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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
“Of all the creatures who had yet walked on Earth, the man-apes were the first to look steadfastly at the Moon. And though he could not remember it, when he was very young Moon-Watcher would sometimes reach out and try to touch that ghostly face rising above the hills. He had never succeeded, and now he was old enough to understand why. For first, of course, he must find a high enough tree to climb.”
This book exceeded my expectations to Saturn and beyond. I love the film. I watched it as a young adolescent and didn’t get it. I think I might have looked up what it all meant and then left it for many years. As a young adult I was able to pay more attention and fell in love. I knew this book existed, but for a long time I thought it was just a translation of film to novel. I was incorrect. Learning more about this book and about Arthur C. Clarke I put it on my ever growing reading list. My goal this year is to read more science fiction and fantasy, so I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did.
This book was so rich in information and backstory and I honestly feel like the book is it’s own thing and
doesn’t tarnish anything in the film. If anything it makes it better. It’s just a damn good sci-fi novel.
Rating: 5 Stars
This book exceeded my expectations to Saturn and beyond. I love the film. I watched it as a young adolescent and didn’t get it. I think I might have looked up what it all meant and then left it for many years. As a young adult I was able to pay more attention and fell in love. I knew this book existed, but for a long time I thought it was just a translation of film to novel. I was incorrect. Learning more about this book and about Arthur C. Clarke I put it on my ever growing reading list. My goal this year is to read more science fiction and fantasy, so I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did.
This book was so rich in information and backstory and I honestly feel like the book is it’s own thing and
doesn’t tarnish anything in the film. If anything it makes it better. It’s just a damn good sci-fi novel.
Rating: 5 Stars
Not being a huge fan of the moive (very slow and boring) I was a little be wary of reading the book. However, I recently found all 4 novels in a charity shop for 50p each so thought I'd pick them up and take a look at somepoint... on gettign them home I had a little peak at the "Forward" and was hooked. It was so interesting and clever just those first two pages that I thought I'd start reading teh main story, and I'm glad I did.
This is probably one of the fasted books I've read. I just kept picking it up and reading a bit more every day until it was finished. Which for me is very rare..!
I love the changes from the movie, which give it a much more interesting and wonderous view of the galaxy and space. You can tell Clarke really loved the mystery of it all and the sheer scale of everything and our place in it. - The movie just makes you feel like space is 'big and boring'.
Loved the more explained start with the Ape-Men, and the longer journey to the planets. You really get to know the charater much better.
The whole 'Star Child' bit is still very odd and doesn't make much sense, and I have little interest in that short part of the book. - However, the last part with the moon and then the 'aliens' was again very interesting.
I really recomend this book to those who also have a love for space and teh galaxy. It really does put it all into perspective just how small, but also special, we really are!
This is probably one of the fasted books I've read. I just kept picking it up and reading a bit more every day until it was finished. Which for me is very rare..!
I love the changes from the movie, which give it a much more interesting and wonderous view of the galaxy and space. You can tell Clarke really loved the mystery of it all and the sheer scale of everything and our place in it. - The movie just makes you feel like space is 'big and boring'.
Loved the more explained start with the Ape-Men, and the longer journey to the planets. You really get to know the charater much better.
The whole 'Star Child' bit is still very odd and doesn't make much sense, and I have little interest in that short part of the book. - However, the last part with the moon and then the 'aliens' was again very interesting.
I really recomend this book to those who also have a love for space and teh galaxy. It really does put it all into perspective just how small, but also special, we really are!
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Space and evolution. Literally that was the entire storyline. I'm sure many deeper understandings to be made but it was just not for me. Well written though with maybe to many descriptive paragraphs.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
I guess I just don't get it. I haven't seen the movie, and I haven't read the sequels, so I might just be missing something entirely. I did enjoy this novel, and I appreciated how technically correct Clarke is in his writing. However, with a story like this, I would have expected a lot more focus on the characters and the human condition. By the end, some characters just dropped out of the story entirely. I look forward to reading the next book to see if this solves any of the problems I had with 2001; but for a book that was, originally, not meant to be part of a series, I would have assumed all of the knots to be tied up at the end.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don’t understand why people don’t like it. It’s a good book
adventurous
slow-paced
4.5 stars.
Like many, I'm more familiar with the film of the same title, which was written by both Clarke and Kubrick. I had never read the book until now, and going into it I wasn't exactly sure what to expect: maybe a word for word description of the film? An explanation of the more mysterious aspects of Kubrick's imagery?
It was neither and both, oddly enough. The book stands by itself and has some unique aspects to it that divorce itself from Kubrick's film - certain details which don't detract from the overall plot but are peculiar additions - but it follows the same general storyline.
My recommendation would be to watch the movie directly after. I still prefer it to the book, but the two combined are certainly an interesting foray into science fiction.
Like many, I'm more familiar with the film of the same title, which was written by both Clarke and Kubrick. I had never read the book until now, and going into it I wasn't exactly sure what to expect: maybe a word for word description of the film? An explanation of the more mysterious aspects of Kubrick's imagery?
It was neither and both, oddly enough. The book stands by itself and has some unique aspects to it that divorce itself from Kubrick's film - certain details which don't detract from the overall plot but are peculiar additions - but it follows the same general storyline.
My recommendation would be to watch the movie directly after. I still prefer it to the book, but the two combined are certainly an interesting foray into science fiction.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had been putting this one off because of seeing the movie and the story being so ubiquitous. I felt like it wouldn't be enjoyable because i already knew it. I was very wrong. The book is a necessity as a companion to the movie. I knew that they were written together but i don't think enough emphasis is placed on how you need to consume both for the full expression of the story.
I enjoyed the story thoroughly and am now interested in the rest of the series. I find the story to be engaging and many writers have difficulty with incorporating the science part, it feels clunky and removes you from the story, not so here. For me there's never a time when the information doesn't add to the story. The only thing that did out at all are portions where "presently" is used excessively, to the point where it is a bit distracting.
Overall, great story, very well presented, and highly recommended.
I enjoyed the story thoroughly and am now interested in the rest of the series. I find the story to be engaging and many writers have difficulty with incorporating the science part, it feels clunky and removes you from the story, not so here. For me there's never a time when the information doesn't add to the story. The only thing that did out at all are portions where "presently" is used excessively, to the point where it is a bit distracting.
Overall, great story, very well presented, and highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death