Buena novela. For a long time, I have wanted to read this classic. It is incredible how Arthur Clarke imagined what space travel would be like 55 years ago. There are so many accuracies and obviously so many deviations, but we must not forget that it is a work of fiction. What is interesting is that it was born as futuristic, but today I think it could be considered an alternate history.

I liked the beginning of the story, which narrates the origin of human beings. Apparently, they were condemned to be food for other more ferocious animals, and they had a kind of "help" that is not entirely clear.

Subsequently, the evolution of man until he reaches the space age, his origins, and the first steps in space travel, the establishment of man on the moon, and his arrival on Mars and other more distant places, which is precisely the central focus of the story.

Another thing that I really liked was the theme of an AI that has a set programming that "clashes" with the desires of man and in some cases evolves until it has its own thought. I think this has been quite touched on in cinematography now, for example, Wall-E.

The opening scene presents a tribe of ape-men in Africa. They come across a strange gyrating monolith, which initially seems just like another rock to these few primitives. But after a captivating light show, the tribe becomes fascinated. The monolith teaches them how to make and use tools, kill animals, and prevent their own extinction. With a newfound unlimited supply of food, they are no longer dependent on plants and fruit for survival, which is extremely rare during the long and ponderous drought conditions that have persisted for millions of years. The human race might finally reach their destiny, for better or worse.

At around the beginning of the 21st century, another monolith is discovered. Or could it be the same one found earlier? It is buried on the dark side (back side) of the moon, a bizarre place for any object to be. The brilliant Dr. Heywood Floyd is called in to investigate. He keeps silent about why he is on the lunar surface. He sees that the jet black slab is ten foot tall and an unbelievably three million years old. Immediately, it sends an ominous signal somewhere in the vast Solar System, obviously of extraterrestrial origin.

The magnificent and expensive spaceship, the Discovery, is built and sent to Saturn's moon, Lapetus, where the dark structure indicates they should go. They have little choice but to 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, it's a boring voyage for the spacemen. The other crewmen are in hibernation and will be revived when they hopefully arrive at their distant destination, an average of 746 million miles away from Earth. I did say it was a very monotonous and rather endless adventure into the unknown, but this will change soon since Hal, who never makes a mistake, will.

Still, the view of giant Jupiter's turbulent gases, constantly changing, creates a colorful atmosphere that shouldn't be avoided. The planet's numerous enticing satellites, which 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), are also not to be missed. Neither are Saturn's Rings and their ice and rocks as they float around the heavens in perpetual orbit of the exotic sphere. This novel, with its strange and vague ending, makes one wonder what it means. Maybe it's 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, it's a glorious story of our future.

“They became farmers in the fields of stars; they sowed and sometimes they reaped. And sometimes, dispassionately, they had to weed.” Written a year before Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the moon, this science fiction story is truly a masterpiece. Clark skillfully blends his speculative predictions with real events from the past, such as the panic caused by the broadcasts of Wells’ ‘War of the Worlds’. He also quotes Niels Bohr, adding an extra layer of depth to the narrative. I was particularly drawn to his vivid descriptions of the lives of astronauts. The long, lonely, and boring journeys are interrupted by occasional breathtaking sights and destinations. The beginning and conclusion of the story are simply astonishing.

“In an empty room floating amid the fires of a double star twenty thousand light-years from Earth, a baby opened its eyes and began to cry.” “Where there is light, there still could be life.” “It was the mark of a barbarian to destroy something one could not understand.” "We can design a system that's proof against accident and stupidity; but we can't design one that's proof against deliberate malice." “Someone had once said that you could be terrified in space, but you could not be worried there.” “The word'rescue' was carefully avoided in all the Astronautics Agency's statements and documents; it implied some failure of planning, and the approved jargon was're-acquisition’.” “Again he began to wonder if he was suffering from amnesia. Paradoxically, that very thought reassured him. If he could remember the word 'amnesia', his brain must be in fairly good shape.” “They had learned to speak, and so had won their first great victory over Time. Now the knowledge of one generation could be handed on to the next, so that each age could profit from those that had gone before. Unlike the animals, who knew only the present, Man had acquired a past; and he was beginning to grope toward a future.”

Re-read, probably for the third time, now that I think about it.

This time, I watched the movie BEFORE reading the book. Despite my wonderful precognition, which was disabled by 25 years of having last read this particular story, I came out of my home theater wondering WTF I just watched.

Classic? You bet. Incomprehensible? Maybe. :) Or at least, at that last bit.

And so we come to the book. It does an admirable job of EXPLAINING all those endless silences replaced by good classical music or the moaning of the theater-goers of 1968 (or the damned, I can never tell between those two) or the totally psychedelic end. Man, which might have single-handedly turned-on a whole generation of LSD freaks without drugs.

We know that the movie and the book were made at approximately the same time and the story was pretty much commissioned by Kubrick. It holds the prime historical land of being the most well-funded, highest-production value SF movie to date. Like the times and ethos, it wanted to be the Andy Warhol of SF cinematography. And it succeeded. Wildly. Along with the book.

(I won't quibble here. I could possibly make a case for 1927's Metropolis being the highest-production SF ever made, but it was also pretty much WAY before everyone's time.)

Yeah, yeah, but what about the BOOK?

Oh, it's a fine, big concept piece. It explores alien influence on our anthropology as a species, introducing all the pretty commonplace SF that had been bandied around for years before the tropes became watered-down versions of themselves in our current SF market. Overpopulation, food production, but also great commentaries on tool use, AI problems (mostly GI/GO), and the need to HAVE stressors if we ever want to evolve.

I won't say it wasn't a little clunky and the pacing was sometimes awfully weird. But considering how GOOD it is in conjunction with the movie, each becoming the soul-mate to the other, I can't divorce them. At all.

Together, and yes, they DO belong together, they are a thing of beauty. And it even makes sense. :)

3 – 3.5 stars

This is another addition to my sporadic ventures into classic SF, and I must say it was a definite success. The Big Ideas here are impressively large and yet are skillfully managed so that they don't completely overshadow the story. The prose and characterization, as I typically expect from 'classic' SF, were unremarkable (one could say 'workmanlike'). However, I didn't find them off-putting as I often do when delving into earlier examples of the genre where the 'big idea' seems to be the only thing worth reading the book for. Asimov and Niven, for me, tend to fall into this category.

Approaching this book nowadays could be seen as risky, given that it takes place, as the title indicates, in 2001 (it was published in 1968) and presents some extremely incorrect and incredibly optimistic views on where we would be in terms of both space travel and the development of AI by that time. However, I was able to look at it as not only a work of SF but also as alternate history. While there were a few elements that seemed dated (such as a reference to the palatial residence and "all the fittings and status symbols of the typical $50,000 a year head of a department"), there were others that seemed quite prescient (particularly a reference to an internet-like news data stream and a computer tablet analogous to an iPad).

I imagine everyone knows the general story either from the book itself or (slightly modified) from the accompanying movie by Stanley Kubrick. In brief, mankind is making its first major leap into the wider reaches of the solar system under the secret impetus of discoveries made on the moon and Saturn (changed to Jupiter in the movie), which imply the existence of extraterrestrial life and its possible influence on the evolution of humanity. We have four main characters who take center stage: Dr. Heywood Floyd, a senior scientist in the Space Administration who is a key figure in the mission of the Discovery to Saturn; David Bowman and Frank Poole, astronauts on-board the Discovery whose routine 'babysitting' phase of the mission turns into something much more dangerous due to the actions of our fourth main character, the indomitable AI computer HAL 9000, who is essentially the onboard brain of the Discovery and whose psychological development throughout the mission showcases the classic SF theme surrounding mankind's fears about the inherent dangers and possibilities of artificial intelligence.

I found myself almost compelled to read from the first page, and the plot definitely carried me forward at a rapid pace without any flagging of my interest. I knew the basic story before approaching the book, but I didn't find that this hindered my enjoyment at all. I liked the extra details that the novel was able to include. I have to admit, though, that I thought the movie was better able to build suspense when it came to the game of cat-and-mouse between Bowman and HAL. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and thought its exploration of a possible vision for humanity's further evolution was great. The apparent connection between the technological (really, technophilic) and a strange form of mysticism was also interesting. One thing that really struck me about the tone of the book was its unashamed optimism (as I suppose is to be expected from the SF of its era). Indeed, despite the difficulties and dangers that arise regarding technology in the story, this is first and foremost a work that looks to the future with a sense of hope and awe and a high level of faith in our species' ability to use technology as a means of evolution.

Premetto che non ho mai visto il film, sapevo solo dell'esistenza di Hal 9000. Ignoravo ogni altra cosa in merito a questa storia, e sono riuscito così a godermi le montagne russe attraverso cui il libro conduce.

L'inizio coglie totalmente alla sprovvista, mostrandoci gli albori della vita umana e un'inaspettata interferenza esterna a indirizzarci lungo la via dell'evoluzione.

Poi si salta al tempo moderno, anche se un moderno relativo: negli anni 60 le prospettive sul nuovo millennio erano molto più ottimistiche della realtà che abbiamo trovato. Basi lunari, voli spaziali... Comunque anche questo secondo capitolo sulla Luna termina, dopo averci annoiato un poco e mostrato un nuovo monolite alieno.

La storia vera inizia dopo, col viaggio della Discovery e del suo equipaggio umano e artificiale.

Un viaggio esplorativo, una missione segreta, i limiti delle IA che vengono testati e trovati... e poi le meraviglie del cosmo, la filosofia pure.

Un libro visionario, si capisce bene perché abbia fatto la storia (e la sua genesi fa ancora più impressione, nato parallelamente come film e libro, dalla collaborazione dei due autori).

Solo un po' troppo lento in certe parti, e troppo fumoso nel finale (come spesso accade quando si affronta la metafisica interstellare).

Overall, this book takes the reader on a captivating journey. Despite not having seen the film, the story of Hal 9000 and the various elements presented in the book are engaging. The beginning sets the stage with the unexpected interference that guides human evolution. The jump to the modern era, with its optimistic view of the future, is interesting, although the second chapter on the moon can be a bit dull at times. However, the real story begins with the journey of the Discovery and its crew, where the exploration, the secrets, and the limits of AI are explored. The book also delves into the wonders of the cosmos and pure philosophy, making it a truly visionary work. While it may be a bit slow in some parts and a bit too abstract in the finale, it is still a remarkable book that has made history.

The Evolution of Humanity

When director Stanley Kubrick read the story "The Sentinel" written in 1951 by Arthur Clarke, a British author and inventor, which talked about the acceleration of human evolution due to extraterrestrial stimuli, he was deeply impressed. Then something rather unusual happened: the director and the writer collaborated to create both a film and a novel, resulting in "2001: A Space Odyssey", considered a masterpiece of science fiction in both cinema and literature.

The novel and the film, as their very genesis suggests, proceed in parallel, in a very symmetrical way.
The film is slow, the times are stretched, the construction is exquisitely refined; the meanings are mainly entrusted to the images (meticulously cared for) and the music (true gems, selected both from a scenic point of view and for the meanings of the texts).
The book, on the other hand, mainly relies on the detailed description of the scenes, stretching the times and abundantly using a scientific language. Both the film and the book are rather cryptic in their meaning, but compared to the film, the novel manages to be less ambiguous; Clarke said: "If someone understands the film on the first viewing, Kubrick and I have failed in our intention".

The book consists of four chapters in which the entire evolution of humanity is represented. It begins in the Pleistocene, when men/apes with still minimal mental development are almost on the verge of starving to death because they have not yet understood that they can hunt to satisfy their hunger. Suddenly, a mysterious monolith implants in them the seed of intelligence, which allows an evolutionary leap that leads to 1999, when a second monolith is found buried on the moon. When it is brought to light, it begins to send signals towards Saturn. The last leap forward in evolution will have to be made by a man, Bowman, and he will do it in complete solitude.
At the end, in a practically circular path corresponding to the cycle of life, a new child, more evolved, a superman, will be born.

All this to hypothesize the fact that the evolution of man has not been spontaneous, but rather helped or induced by external stimuli; extraterrestrial, perhaps. Religious, more difficult. Certainly, a good part of the success of the book and the film comes precisely from the blind spot, from the uncertainty in its interpretation.

Just to be clear: it is not an easy book. It is slow, extremely rich in very detailed scientific descriptions, it is complex in its construction, the dialogues are minimal, it is relatively verbose, it has a rather convoluted message. But if one lets oneself be involved in the narration, it offers interesting reflections and considerations.

In any case, those who have seen the film and not understood much of it can find many of the answers to their questions in the novel.

At the dawn of man, an alien monolith mysteriously appears amidst the man-apes, forever altering humanity's destiny.

Three million years later, as the space age commences for mankind, another monolith is unearthed, this time on the moon! It seems to be transmitting to Japetus, one of Saturn's moons.

Consequently, the crew of the starship Discovery embarks on a secret mission to locate the source. Will they uncover the mystery of the monoliths and make first contact with their creators, the aliens we might be inclined to call... God? One thing is certain: having an artificial intelligence like HAL 9000 on board should ensure nothing goes awry!

I've been indulging in a lot of Kubrick's works lately. Before attempting to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey again, I thought it would be fascinating to read the Arthur C. Clarke novel first.

I recall being mostly bewildered after watching the movie for the first time. So, hopefully, Clarke would offer some insights and context before my second viewing, and hopefully, it would also be a worthwhile read!

Thankfully, it was both. While I didn't receive all the answers I desired (that ending remains... peculiar), I believe I grasped more of what Kubrick was aiming for.

The novel and the movie tell essentially the same story. The only significant difference is that in the movie, Discovery heads to one of Jupiter's moons, while in the book, they journey to one of Saturn's (the reason for this change, as Clarke explains in his introduction, is that the props department couldn't construct a model of Saturn that met Kubrick's approval).

Similarly, the parts of the novel that I liked the most were the same as the best parts of the movie. The opening section, Primeval Night, about the man-apes, was truly captivating, and the part on board Discovery when David discovers that all is not well with the ship's computer is gripping.

I also relished the approach to Japetus, which felt as menacing and thrilling as comparable scenes in later renowned sci-fi works, such as Prometheus when they enter the planet of the Engineers.

Speaking of which, this novel/movie has set a high standard and influenced countless writers, filmmakers, and artists who have created their own space epics since. You can see the blueprints of the Alien films, Arrival, and numerous sci-fi games, shows, books, and comics right here.

However, other sections lack the captivating visuals of Kubrick to enliven them and are simply dull. The discovery of TMA-1 on the moon goes on and on, and all that really occurs is the discovery of the monolith! TMA? More like TMI, am I right? Ahh...

The initial episode on the Discovery is also rather dreary as Clarke details the crew's daily routine - it's enough to make you yawn.

Moreover, the most captivating sequence in the movie - when David passes through the star gate - is extremely dull to read in the book. In the movie, the visuals are astonishing and mind-bending. Take that away and replace it with Clarke's平淡, overly descriptive, and plodding prose, and you'll almost fall asleep during the penultimate scene of the story!

I used to think this book was written after the movie, like a novelization of the film, but I was mistaken. The novel was conceived simultaneously and written alongside the screenplay, and was published a few months after the movie's release.

Although they tell nearly identical stories, they have different strengths and weaknesses. Since movies rely on visuals, in addition to dialogue and text, to tell a story, Kubrick was able to step back, let the visuals unfold, and be silent at crucial moments of the story, allowing for an impressionistic interpretation - which may be unsatisfying and frustrating for some viewers.

Novels don't have this luxury, so Clarke has to be more explicit, by necessity. This means you get more answers, but describing at length, as he does here, is also an inadequate substitute for the skills of a visionary filmmaker and his art team.

Nevertheless, parts of the novel are truly exciting, and the story remains as entertaining and enjoyable in prose as it was on film. Clarke may not be the most thrilling storyteller, and there were large sections of the novel that were tedious, but he can rise to the occasion when needed, and I'm glad I finally got around to reading this sci-fi classic.

This novel and the film have their roots in the same original project.

Initially, Kubrick and Clarke were collaborating on the same story. Stanley Kubrick then went on to create his masterpiece, which is also one of the most remarkable films in the history of cinema. Meanwhile, Arthur C. Clarke wrote his highly renowned novels, including Childhood's End.

The narratives in the book and the movie run parallel and are extremely close. When re-reading the novel, it is almost impossible to ignore the images from Kubrick's movie, except for the few rare scenes that Clarke added himself, such as the ship approaching the rings of Saturn and the satellite Japetus. In fact, Clarke's book feels like a novelization or a literary by-product of Kubrick's film.

The scope and pace of the story are extensive in both cases, especially the part involving the astronauts, the crazy computer, and the foolish "Mission Control". However, this is perhaps where the book's shortcomings lie. Compared to the film, Clarke doesn't have much to expand on, aside from technical or scientific details like how to restore gravity in space or the distance between Jupiter and Saturn. These details result in rather dull prose and don't enhance the pleasure that the narrative could otherwise inspire. This is particularly evident towards the end of the novel, where the trippy and captivating imagery of Kubrick's film is translated into a few chapters of pseudo-explanatory nonsense. Some elements of poetry might have been more appropriate.

A 3rd re-read.

It is truly a landmark in the realm of Science Fiction. A monumental collaboration between two creative titans in their respective fields - Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick. I find myself at a loss when it comes to writing anything truly meaningful about either of them, as they occupy a similar position in my mind as that of mythology. And 2001: A Space Odyssey is like a creation myth for a new age, written during the time of Ray Kurzweil's "knee of the curve", which was the launchpad for humanity's exponential growth into the next phase of existence. In this instance, it was facilitated by an other, but it was indeed a milestone in technology that triggered this evolution.

5 Red Giants/White Dwarfs

Arthur C. Clark's this book was started to be written in 1964. When we think about this, it becomes easier to understand what a science fiction genius he was. At that time, when humans had not yet gone into space at all, writing such a realistic book was even beyond scientific prediction.

It is an excellent book. Clark's vivid descriptions and imaginative ideas make the readers feel as if they are really in the story. The book not only takes us on a thrilling journey through space but also makes us think about the future of humanity and our place in the universe.

Overall, this book is a must-read for science fiction fans and anyone interested in the possibilities of the future. It shows us that with imagination and hard work, we can achieve great things and explore the unknown.

Jun 18, 2:30 pm ~~ Review asap.

Jun 20, 12:15 pm ~~ This book and the movie are deeply embedded in the memories of most people my age. I vividly remember seeing the movie and reading the book more than once. However, since that was many, many years ago, this latest reading felt refreshingly new.

I never truly realized how closely Clarke and Kubrick collaborated on the story and script. There is a captivating foreword in this edition that details how both the book and the movie were created almost simultaneously, despite the movie being released just before the book. The author further explains why he ultimately wrote a sequel after years of denying its possibility. (I am currently reading the sequel, 2010 Odyssey Two, and plan to continue with the third and fourth sequels in this mini-marathon.)

Naturally, there are some differences between the book and the movie, but as the back cover of my edition states, both are "breathtaking." Originally published in 1968, this book may be slightly outdated in some of its space facts, but overall, the story is timeless. I can understand why the author initially felt that no sequel was possible; the last few paragraphs clearly conclude the story.

I know I'm not providing many details about the plot, but I can't help it. If you haven't read the book, do so and consider all the discussion topics it raises. You might be just as reluctant as I am to mention any of them in a review. After all, there are times when it's better to keep our thoughts to ourselves to avoid spoiling the experience for others. So, just go read the book, Dave.