ade into a movie, I sincerely hope the screenwriter and director leave virtually every part intact. In the unlikely event that this essay is ever read by the great author himself, I'd like it known by him that his books and ideals carry on into the next millennium and that the young man writing this essay has made it a personal goal to do his best to show the story of Childhood's End on the big screen. I say its time for Clarke to be recognized once again on film. The ending of the book, and I'm sure others would agree with me, had the greatest effect on me. I was able to envision every minute detail and emotion. The dreams and experiences of Jeffery, the realization of his parents that their child is no longer human, the gathering of the children going away. What an incredible vision I saw! It was so bold and so real that many times I found myself perspiring all over and even shedding a tear or two at how beautifully the story seemed to me. Jan, reporting back to the Overlords of what he was seeing and feeling...the mere thought of what might be going through his head was enough for me to stop reading. Yes, I'm sure that wasn't Clarke's intention. I found it too good to be true. The story continuously evolved onto a new level of comprehension and experience. The goose-bumps on my body now began to hurt after each page I turned. This was what science-fiction was all about! This is why I love science-fiction! Incredible events that captivate and entangle us unto a new level of comprehension and understanding. Jan was the last man on Earth and it was up to him to give his account of the end of the world. How impossibly exhilarating that would be. Seeing your own world disappear before your eyes, and you with it. But this isn't a tragedy of mankind. Instead, I thought long and hard about how this book ended. About how humanity ended. A very noble and respectful way for mankind to end. Knowing that each event in the past was not spent in fu...
