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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Descriptive and thought-provoking, with no words minced. Most of the characters are stoic scientists who internalize their thoughts, which leads to some dry interactions. Still great though
An intriguing book with a lot of interesting things to say, which the movie unfortunately muddled or glossed over. I really enjoyed Clarke's exploration of what alien life might look like, and I felt Hal's breakdown made more sense. I hated the "human zoo" scene in the movie, but loved it in the book--all the little "off" details such as the cereal in the fridge really sold it as eerie but not necessarily menacing. The aliens were trying to make him comfortable, but couldn't get it quite right.
Clarke's prose isn't my favorite, and I can see why some people think it explained too much, but I think that's more a matter of him doing a little too much telling rather than showing (while Kubrick often did neither). Overally, enjoyable and gave me a lot to think about.
Clarke's prose isn't my favorite, and I can see why some people think it explained too much, but I think that's more a matter of him doing a little too much telling rather than showing (while Kubrick often did neither). Overally, enjoyable and gave me a lot to think about.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fascinating story - well-written but showing its age in a number of ways. For example, this world is one of white men only. Women are mentioned in passing with a touch of humour that would not be considered particularly funny anymore and other races don't exist in this world at all.
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary:
The long-laid plans of interfering aliens come to fruition when humans discover a lunar anomaly that turns out to be a signaling device.
Review:
I’ve almost always been a book-before-film kind of guy, and I read 2001 years – even decades – before I saw it. I was already a Clarke fan when I found the book, and I’ve always liked the book far more than the film, which I found slow, near-dull, and on the pretentious side.
I expected to be quite pleased with this re-read of the book. While I liked the prose – it’s still impressive how well Clarke is able draw the reader in with clear, intelligent exposition that’s never boring – I found the story overall left me under-impressed.
For one thing, the parts don’t really make sense together – the prehistorical prelude and TMA1 fit well, but then the HAL sequence feels like a whole different story. And the ending seems like yet a third. While there’s a thread running through it all, the segments feel more like set pieces than a cohesive narrative.
Beyond that, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. This reads like the sketch of a novel rather than the novel itself. It says ‘here are some interesting ideas and characters; there’s a story here’, but never gets around to fleshing things out.
This was quite a surprise to me. While I’ve always disregarded the movie, I had fond memories of the book. Now, it seems to me that it shows its origins as a film-novel hybrid. The film, which relied so heavily on imagery to hold things together, doesn’t translate well to the page, despite Clarke’s clear skill and attempt to bind it all together. Overall, I found the book disappointing on this go-round. I remember not liking the sequels as much, but perhaps, freed of the constraints of the film, they’ll emerge as having better stood the test of time.
Summary:
The long-laid plans of interfering aliens come to fruition when humans discover a lunar anomaly that turns out to be a signaling device.
Review:
I’ve almost always been a book-before-film kind of guy, and I read 2001 years – even decades – before I saw it. I was already a Clarke fan when I found the book, and I’ve always liked the book far more than the film, which I found slow, near-dull, and on the pretentious side.
I expected to be quite pleased with this re-read of the book. While I liked the prose – it’s still impressive how well Clarke is able draw the reader in with clear, intelligent exposition that’s never boring – I found the story overall left me under-impressed.
For one thing, the parts don’t really make sense together – the prehistorical prelude and TMA1 fit well, but then the HAL sequence feels like a whole different story. And the ending seems like yet a third. While there’s a thread running through it all, the segments feel more like set pieces than a cohesive narrative.
Beyond that, the whole is less than the sum of its parts. This reads like the sketch of a novel rather than the novel itself. It says ‘here are some interesting ideas and characters; there’s a story here’, but never gets around to fleshing things out.
This was quite a surprise to me. While I’ve always disregarded the movie, I had fond memories of the book. Now, it seems to me that it shows its origins as a film-novel hybrid. The film, which relied so heavily on imagery to hold things together, doesn’t translate well to the page, despite Clarke’s clear skill and attempt to bind it all together. Overall, I found the book disappointing on this go-round. I remember not liking the sequels as much, but perhaps, freed of the constraints of the film, they’ll emerge as having better stood the test of time.
The movie is a poem. This book makes sense of it all. A must read for any 2001 fan or anyone confused by it.
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes