Childhood's End
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarkeby Arthur C. Clarke
Shares rank 108 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended for its sweeping time scale and Clarke's take on a similar subject; one reader found it dated.
Recommended for its sweeping time scale and Clarke's take on a similar subject; one reader found it dated.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sweeping time scale of story
“The sheer time scale of the story is impressive”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Clarke's take on similar subject
“I like Arthur C. Clarke’s take on a similar subject in Childhood’s End.”
Comment from 30 Dec 2025 in “Left Behind: Futurist Fetishists, Prepping and the Abandonment of Earth”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Feels dated in places
“I thought that it was dated (the Spanish watching a bullfight when the aliens came, oh c'mon!)”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Childhood's Endby Arthur C. ClarkeThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The sheer time scale of the story is impressive”
“I like Arthur C. Clarke’s take on a similar subject in Childhood’s End.”
“I thought that it was dated (the Spanish watching a bullfight when the aliens came, oh c'mon!)”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.