Review: Childhood's End

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not bought, lent with Amazon Prime for December 2015, due to the mini-series from SyFy. As often, I like to read the book and then see the film or (mini-) series.
And as sometimes happens, this was quite dated and not very suspenseful.
At times it dragged along, barely covering the philosophical themes with dialogue or story.
Nice idea, but basically I did not like both the style and the book, having read such drivel in my childhood and late teens, mostly still in German translation, though the Rama-series from Clarke I read in English, if I remember right.
Three stars for a good idea, and an interesting ending. If they filmed it, as it was written, I wonder why the chose this book. And if not, why bother at all?
My ebook (Kindle) has a scene, which was re-ritten during the cold-war-high-time, nice addition, which as far as the explanation goes, should be in all newer books.
I will watch the series at some point, and add a comment here, but am not looking forward to it.
Maybe my tastes have changed too much since last reading Clarke, and 2001 was also not really my cup of tea (hm, I have cut down my coffee-consumption, never really drank tea, except during vacation in the UK, it is safer to drink tea there, than coffee).
Not recommended, except as a sleeping pill.

A better book, if I am not totally off (should read it again), with something of a similar concept: Blood Music!


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