Ok Sci-Fans, answer me this

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Joekeyo

Well-Known Member
TRF Supporter
Joined
Sep 12, 2019
Messages
912
Reaction score
950
Location
Sun City Center, FL
As a young man, I read a lot of sci-fi. Bradbury, Clarke, Asimov, you know the drill. I expect a lot of you rocketeers did the same. I keep thinking about one book I read, but I cannot remember the name of the book or the author. I suspect that it might be A.C. Clarke. Here is the part of the book that keeps haunting me.: The earth is on the brink of destruction due to man's inhumanity to man (as usual). An alien civilization intervenes and brings lasting peace to earth at some expense to the human race including loss of some personal freedoms. The aliens have chosen one person to be the liaison between them and the human race. The aliens will not reveal what they look like and communicate through the liaison using voice only. The liaison understands that the aliens are nearby when they are communicating with him.
There is a big plot buildup when the liaison tries to devise a way to see the aliens during their communications. Ultimately he is successful and only catches a glimpse of a body part and he thinks it is a tail.
Years later, the aliens reveal themselves and they do have tails. At this point the reader understands why the aliens were reluctant to reveal themselves any sooner.

I remember that this was a great story and very symbolic. If you have read it recently, or remember it from antiquity, can you fill me in on the title. These days I exclusively read non-fiction, but I would make an exception for a re-read of this one.
 
Spoilers: In Childhood's End (Clarke), the Earth is invaded by aliens and ruled benevolently by an "Overlord" who refuses to let them see him. Eventually, it is revealed that he has horns and a tail (Satanic in appearance, although the similarity is only visual) which explains why he didn't want earthlings to see his visage. Maybe that's the one you're thinking of?
 
Spoilers: In Childhood's End (Clarke), the Earth is invaded by aliens and ruled benevolently by an "Overlord" who refuses to let them see him. Eventually, it is revealed that he has horns and a tail (Satanic in appearance, although the similarity is only visual) which explains why he didn't want earthlings to see his visage. Maybe that's the one you're thinking of?
Yes, that's it! Thank you very much.
 
Childhood's End is a terrific read! The fact that the aliens looked like Satan is part of a premonition embedded in the human mind as glimpsing part of their/our future. IMHO this was Clarke's greatest book. Somewhere I read that Stanley Kubrick considered making a movie out of this book, but he was too concerned that the special effects would end up making the devil image look too fake. So, he made a movie out of "2001: A Space Odyssey" instead.
 
Back
Top