Discussion:
[Tears] Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
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James Nicoll
2024-11-03 13:17:57 UTC
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Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll
Robert Woodward
2024-11-03 18:01:49 UTC
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Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Your statement "could read as cosmic horror" really should be is read as
cosmic horror" by a number of SF fans (not just me, IIRC, Ryk Spoor aka
Sea Wasp did as well).
--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
‹-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward ***@drizzle.com
Charles Packer
2024-11-15 08:45:57 UTC
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Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
D
2024-11-15 09:31:59 UTC
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Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Well, for a fun twist on the concept, I recommend Robert Anton Wilsons
Illuminatus trilogy.
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
2024-11-15 13:18:03 UTC
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Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Probably 100s I would expect.

Some that leap immediately to mind:

"Nightwings" by Silverberg
_Pandoras Planet_ by Anvil
Duchy of Terra setting by Stewart
_This Immortal_ by Zelazny
_Way of the Pilgrim_ by Dickson
_Divide & Rule_ by de Camp
_Earth Lies Sleeping_ by
_Sleeping Planet_ by Burkett
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
James Nicoll
2024-11-15 13:58:55 UTC
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Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce eight
hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.
--
My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll
Dimensional Traveler
2024-11-15 15:54:33 UTC
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Post by James Nicoll
Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce eight
hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.
One, two, three, four....
--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.
Lynn McGuire
2024-11-15 20:36:59 UTC
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Post by Dimensional Traveler
Post by James Nicoll
Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce eight
hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.
One, two, three, four....
16 more fingers and toes to go. That is, assuming that James has all of
his fingers and toes.

Lynn
Scott Dorsey
2024-11-18 07:00:40 UTC
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Post by Lynn McGuire
Post by Dimensional Traveler
Post by James Nicoll
Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce eight
hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.
One, two, three, four....
16 more fingers and toes to go. That is, assuming that James has all of
his fingers and toes.
Against the Fall of Night and City and the Stars, except that the overlords
have disappeared and left us alone but we didn't notice.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Charles Packer
2024-11-16 09:00:18 UTC
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Post by James Nicoll
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as humankind
placed under involuntary governance by either extraterrestrials or a
special class of other humans, for either benign or malign reasons.
Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce
eight hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.
OK. While I look up the titles that were given, I thought of a
qualification that could narrow things down. There has to be a
message to humans that the overlordship is for the good of
humanity -- whether of not the overlords mean it. This would
exclude stories simply of opression by a superclass.
Paul S Person
2024-11-15 16:24:53 UTC
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On Fri, 15 Nov 2024 08:45:57 -0000 (UTC), Charles Packer
Post by Charles Packer
Post by James Nicoll
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?
https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
Among others, Silverberg's /The Alien Years/.

Warning: the aliens come, Our Heroes react, things get interesting and
then ... it just ends. This is why I found it in Half Price Books for
$7.58 (nice thick hardcover, purchased in 1999) and disposed of it a
decade later. (For books, I either sold it back to Half Price Books,
donated it to a library, or put it in a drop-off box for someone else
to decide what to with it. I only recycle books that have literally
fallen apart.)

But it /was/ a good read while it lasted.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"
Scott Dorsey
2024-11-18 01:33:00 UTC
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Post by Charles Packer
Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
benign or malign reasons.
It's entirely voluntary in To Serve Man.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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