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  • [Tears] Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke

    From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Sun Nov 3 13:17:57 2024
    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

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  • From Robert Woodward@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Sun Nov 3 10:01:49 2024
    In article <vg7t65$k4c$[email protected]>,
    [email protected] (James Nicoll) wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Your statement "could read as cosmic horror" really should be is read as
    cosmic horror" by a number of SF fans (not just me, IIRC, Ryk Spoor aka
    Sea Wasp did as well).

    --
    "We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
    Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_. �-----------------------------------------------------
    Robert Woodward [email protected]

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  • From Charles Packer@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Fri Nov 15 08:45:57 2024
    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From D@21:1/5 to Charles Packer on Fri Nov 15 10:31:59 2024
    On Fri, 15 Nov 2024, Charles Packer wrote:

    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.


    Well, for a fun twist on the concept, I recommend Robert Anton Wilsons Illuminatus trilogy.

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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Nov 15 13:58:55 2024
    In article <pan$f768$bdeea429$aec6f28b$[email protected]>,
    Charles Packer <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.

    Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce eight hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.
    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ted Nolan @21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Nov 15 13:18:03 2024
    In article <pan$f768$bdeea429$aec6f28b$[email protected]>,
    Charles Packer <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.

    Probably 100s I would expect.

    Some that leap immediately to mind:

    "Nightwings" by Silverberg
    _Pandoras Planet_ by Anvil
    Duchy of Terra setting by Stewart
    _This Immortal_ by Zelazny
    _Way of the Pilgrim_ by Dickson
    _Divide & Rule_ by de Camp
    _Earth Lies Sleeping_ by
    _Sleeping Planet_ by Burkett

    --
    columbiaclosings.com
    What's not in Columbia anymore..

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  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Fri Nov 15 07:54:33 2024
    On 11/15/2024 5:58 AM, James Nicoll wrote:
    In article <pan$f768$bdeea429$aec6f28b$[email protected]>,
    Charles Packer <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.

    Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce eight hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.

    One, two, three, four....

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Fri Nov 15 08:24:53 2024
    On Fri, 15 Nov 2024 08:45:57 -0000 (UTC), Charles Packer
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.

    Among others, Silverberg's /The Alien Years/.

    Warning: the aliens come, Our Heroes react, things get interesting and
    then ... it just ends. This is why I found it in Half Price Books for
    $7.58 (nice thick hardcover, purchased in 1999) and disposed of it a
    decade later. (For books, I either sold it back to Half Price Books,
    donated it to a library, or put it in a drop-off box for someone else
    to decide what to with it. I only recycle books that have literally
    fallen apart.)

    But it /was/ a good read while it lasted.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Charles Packer@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Sat Nov 16 09:00:18 2024
    On Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:58:55 -0000 (UTC), James Nicoll wrote:

    In article <pan$f768$bdeea429$aec6f28b$[email protected]>,
    Charles Packer <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 3 Nov 2024 13:17:57 -0000, James Nicoll wrote:

    Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke

    For what purpose have the enigmatic Overlords taken control of Earth?

    https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/hush-dont-cry

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as humankind >>placed under involuntary governance by either extraterrestrials or a >>special class of other humans, for either benign or malign reasons.

    Tons and tons, he said in the tone of someone who needed to produce
    eight hundred to sixteen hundred words for tor today.

    OK. While I look up the titles that were given, I thought of a
    qualification that could narrow things down. There has to be a
    message to humans that the overlordship is for the good of
    humanity -- whether of not the overlords mean it. This would
    exclude stories simply of opression by a superclass.

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  • From Scott Dorsey@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Mon Nov 18 01:33:00 2024
    Charles Packer <[email protected]> wrote:

    Are there any other examples of overlordship in SF? Defined as
    humankind placed under involuntary governance by either
    extraterrestrials or a special class of other humans, for either
    benign or malign reasons.

    It's entirely voluntary in To Serve Man.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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