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2001 a Space Odyssey

By Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke

(150)

| Library Binding | 9781435293328

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7 Reviews

I haven't seen the movie (now I fully intend to!) and I don't read that much sci-fi, so I'm really impressed with Clarke's intriguing notion that modern humans came to dominate the world because of an extraterrestrial spark that "inspired" their evolution from ape-man to man. I really like this pre ... (continue)

I haven't seen the movie (now I fully intend to!) and I don't read that much sci-fi, so I'm really impressed with Clarke's intriguing notion that modern humans came to dominate the world because of an extraterrestrial spark that "inspired" their evolution from ape-man to man. I really like this premise because I often wonder why, after billions of years, humans are the only species that have evolved the ability to control nature to any appreciable extent.
Clarke's attention to detail is also fascinating. I keep reminding myself that this book was published in 1968, which makes it even more amazing because that was before men set foot on the Moon, before the age of computers, and certainly before any meaningful artificial intelligence. And Clarke's prescient vision was amazing - when I read about the Newspad I immediately thought of the iPad!
The Star Gates, the "Central Station", the derelict spaceport, the Star Child - all these are rich fodder capable of generating so many more stories. So, quite contrary to Clarke's original claim that 2001: A Space Odyssey was conclusively closed, the novel is actually a young tree waiting to branch off into countless limbs.
And so I am going to read the sequel, to see if this young tree bears sweet fruits or not.

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Holmes said on Apr 24, 2012 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

As a Kubrick fan, I knew pretty well the plot. Nevertheless, this three million years journey (ops, sorry, I mean odyssey) from Moon-Watcher to the eye of Japetus is always remarkably absorbing and enthralling.

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Albe said on Mar 11, 2012 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

masterpiece. Clears many of the open points in the movie

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Casolino Marco said on Nov 6, 2011 about the Others edition | Add your feedback

Completely blown away. On a second thought tho, it's entirely bizarre, why a sci-fi written in words (no photos, no illustrations) could be that vivid and beautiful in depicting our Universe? What's more, I'm reading 2001 in the year 2010...

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fruit said on Sep 4, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

The science part was very interesting. The fiction part was too, but not mind-blowing, in my opinion, as its reputation would suggest.

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sid_rw said on Mar 22, 2010 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

A excellent novel.
It is hard to imagine how Arthur imagined those scenes out in space, when space travel is still a matter of imagination. And the plots in the story: AI revolting, space travel, the born of civilization etc.... is so familiar to modern SF readers which proves the influence o ... (continue)

A excellent novel.
It is hard to imagine how Arthur imagined those scenes out in space, when space travel is still a matter of imagination. And the plots in the story: AI revolting, space travel, the born of civilization etc.... is so familiar to modern SF readers which proves the influence of this book.
Like Asimov's work this novel will give you a sense of greatness of the universe, which is much less subtle in modern SF stories. They are good at showing you how big the universe is outside our little Earth.

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林木森 said on Jul 31, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback