Reviews - 2001: Bir Uzay Efsanesi

2.52k reviews for:

2001: Bir Uzay Efsanesi

Arthur C. Clarke

4.03 AVERAGE

dreadandsolace's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The Solace: This story is so well written and lives up to its title as a classic sci-fi book must-read. Clarke's ability to build up the feelings in the reader that our characters are experiencing is gripping and palpable magic. I love the way the characters and their interactions with each other stay with me throughout. And wow, those action points keep me on the edge of my seat.

The Dread: Fair warning - the book is not the movie, and the movie is not the book. There are similarities; Kubrick and Clarke worked on the screenplay together, but one doesn't equal the other. Also, there are moments of lull - if you do not love a bit of a long-winded descriptor, you may have some yawn moments.

Overall: This is a book I have read and reread and will continue to reread. As one of my favorite books, it is one that I will recommend to everyone, but especially if you're a Sci-Fi fan because this story is referenced in every way in the Sci-Fi genre. It is a beautiful adventure in and beyond our world.

rachel_the_managing_editor's review against another edition

4.0

Written concurrently with the script, Arthur C. Clarke's book dovetails well with Kubrick's film. Where the movie lags, the book triumphs... or at least clarifies a lot of the ambiguities left behind by the movie. And the book has a way of slipping in friendly asides, winks to the reader, that had me amused. But of course, it's hard to insert a pregnant pause into a book, to hear Hal come undone or a character's measured breaths in the midst of a task that could prove fatal.

A rare case where both forms (book and film) are worth checking out for different reasons.

gray_ghost's review against another edition

4.0

A very surreal novel that gives a bit of insight into the thinking behind the even more surreal film. The novel was written to be the basis of the movie, which makes it an interesting companion to understanding that film.

bullwinklemoose's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

clara_lo's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

sarah_dietrich's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed 2001: A Space Odyssey and would definitely recommend it to science fiction fans. It is partly a musing on the evolution of consciousness, partly a prediction of the advancement of human technology at the start of the 21st century. I got a kick out of how many of Clarke's predictions were accurate - e.g. people read the news using electronic tablets that can access newspapers from all over the world. The edition I read had an epilogue written by Clarke in 1982, 14 years after the book was first published. It includes the following poignant comment:

"In an ideal world, that would have been possible: the Vietnam war would have paid for everything that Stanley Kubrick showed on the cinerama screen. Now we realize that it will take a little longer."

It was interesting to learn that Clarke wrote the book at the same time as he was working with Kubrick to write the screenplay, with the two evolving and changing together. It sounds like a fascinating way to write a novel and I want to learn more about how the sensibilities of film and print influenced eachother and impacted on each finished product.

rhonataylor22's review against another edition

3.0

I was really excited to read this, and at first it was definitely living up to my expectations. The first 70 pages or so were really great and if the rest had continued that way it would have definitely been five stars. However, things quickly got boring. There was just no characterisation. I know that the spacemen were meant to be a very specific type of person in order to cope with travelling so far, but the lack of feelings and motivations just made it difficult for me to care about them. What this book did have was whole lot of description of travels through space. I'm guessing you are meant to get a sense of the unending monotony that space travel brings, because I was definitely feeling drained. I haven't seen the film, and didn't know anything about the story before reading, but I was also disappointed by the ending. I really thought I'd love this, but it ended up being the longest 200 page book I've ever read. :(