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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Podría haber leído 200 páginas más de los monos la verdad
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The movie is a wonder but I found the book a little slow. I can’t tell if I liked it because it was good or because it’s iconic… so.
I listened to this one as an audiobook that happened to be produced in the year 2000. The first half hour or so of the recording is a direct address by author Arthur C. Clarke (also recorded in the year 2000) about the development of the 2001 book/film and its legacy. One of the things about this book that most surprised me was the fact that the film actually came first...or at least was released about a year (I think, don't quote me) before the novel. Director Stanley Kubrick and Clarke actually worked very closely on the novel-inspiration for the film...which was originally envisioned as merely an expeditious way to write out the story before converting it into screenplay form. The novel was more or less an afterthought.
I haven't seen the film in years and only really remember the most pivotal, memorable scenes (and Hal. Who can forget Hal?) but it's no surprise that film and novel plot lines are very similar. In fact, as Clarke mentions in his introduction, the only main differences are in medium (because novels demand more "explaining" while films use visuals) and in technical limitations (the rendezvous with Saturn in the novel was changed to Jupiter in the film because the effects department couldn't produce a viable Saturn effect). Both film and novel feel surprisingly modern, though I did laugh when in the novel there is mention of a typewriter at the moon base. And also the amazing digital news technology that updates every HOUR *gasp* rendering paper news technology obsolete. The future is truly mind-boggling!
All joking aside, I wonder if perhaps the focus in 2001 on distant space and alien intelligence in forms we cannot comprehend should perhaps take a backseat to the unanswered questions about artificial intelligence as posed by Hal, the vengeful (?) machine. The technological developments of the twenty-first century have made the latter an issue of computer/human relations an immediate one, while cuts to NASA have kept interstellar human travel the same pipe dream it was in the 1960s (only these days the technology seems to be within reach, if not the $$$ (yet). At any rate, Hal's passive-aggressive mutiny is the tensest (read: best) part of the novel, second only to the interesting prehistorical hypothesis. The novel does explain a lot more of the background to the film's iconic visuals (the tossed bone, the obelisks) but regardless of trippy exposition or trippy visuals, the ending sequence still leaves me with a "huh?"
I haven't seen the film in years and only really remember the most pivotal, memorable scenes (and Hal. Who can forget Hal?) but it's no surprise that film and novel plot lines are very similar. In fact, as Clarke mentions in his introduction, the only main differences are in medium (because novels demand more "explaining" while films use visuals) and in technical limitations (the rendezvous with Saturn in the novel was changed to Jupiter in the film because the effects department couldn't produce a viable Saturn effect). Both film and novel feel surprisingly modern, though I did laugh when in the novel there is mention of a typewriter at the moon base. And also the amazing digital news technology that updates every HOUR *gasp* rendering paper news technology obsolete. The future is truly mind-boggling!
All joking aside, I wonder if perhaps the focus in 2001 on distant space and alien intelligence in forms we cannot comprehend should perhaps take a backseat to the unanswered questions about artificial intelligence as posed by Hal, the vengeful (?) machine. The technological developments of the twenty-first century have made the latter an issue of computer/human relations an immediate one, while cuts to NASA have kept interstellar human travel the same pipe dream it was in the 1960s (only these days the technology seems to be within reach, if not the $$$ (yet). At any rate, Hal's passive-aggressive mutiny is the tensest (read: best) part of the novel, second only to the interesting prehistorical hypothesis. The novel does explain a lot more of the background to the film's iconic visuals (the tossed bone, the obelisks) but regardless of trippy exposition or trippy visuals, the ending sequence still leaves me with a "huh?"
what a detail. like he's been on the journey himself.
Maybe the greatest scifi book ever written. So many of his predictions were spot on!
It’s an very intriguing story written in a simple yet engaging way. The characters have little personality or a backstory, and somehow this doesn’t take away from the book. It’s only the last couple of chapters that felt off - like the author trapped himself in a corner, unsure of where to put an end to the story.
Nu de film nogmaals bekijken, zal een stuk duidelijker zijn :)
“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