About a month or so ago I finished reading Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke. I haven't read many Clarke novels but I think his Rendezvous With Rama novel is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read. Having said that, I did not particularly like Childhood's End. A number of the story threads are seemingly forgotten for lengthy stretches (although a number of them do come back at the end of the story). And the conclusion to the story I found depressing. Perhaps it was meant to be depressing, but I don't believe that to be the case.

Hopefully I won't be giving too much away by saying that one of the main themes of the book, in fact what I took to be the primary theme, is one of 'transcendent evolution'. If the evolutionary path described in the book is supposed to be transcendent or uplifting I have to say I want off that train right now. I simply cannot believe that the loss of individuality and an ultimate merging with a galactic supermind is a promising path for humanity.

In a nutshell I found the narrative disjoint and the main theme to be ridiculous.