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Dirk Grobbelaar's Reviews > 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)
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Dirk Grobbelaar's review
bookshelves: science-fiction, books-i-own, sf-road-trip-2012, favourites, sff-from-1960s
Jan 26, 2010
bookshelves: science-fiction, books-i-own, sf-road-trip-2012, favourites, sff-from-1960s
Wow. This is really something. Forget what you think you know if you’ve seen the film.
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. I also enjoyed learning more about the monoliths and their true nature and/or purpose.
For some reason I thought the opening sequence (the Dawn of Man) would be boring. It wasn’t. 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. The grand finale was everything I’d hoped for and it does clear the water a bit, although there are some things that remain tantalizingly open for interpretation. There are a number of parallels here, but I don’t want to go into too much detail.
A fun activity is comparing Clarke’s predictions with the current state of technology. OK, so he had the date of space-worthiness wrong (we’re more than a decade overdue) but there are any number of things in here that are interesting (Tablet PCs with internet capability, for example). These tidbits are all the more impressive if you take into account the novel’s date of publication. 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.
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. I also enjoyed learning more about the monoliths and their true nature and/or purpose.
For some reason I thought the opening sequence (the Dawn of Man) would be boring. It wasn’t. 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. The grand finale was everything I’d hoped for and it does clear the water a bit, although there are some things that remain tantalizingly open for interpretation. There are a number of parallels here, but I don’t want to go into too much detail.
A fun activity is comparing Clarke’s predictions with the current state of technology. OK, so he had the date of space-worthiness wrong (we’re more than a decade overdue) but there are any number of things in here that are interesting (Tablet PCs with internet capability, for example). These tidbits are all the more impressive if you take into account the novel’s date of publication. 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.
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Reading Progress
January 26, 2010
– Shelved
July 13, 2011
– Shelved as:
science-fiction
August 7, 2011
– Shelved as:
books-i-own
June 6, 2012
– Shelved as:
sf-road-trip-2012
July 4, 2012
–
Started Reading
August 6, 2012
–
Finished Reading
March 19, 2024
– Shelved as:
favourites
March 19, 2024
– Shelved as:
sff-from-1960s
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One of the things I remember is a simple suggestion for walking upright in microgravity: Velcro. Ingenious, and though people don't use velcro for navigation through cabins, I've noticed that they do use it for a lot of other things. The jumpsuits people wear on the Space Station not only have many pockets; they also have velcro strips on them, so that things can be parked without floating away.I can also recommend The Fountains of Paradise, which is about the building of a beanstalk (an elevator to space, basically), starting in Sri Lanka. The fountains in the title were commissioned by a somewhat megalomaniacal king of classical Indian times, and are paralleled with the divine madness it takes to build the beanstalk.
On my soon to read list. Great review.
Brendon wrote: "On my soon to read list. Great review."Thanks Brendon
Nice review. I'm re-reading this now and enjoying it a lot (again).
James wrote: "Nice review. I'm re-reading this now and enjoying it a lot (again)."Thanks James. Glad you're enjoying it!
Arthur Clarke really did have an amazing mind...didn't he? It's hard to believe that he wrote this novel in 1968...45 years ago. Great review!Jane
I rarely read SF anymore because there aren't many that do it for me like 2001 (and the rest) and Rendezvous with Rama (and Rama II) did.
Thank you all for the feedback. Much appreciated!
I am indeed a fan of the book, the movie bores my pants off.I enjoyed the sequels as well.
Hoping that Valerie is getting updates:What Journal? What is the title?
Bill,
For my money Childhood's End was the best thing Clarke wrote. Rama (I) was flat. 2001 somewhere in between.
Should I see the movie first?
Will asked:Should I see the movie first?
See the film first.
Consider getting the "making of" next - some good stuff in there:
(except, doggonit, it's out of print - and expensive:
"Forget what you think you know if you've seen the film". Concise and accurate. Couldn't agree more with both the statement and the review, Kubrick's Odyssey doesn't hold a candle to Clarke's.
I do this activity for all the vintage scifi I read. It is fun to see what they got right. Like Clarke was way off about space food in the book, but Newspad (head explodes).
"The Sentinel" Kubrick responded, to which Clarke objected that that was a story only 9 pages long. Then Kubrick explained that he and Clarke would write the movie, while Clarke wrote the novel.
The journal explains a lot of things that would be confusing without the backstory (like why Kubrick insisted that the Discovery go to Jupiter, while Clarke argued it should be Saturn).
Of course, there's still a lot left obscure, even with the explanations in the journal.