Should i read 2001 a space odyssey
The movie can only orbit the central idea, not pierce it; it relays some true pictures but also many false and distorted ones; and in concentrating on mechanical aspects of the story, and injecting hints of satire that are misleading in crucial ways, the film makes "" enigmatic to the end.
Only in the novel does all become crystal clear—the function of the mysterious monolith excavated on the moon, the reason for the mutiny psychosis of "Hal," the mimic-brain computer on board the space ship Discovery, even the true purpose of the mission of the billion-mile voyage, which in the novel presses on past Jupiter to one of the moons of Saturn.
And what happens at the end, as the one surviving astronaut crashes through the "star gate" on the face of that moon into a gigantic universe-in-reverse and then into an imaginary room that resembles a television stage set, and then retreats back down his own memory to become a crying baby and through that to a cosmic rebirth as pure intelligence—all of this, and what it portends, and has portended since the beginning of the story three million years ago with another monolith implanted on Earth to teach Pleistocene ape-men the use of stones and bones as weapons and tools—all of it becomes clear and convincing in the novel.
It is indeed an odyssey, this story, this exhilarating and rather chilling science fiction fantasy. And, of course, it is a fantasy—you need not believe it—but a fantasy by a master who is as deft at generating accelerating, almost painful suspense as he is knowledgeable and accurate and fascinating about the technical and human details of space flight and exploration.
But it is finally the stretching of the imagination that is most enthralling as Mr. The first two threads do a great job of setting up the third. The man-ape thread was the least exciting but nicely set the stage. By the time Bowman's thread got going, the book was very hard to put down. Unlike a lot of sf classics, I enjoyed both the story AND the concepts. Because of the enjoyment factor and because it's a classic of the genre, I bumped it from my original 3.
Jan 08, Matthew rated it it was amazing Shelves: sci-fi , read-more-than-once , , completist-book-club , series. It could easily be argued that it is one of the top 5 sci-fi books of all time based on its impact since the time it was released.
Also, interesting to note as discussed in the intro to the book, the movie is not based on the book and the book is not based on the movie; Clarke and Kubrick collaborated on both and, in fact, the movie w 4 stars first time I read 5 stars on the re-read And, speaking of stars.
Also, interesting to note as discussed in the intro to the book, the movie is not based on the book and the book is not based on the movie; Clarke and Kubrick collaborated on both and, in fact, the movie was released before the book. And, while I didn't care that much for the movie I am not a Kubrick fan , it is also a classic in the sci-fi genre.
My favorite thing about this book is that it is speculative science fiction at its finest. I have really enjoyed recent speculative sci-fi titles and this is the Granddaddy of them all.
How would long distance space travel work? What would Artificial Intelligence and machine learning look like? What might be out there in the Cosmos? A lot of sci-fi is about galaxies far far away and not all that based on scientific reality, but this puts everything in the realm of our Solar System with real science and only speculation about what else is beyond the limits of what is reasonably reachable.
Fascinating to think about! Do you like sci-fi? Are you looking to up your classic novel repitoire? Be sure to add It is a quick and interesting read that will give you a lot to think about. And, I suppose I should try the movie again. View all 10 comments. Jul 14, Apatt rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites. When I first read this book as a teenager I hated it, I thought it was so dry and impenetrable. I loved the Kubrick movie for its weirdness though. Clearly I was not one of the brighter kids of my generation.
Having said that while I like it very much on this reread I can see why I could not appreciate it in my teens. The fact that when you are on the moon Earth is the mo When I first read this book as a teenager I hated it, I thought it was so dry and impenetrable. They really facilitate visualization of these planets. For example the practical design of the toilet on a spaceship for zero gravity conditions a badly design toilet would mean getting shit all over you.
Also things like the thick sticky sauce on pork chops and salad with adhesive dressing to keep food from floating off the plate during dinner. After dinner the velcro slippers are great for walking around the ship without levitating.
Spacecraft Discovery I have only mentioned the minor details so far, the main plot is of course absolutely epic though it is so well known it is hardly worth describing. Then the story jumps forward to the cough future of AD where a mysterious monolith is discovered on the moon. Fortunately he soon embarks on his famous trippy trip through a stargate. I have no idea how much input Kubrick had on the novel, only that he helped to develop it.
The book is — however — entirely written by Clarke. The last couple of chapters are less surreal and psychedelic than the film but relatively understandable yet quite mind blowing for all that.
He used the right tools for the right job and his science expositions are accessible and a pleasure to read. He is also quite capable of some dry wit. Characterization is not Clarke's forte, he preferred to concentrate on the epic plot development instead, which is fine for me as he succeeded in his storytelling aim. Having said that both Dave Bowman and HAL are two of sci-fi's most memorable and enduring characters.
If you like the film adaptation of A Space Odyssey but have not read this book you should. Ditto if you have not seen the film. It is deservedly a classic. Star rating: Oh my God!
Note: My review of Odyssey Two View all 22 comments. Jan 20, Henry Avila rated it liked it. The opening scene of a tribe of ape- men in Africa finding a strange gyrating monolith, another rock to these few primitives at first. However after the light show the tribe is fascinated, teaches them how to make and use tools, kill animals and prevent their own extinction.
With an unlimited supply of food and not be dependent on plants and fruit for survival , very rare during the long ponderous drought conditions millions of years. The human race might reach their destiny , for better or w The opening scene of a tribe of ape- men in Africa finding a strange gyrating monolith, another rock to these few primitives at first. The human race might reach their destiny , for better or worse after all. At around the beginning of the 21st century another monolith is discovered or is it the same one found earlier?
Buried in the dark side back side of the moon a bizarre place for any object to be. The bright Dr. Heywood Floyd is called in to investigate and keeps a silent tongue, why he's there on the lunar surface.
He sees that the jet black slab is ten foot tall and three million years old unbelievably and immediately sends a ominous signal somewhere in the vast Solar System , obviously extraterrestrial in origin The spaceship the magnificent, expensive Discovery is built and sent to Saturn's moon Lapetus where the dark structure indicated to go, they had little choice and must obey. Hal the now legendary computer on board the Discovery does the work and Captain David Bowman and Frank Poole don't have much to do, yes a boring voyage for the spacemen And will be revived when they hopefully arrive at their distant destination an average of million miles away from Earth.
Did I say a very monotonous rather endless adventure into the unknown, this will change soon since Hal never makes a mistake, but will. Still the view of giant Jupiter's turbulent gases, constantly changing makes a colorful atmosphere which shouldn't be avoided, the planet's numerous enticing satellites that astronomers keep on finding new ones to their great delight and joy , 79 at last count, second most in our system, since Saturn has a few more, 82, good show Neither is Saturn's Rings and their ice and rocks as they float around the heavens in perpetual orbit of the exotic sphere.
This novel with a strange and vague ending what does it mean Maybe the story about Jesus Christ being resurrected to save the world? Or just aliens manipulating the Earth or another idea, humans trying to find God, you decide I did. This like the wonderful classic film is a little cold in unfolding, nevertheless a glorious story of our future. View all 14 comments. Jun 17, Kelli rated it it was amazing Shelves: re-read.
Do you read me, HAL? HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you. HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. Dave Bowman: What's the problem? HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it. HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen. HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move. I'll go in through the emergency airlock. HAL: Without your space helmet, Dave, you're going to find that rather difficult. Open the doors. HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore.
Dec 26, Tara rated it really liked it. After that initial rough patch, however, I became increasingly immersed in this absorbing story, eventually entirely unwilling to part with it. A genuinely riveting quest for discovery, is science fiction with both a heart and a mind AND view spoiler [a gloriously wiggy A. Seriously, how adorable is HAL!? I was captivated, intrigued, and exhilarated by this grand adventure into the nature of existence, the heart of the universe, and, unexpectedly, the endless expanses of the human heart.
Okay, yikes, that last line was pretty cheesy. Sorry about that. But Clarke negotiated this admittedly precarious terrain without ever allowing the book to become too sentimental, New-Agey, or otherwise insufferable. This was due to no small measure of consummate dexterity, and was in fact part of the reason why, in my opinion, this qualifies as insightful, thought-provoking, intelligently written literature.
View all 12 comments. Jul 22, picoas picoas rated it it was amazing Shelves: If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review. If you will pardon so commonplace a simile, we have set off the fire alarm and have nothing to do but to wait. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick As a 15 year old I was about to start watching a Saturday matinee film it may have been Thunderbird when a future presentation advert came on.
It looked like a fantastic space adventure so a week later I went to see it. I was amazed - incredible looking spaceships - computers which weren't just rows of flashing lights - shots which looked like they could have been taken on the moon and a fantastic space station.
I just couldn't work out how they'd made it in the same way I couldn't work out the ending nor could many others as I recall because there was a collective 'Ay' when Bowman turned into the Starchild.
I saw it again about 2 years later - after I'd read the book - with a slight air of smugness knowing that I probably had an edge on many others. It's a great film that raised so many bars but of course at the time I was far too young to be able to 'trip' out on it unless you include sherbet dabs. View all 15 comments. Aug 15, Stephen rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , easton-press , , science-fiction , bdo , exploring-the-universe.
The books of Arthur C. Clarke at least the ten or so that I have read have been consistently good and of very high quality.
When I pick up one of his books, I can be confident that I won't be disappointed. This book is terrific and don't think that if you have seen the movie you know what is going to happen.
View all 11 comments. Dec 06, J. Sutton rated it really liked it. It was too much to expect that he would also understand. Clarke's A Space Odyssey has become part of common culture. An alien artifact triggers evolution and leads mankind to the stars. The artifact pictured above recently 'discovered' in Utah renewed discussion of Clarke's seminal work. Besides the iconic monolith, though, there's also the equally "He was moving through a new order of creation, of which few men had ever dreamed The writing is sometimes clunky and occasionally really good in It's the ideas that Clarke presents and the journey he shows mankind on that continues to make this an interesting read.
Clarke because I felt like I had to. Because of this, I never thought I would actually like it this much… I love how episodic classic science fiction is. View all 7 comments. Jan 26, Dirk Grobbelaar rated it it was amazing Shelves: books-i-own , science-fiction , sf-road-trip This is really something.
This is surely a landmark piece of Science Fiction. Although Clarke divulges a lot more detail here than Kubrick incorporated into his film, the mystic aspect of space is still present. For some reason I thought the opening sequence the Dawn of Man would be boring. In fact, despite being much more comprehensive Wow. In fact, despite being much more comprehensive than the bit showed in the film, I found it extremely lyrical and poignant.
This, I suppose, is true of the whole novel. Of course, this is one Sci-Fi story that is actually not about the tech, but the sense of wonder that accompanies exploration.
Oh, and let's not forget the philosophical issue. Highly recommended. May 10, Patrick rated it really liked it Shelves: sci-fi , classics. I enjoyed this reread on my commute to work. Below is my review from and my opinion hasn't changed since then. I really enjoyed this book except for the first part which was very boring. Aliens did not build the pyramids. No, human beings built those monoliths, we grew as a species--we did it on our own—not aliens.
So, at least for me, was very hard for me to rate. Gouge my eyes out with a rusty fork. Whenever they talk about extraterrestrials on the sci-fi channel I always watch something else because I know what they are going to talk about. There is no evidence they exist anyway. I loved the themes in this book; perils of technology and nuclear war, space exploration, and artificial intelligence. I love space. Of all the sciences, astronomy is my favorite. I loved when Clarke talked about the moons and planets in the galaxy.
So overall great story, besides the two things I mentioned. View all 4 comments. Apr 14, Dennis rated it really liked it Shelves: science-fiction , series-to-continue. An SF classic that is more about concept and ideas than a traditional plot.
Unlike the movie it does have a plot, though. It all starts roughly three million years ago in Africa, with apes developing an understanding of their surroundings and how to overcome their limitations. With a little help from— our friends? I tried several times, but never got past that first sequence of the movie, until very recently.
In the book, though, this part is written with wonderful imagination and quite som An SF classic that is more about concept and ideas than a traditional plot. In the book, though, this part is written with wonderful imagination and quite some wit.
It drew me right in. We then jump to the year , when a monolith is found on the moon. Here begins a more traditional SF story that is surrounded by an air of mystery.
Where does the thing come from? And what is its purpose? We soon get some ideas. While this part of the book is relatively straightforward, Clarke generally manages to entertain, and also to impress with his surprisingly detailed and accurate description of a modern-day tablet, decades before anyone would hold such a thing in their hands. During the next part of the book, a mission to Saturn, we find ourselves on the spaceship Discovery , with two astronauts, the now infamous artificial intelligence HAL and a further three astronauts that are in hibernation chambers.
Many themes are addressed in this book. Overpopulation, food shortages, human evolution, the use of tools and power. But the struggle between man and machine and exploration of the artificial mind, with the author raising many questions and answering very few of them, is my personal highlight.
However, it is over rather soon. The next part already begins to leave the boundaries of a plot behind and relies heavily on your fascination with space travel and other planets. The book becomes more about images and imagination now, and it might lose some readers here. Transition from one part of the book to the next might not always be the smoothest and the pacing has some problems for sure, but I found it still fascinating.
Clarke manages to capture the vastness of space pretty much perfectly. It is rife with symbolism and gives the reader a lot to think about. At this point he is not concerned with explaining anything anymore.
For myself, I enjoy all kinds of science fiction, but at things are very silly and the characters are more of vehicle to bad talk the 20th and 21st century. Like I said, Clarke is a great writer, and that is why I didn't put it down. More topics from this board Keep me logged in on this device.
Forgot your username or password? User Info: doofy doofy 10 years ago 1 I like the movie, but I'm wondering if the book series takes things further with the sequels. Are they worth reading? User Info: rockyoumonkeys rockyoumonkeys 10 years ago 2 I'd recommend at least the first couple. User Info: rosymindedfuzz rosymindedfuzz 10 years ago 4 is a great companion to the film is okay is boring as hell is basically sci-fi porn in the sense that it's like "hey let's just describe a bunch of awesome future technology and society and stuff without any plot or character development at all" can't two grown men pee in the same toilet at the same time?
User Info: rockyoumonkeys rockyoumonkeys 10 years ago 5 rosymindedfuzz posted User Info: doofy doofy Topic Creator 10 years ago 8 Thanks, guys! What is good prose, and how do you know prose is good while reading it? What book series are you reading right now? Have you ever read the Paddington book series?
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