Childhoods End

Massive alien vessels suddenly descend over Earth's greatest cities, piloted by enigmatic beings called the Overlords who usher humanity into an unprecedented golden age of peace and prosperity. Yet after fifty years of eliminating ignorance, disease, and suffering, their true purpose becomes clear, setting the stage for mankind's next chapter. Arthur C. Clarke's masterwork explores what happens when an advanced civilization offers salvation—and what the price of that salvation might ultimately be.