I finished reading Childhood’s End (1953) by Arthur C. Clarke. This science fiction classic opens with humanity’s first encounter with an alien species. Characters come and go and the plot develops primarily through their interactions with each other and the aliens.

The writing is brisk and tightly descriptive. There is not much character development; the book is more a novel of ideas. Certain ideas and scenarios are followed out to their potential conclusions, and these spark some interesting questions.