Childhood's End

The novel is divided into three parts spanning many decades. In the first, Rikki Stormgren, the head of the United Nations, is the only human allowed to speak with Karellen, and he becomes curious to see what the Overlords look like. Fifty years later, they finally reveal themselves, and their appearance is shocking because it resembles figures from humanity's oldest legends and nightmares, which suggests a mysterious connection.

In the later sections, life on Earth becomes peaceful and comfortable, but creativity and ambition fade. A young scientist named Jan Rodricks stows away on an Overlord ship to see their home world, while a family on an island colony of artists notices strange changes in their children. Gradually the true purpose of the Overlords becomes clear, connected to a vast cosmic intelligence and the next stage of human development. Clarke mixes scientific ideas with a sense of wonder and sadness, and the ending is unforgettable.

Visionary, thought-provoking and moving, one of the most influential science fiction novels ever written and still remarkably fresh. About 224 pages in the Del Rey paperback.