Childhood's End

It was an ok story. I enjoyed it for the most part, but in the end it just ended up being depressing. Most of the reviews and descriptions of this book talk about humans moving on to their next stage of evolution, but I think that is an inaccurate characterization of the end. Man isn't evolving naturally, it is being re-forged into a tool by the Overmind, and what was left behind was left to go extinct. This didn't seem to me to be any more the natural course of events for Humans any more than it is for the gardener to trim a shrub into the shape of a dolphin.I also got very tired, by the end of the book, of all these characters repeating, that if it wasn't for the Overlords that we would have blown ourselves up with nukes long ago. It just disturbed me how it portrayed the virtually whole of humanity drinking the Kool-Aid of the Overlords within less than a generation.Part of my negative attitude for this may stem from the audio book introduction about how this is one of Clarke's greatest stories and shows how Humans get past being on the brink of self-destruction on earth and move on to a new beginning.

Executive Summary: Like most classic sci-fi, it's more about ideas than plot/characters. I'm glad I listened to it, but it won't be joining my favorites.Audiobook: Eric Michael Summerer was an alright narrator, nothing special. The audio is a fine option if you're inclined that way, but certainly not a must listen. I mainly got this in audio because it was a daily deal on Audible. Your credits could probably be better spent elsewhere.Full ReviewThis is another one of those books I've owned for awhile that I finally got around to in preparation for the TV adaption coming out later this month.I've never really been a fan of classic Sci-Fi books, so if you are, I'm probably not a good gauge for you. I've read Mr. Clarke in high school ([b:2001: A Space Odyssey 70535 2001 A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1) Arthur C. Clarke https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432468943s/70535.jpg 208362] & [b:2010: Odyssey Two 70539 2010 Odyssey Two (Space Odyssey, #2) Arthur C. Clarke https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388271989s/70539.jpg 615175]) and enjoyed the first one at least.Like many older sci-fi classics, I can appreciate the ideas of the book, but find myself generally bored by the narrative. I never really connected with any of the characters. I tend to prefer character-driven stories, something that I've rarely found in older works.The writing itself is good. I suspect most fans of classic Sci-Fi will enjoy this one more than I did. For me though, I'd probably recommend 2001 over this if you want to read a book by Mr. Clarke.If nothing else, this was a short listen, and I'm glad I finally did. It has me excited to watch the mini-series. I tend to enjoy Sci-Fi a lot more in TV/Movies than I do in books anyways.