Childhood's End

by Arthur C. Clarke | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
ISBN: 0575072636 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingperryfranwing of Elk Grove, California USA on 10/14/2006
Buy from one of these Booksellers:
Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com
This book is in a Controlled Release! This book is in a Controlled Release!
8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingperryfranwing from Elk Grove, California USA on Saturday, October 14, 2006
I read this book back in the 1970's and consider it Clarke's best science fiction! A+++ I plan to reread it to see if it still hold's up when the bookring is complete.

Amazon.com review:

It sounds like a story you've heard before: great alien masters descend on Earth and take control of the world, ushering in a golden age that may be cleverly disguised creative slavery. But Clarke's legendary novel (equal to 'Rendezvous with Rama' and '2001: A Space Odyssey' in fame) isn't about a human rebellion against alien overlords, but the evolution of humanity into its next stage, and the ultimate dwarfing power of the unknowable order of the cosmos. The narrative glides between different characters and different eons, occasionally with a seeming clumsiness that turns out to be purposeful plotting devices. The pay-off is sublime science-fiction poetry that shows the genre's power to transcend human drama and fly into the infinite. The sheer scope of its conclusions leaves the reader wiser and sadder, the sign of a superb novel.



Journal Entry 2 by wingperryfranwing from Elk Grove, California USA on Saturday, October 14, 2006
Bookring

This is a replacement bookring for my original copy that is stalled in Slovakia. For prior entries see this JE.

If you are interested in joining this ring, please PM me. Bookring will remain open until last person reads the book.


Participants so far:

. ajdica (Slovenia - Europe preferred)
. candy-is-dandy (UK - worldwide)
. Shimmy-crazy (UK - worldwide)
. wubbaducky (UK - worldwide)
. marko167 (Switzerland - worldwide)
. adeps from Sweden (international)
. Thursday5 (Ohio, USA - US/Canada preferred)

Then back to me:
. perryfran (Maryland, USA)<----Book is home!

Note: Order is subject to change based on shipping preferences and others joining the bookray.

How the bookring works:
* Someone will PM you for your address, PM them back and provide your address
* When you receive the book, please make a journal entry letting everyone know that you received it
* Put the book at the top of your TBR pile (under other rings/rays that arrived first)
* Read the book (take your time and enjoy the book, don't feel rushed to finish it)
* When the end is in sight, check the book's journal and PM the next person to get their address
* Finish the book, make another journal entry and let everyone know what you thought of the book
* Send the book to the next person on the list (please use the cheapest shipping method available), make release notes (Controlled Release) or journal entry to let everyone know that it's in the mail

Please feel free to PM me at any time with questions


Bookring is now completed. Thanks everyone for participating!

Journal Entry 3 by wingperryfranwing at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, October 15, 2006

Released 17 yrs ago (10/16/2006 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to Slovenia!

Surface mail - hopefully it will get there within 6-8 weeks.

Journal Entry 4 by ajdica on Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Surprise! The book arrived this morning! I wasn't expecting to see it quite so soon. I'll get started on it in about a week (I'm reading another bookring book at the moment. And it's a SF book too!).
Anyway, thank you perryfran for including me in this bookring and for replacing the stalled copy. I'm really looking forward to this read!

Journal Entry 5 by ajdica on Sunday, January 7, 2007
Wow, what a ride. It truly deserves the reputation of being among the best Sci Fi novels ever written.

I've already sent a PM to the next person on the list and will send the book as soon as I get their address. I apologize to everyone for keeping the book for so long.

Journal Entry 6 by candy-is-dandy from Great Bardfield, Essex United Kingdom on Sunday, January 21, 2007
Wow! I've never had a parcel from Slovenia before and such lovely stamps. Tempted to start collecting stamps again.

Looking forward to this book. Thanks for sharing.

Journal Entry 7 by candy-is-dandy from Great Bardfield, Essex United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
I'm not sure why but I really struggled with this book. The story is quite unique in my expereience yet I found it really dragged in places and did not keep me enthralled. Having said that I think the idea of the alien invasion and the future of mankind will stay with me though as a very depressing thought.

I found it most sad that the human race could be so easily overpowered, controlled and their ambitions and expressiveness restricted. The ending was very interesting but also very depressing - I didn't find the idea of the next stage of evolution of mankind at all inspiring and instead found myself wondering what was the point of life etc?

Cor - how depressing is that? I think I probably read this book at the wrong time and it has hit me when I feel pretty low anyway.

Off it goes to shimmy-crazy who I hope gets on with it better than I did.

Journal Entry 8 by Shimmy-crazy from Finchley, Greater London United Kingdom on Monday, May 21, 2007
It arrived over the weekend, looking forward to reading it just have one book in frount of it so should get started soon. Cheers perryfran and candy-is-dandy

Journal Entry 9 by Shimmy-crazy from Finchley, Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Have read a lot of classic sci-fi but this is my first Arthur C Clarke and will definatly be reading more of him.

Posted off to wubbaducky this morning (13/06/07)

Journal Entry 10 by wubbaducky from not specified, not specified not specified on Friday, June 15, 2007
Arrived safe and sound today - many thanks!

Journal Entry 11 by wubbaducky from not specified, not specified not specified on Saturday, July 21, 2007
Loved it - eventually :) I had to start it two or three times for some reason but once I got going, I really enjoyed it! Many thanks for setting up this ring. Am just waiting for an address to post this off to...

Journal Entry 12 by wubbaducky from not specified, not specified not specified on Thursday, August 16, 2007
Sent out today - sorry about the delay in posting!

Journal Entry 13 by marko167 from Sitges, Barcelona Spain on Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Arrived safe and sound. Have a couple to go before but shouldn't be too long before I get round to this one.

Journal Entry 14 by marko167 from Sitges, Barcelona Spain on Tuesday, October 9, 2007
My first A C Clarke and will not be my last. A very enjoyable and intersting read. Considering that it was written in 1953, it was fascinating to see how close he was with some of his predictions but also how wrong he could be as well. Imagine living in a world when you look forward to a time when there is shock at the fact people spent 3 whole hours in front of a TV everyday and there being TWENTY available channels.

Adeps PMed and I will send on as soon as I have the address.

Journal Entry 15 by marko167 at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Released 16 yrs ago (10/23/2007 UTC) at BookRing in Bookring, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Off it flies to the land of gravilax, the second best vodka and bad ice hockey teams.

Journal Entry 16 by adeps from Göteborg, Västergötland Sweden on Saturday, November 3, 2007
And it came from the land of cuckoo clocks, army knives and silly hats with feathers. Thanks!

Journal Entry 17 by adeps from Göteborg, Västergötland Sweden on Sunday, December 30, 2007
It's been a while since I read anything by Arthur C Clarke and I had forgotten about his writing style. It's special! It takes a while to get to like it, if at all. I like it, sometimes it is a bit slow and boring, but overall I like it.
I liked that the characters were unimportant, and with this I do not mean to say that they were undeveloped, but when Clarke was finished with them they were no longer part of the story. A bit like mankind...
I agree with both perryfran's "science-fiction poetry" and candy-is-dandy's "very depressing"!

Journal Entry 18 by adeps from Göteborg, Västergötland Sweden on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Off it goes. Thanks for sharing!!

Journal Entry 19 by Thursday5 from Columbus, Ohio USA on Monday, January 14, 2008
the book arrived today in the land of basketball, world class curlers, and loooong election seasons.
I am looking forward to reading this book.

Journal Entry 20 by Thursday5 from Columbus, Ohio USA on Thursday, January 31, 2008
Enjoyed the book. The author's voice felt fresh and original. The book was Jules Verne like in that the author had foresight into the use of technology. I like the beginning better than the end because I think humans would have used their creativity to confront the problem more than they did in the book--not even taking into account the human drive to survive.

I will PM Perryfran for their address so I can send the book full circle home.

Journal Entry 21 by wingperryfranwing from Elk Grove, California USA on Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Childhood's End made it back home to me today!

Thanks to everyone for participating in this successful bookring!

Journal Entry 22 by wingperryfranwing at -- Paperbackswap.com, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA on Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Released 15 yrs ago (7/23/2008 UTC) at -- Paperbackswap.com, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing to a PaperbackSwap.com member in GA

Are you sure you want to delete this item? It cannot be undone.