Bittersweet Endings Only Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 I just finished Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End for the first time. I'm fucking FLOORED. The end left me horrified, sad, afraid of the unknown, in awe, and uncomprehending...all at once. The only other book to have affected me so strongly like this was Dune. Anyone else read it, or had strong emotional, intellectual, or spiritual reactions to it? Quote Link to comment
Ceraziefish Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 I really loved that book. I had a similar reaction to the ending. Quote Link to comment
Arcane Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Hmmm... this intrigues me. I'm gonna have to go pick this book up now. Quote Link to comment
Galkar Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I read this book a year ago, and also had a similar reaction. It was by far the most depressing book I have ever read (not that that's saying much, though). I'm pretty sure I cried when I finished it, and I definately remember just sitting in my bed feeling complete despair (one of the few times in my life I have ever felt that emotion) for about 20 minutes afterward. Simply put, this book affected me in a way that almost nothing else ever has. The execution and pacing of the plot was absolutely perfect, leading up to an amazingly horrific ending. EDIT: I missed this thread when it was first posted, but I felt this rant was necessary. Quote Link to comment
Arcane Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I picked it up from the library yesterday. I plan on reading it within a week hopefully. Have to finish Brave New World first. Note to self: Find a happy book to read afterwards. Quote Link to comment
Galkar Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Brave New World is pretty good too if you like that type of book. There were definately things about it that annoyed me and detracted from its overall value, though. Quote Link to comment
Ceraziefish Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 I preferred Brave New World to 1984. But I didn't like 1984 much. Quote Link to comment
Belial Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 I preferred Brave New World to 1984. But I didn't like 1984 much. Loved both books, Brave New World only slightly more. Quote Link to comment
Arcane Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Loved both books, Brave New World only slightly more. I've got less than 100 pages to go in BNW... right now I'm leaning slightly towards 1984, but we'll see if my opinion is changed in a couple hours. Edit: Upon completion, I'm not really sure which I liked more... though I did find Brave New World's vision of the future to be more frightening than that of 1984's. Quote Link to comment
Arcane Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 Just finished Childhood's End. Wow. Not really sure what to say right now. I certainly enjoyed it though, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment
v for vicki Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I preferred Brave New World to 1984. But I didn't like 1984 much. 1984 is my absolute favourite book. But I'm really going to have to read Brave New World as well because it is of the same theme and such. I know they made a movie of '1984' a while ago, but was there ever a 'Brave New World' movie? Quote Link to comment
Arcane Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 1984 is my absolute favourite book. But I'm really going to have to read Brave New World as well because it is of the same theme and such. I know they made a movie of '1984' a while ago, but was there ever a 'Brave New World' movie? There have been a couple TV miniseries made of it. Quote Link to comment
v for vicki Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 There have been a couple TV miniseries made of it. They always find a way to ruin awesome novels, don't they? Quote Link to comment
Galkar Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 There was also a Sci Fi Original Movie made of it. Quote Link to comment
Ceraziefish Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 There was also a Sci Fi Original Movie made of it. Ha! Ha! You know, all this talk of dystopic books is making me want to get up on my stool and start preaching the gospel of Ursula K. Le Guin. Go out and read the Lathe of Heaven! It's not nearly as depressing as 1984, Brave New World, and certainly not Childhood's End, but it's still a damn good book. In fact, I find it a lot more believable than any of those books, because the society pictured I could actually visualize in < 20 years. Quote Link to comment
Bittersweet Endings Only Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 Ha! Ha! You know, all this talk of dystopic books is making me want to get up on my stool and start preaching the gospel of Ursula K. Le Guin. Go out and read the Lathe of Heaven! It's not nearly as depressing as 1984, Brave New World, and certainly not Childhood's End, but it's still a damn good book. In fact, I find it a lot more believable than any of those books, because the society pictured I could actually visualize in < 20 years. This is because Le Guin's trained as an anthropologist. GLORY BE TO THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. Quote Link to comment
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