Childhood's End is a book written by Arthur C. Clarke and published in 1953. It regularly makes the top 10 list of all-time best science fiction from the golden era of sci-fi. Reading it today, the books holds up remarkably well. No surprise there, as Clarke was a stickler for scientific accuracy and one of the three original hard science fiction writing masters, alongside Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein.
It is a novel with profound cosmic and theological overtones. It unites our current place in the universe and our final destiny with religion, science, and philosophy. The novel influenced many of Clarke's later works including his most famous, 2001: A Space Odyssey. So it is with excitement and no small amount of anxiety that I await Syfy's six-hour miniseries adaptation of Childhood's End beginning on December 14 at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central.
Will it be reasonably true to the original story-line and still lose an ineffable essence in being transformed onto wide screen? Will Syfy or the writers mutilate the story in a depressing effort to serve too many commercial interests? We'll know soon enough. I may even have some exclusive insight into some of those answers in a few weeks. But for now, if you've read the book and know the plot (or don't mind having the plot spoiled), come on below for a good old-fashioned discussion about the fictional future of all mankind.
In the not-too-distant future, large alien ships appear in the skies over major cities. Humans soon learn they are crewed by the Overlords, an advanced species that has come to rescue humanity from itself. But from the get-go, the Overlords are aloof; they won't even show themselves, saying their physical appearance would shock humans so badly that it would threaten the Overlords' mission to help us. After serious pressure is put on the Overlords, they announce they will show themselves in the flesh, but not until 50 years have gone by.
After 50 years under the stewardship of the Overlords, humanity is enjoying a golden age of peace and prosperity unlike any we have ever dared dream. True to their word, the Overlords reveal themselves, and humans are indeed shocked to see they superficially resemble hellish demons incarnate, right down to the horns, wings, and forked tail! The Overlords refuse to explain why their likeness appears throughout ancient human culture and is associated with evil beings. Humans simply assume this is not the first time the Overlords have visited Earth.
More peaceful decades go by and finally, the Overlords explain that mankind is on the verge of a great change, one both beautiful and terrifying that comes to all intelligent species sooner or later. Adults can live out the remainder of their lives in peace and tranquility, but their children must be separated while they transform beyond recognition, join a collective intelligence vastly more powerful than the Overlords, and leave the Earth forever. The Overlords explain that few species make the transition without help, and had they not come along to manage it we would have destroyed ourselves, losing the chance to fulfill our cosmic destiny.
The Overlords also reveal a curious weakness: Due to their extreme rationality and cognitive rigidity, they themselves cannot make that transition. So they have dedicated themselves to helping other species through it. In the end the Overlords were every bit as benevolent as they claimed to be, even though they were envious of our unlimited potential. The book ends with humans as we know them gone, their descendants now part of something much greater, and the Overlords leaving the solar system—presumably en route to their next mission many light-years away.
Often when great books are adapted to film, there is disappointment among die-hard fans. This is especially true of fantasy and science fiction. Dune and I, Robot come to mind. But it doesn't always turn out that way. Blade Runner was well-received by fans of the original novel it is based on, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy stands on its own, with many considering them some of the best movies ever made.
We'll have to wait and see how Childhood's End fares. There is nothing in the original book that is particularly challenging by today's special effects standards. What will make or break this adaptation is the acting, the directing, the camera work, and how well whatever deviations or enhancements the Syfy version uses work with the original story. As the date of the first installment draws near, I hope to have someone involved with the miniseries join us here on Daily Kos to address some of those questions.