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As mankind began to take its first faltering steps into
the vast darkness of space, huge ships appear over every city
on Earth. They bring the Overlords, seemingly benign but vastly
superior in technology and intelligence. So begins their rule
of our planet, bringing peace, prosperity, and a new world
hope. But when mankind begins to question the purpose of the
Overlords, it seems that they themselves may be in thrall
to an even greater power...
The
radio play of Childhood's End is based on the Arthur
C Clarke's novel of the same name. First published in 1953,
this tale of the evolution and eventual end of humanity has
come to be seen as one of the great SF works.
Alone
many miles above the Earth, Jan Rodricks, the last surviving
human, is witnessing the end of the world. As he watches,
he records for the benefit of history how mankind was doomed.
The
massive spaceships appeared over every city on Earth, bringing
the Overlords, a seemingly benign race vastly superior in
technology and intelligence. Led by the enigmatic Karellen,
they promised a new age of peace and prosperity, and with
the help of UN Secretary General Stormgren, they eradicated
poverty, disease and war.
But
contentment has its price. As the years pass, culture, science
and religion start to die, and there are those who question
the road down which the Overlords are leading them. For it
seems the apparently benevolent and omnipotent masters of
the Earth are themselves only servants of a greater power:
a power they have no choice but to obey...
This
play was originally broadcast on BBC's Radio 4 in 1997. Although
I have to admit I thought it sounded much older than that.
It's probably because the narrator seems a bit doddery and
quite a few of the bit part actors deliver their lines unconvincingly
- nowhere is this more obvious than the newscasters.
But,
if you can ignore these slight distractions, Childhood's
End
is an entertaining adaptation of one of Arthur C Clarke's
better stories.
Nick
Smithson
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