Syfy Greenlights Six-Hour Miniseries CHILDHOOD’S END, Adapted From Arthur C. Clarke’s Novel By The Creator Of LIFE ON MARS !! Read the full article on AICN I am – Hercules!! With the possible exception of “Rendezvous With Rama,” 1953’s “Childhood’s End” may be the most famous novel by Arthur C. Clarke that has nothing to do with Dave Bowman or Franke Poole. Like other Clarke works, “Childhood’s End” depicts mankind’s first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence.