who knows? Clarke might yet make me one.
Rating: 4/5
