I know there are those people who don't think science fiction can be considered literature, or at least serious literature, but those people just aren't reading the right books.
Earlier this evening I finished Childhood's End, by the late Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke, best known for his Space Odyssey series, took science fiction completely seriously. As a result, his name is beloved among sci-fi fans, who cite the ABCs of classic science fiction as required reading--that's Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke.
This is the first novel of Clarke's that I've read, but it won't be the last. The story deals with an extraordinarily advanced alien race that comes to Earth with the stated intention of "fixing" the human race. War, poverty, and disease are eradicated under the beneficent management of the Overlords, and humanity enters a Golden Age.
But, of course, this leaves the human race in a state of stagnation--what's the point in spending one's entire life working on, say, the secrets of interstellar space flight when the secrets are already known? Certain members of the human race point out that, despite the optimistic rhetoric of the Overlords, nobody really knows what their agenda is, or what it will mean for humanity.
Of course, that's the big secret of the book, and I couldn't possibly tell anything about where the story goes from here, or how it ends--this book has one of the most audacious, exhilarating, and tragic endings of any story I've ever read.
I think it's safe to say that nobody in Hollywood will ever do justice to this amazing story. This one is highly recommended to anyone who has any interest in the genre, or anyone who wishes to see what a master storyteller is capable of. You'll be missed, Mr. Clarke.
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