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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Glad I finally read it. It’s fairly solid, moves along steadily, and adds much to what I remember about the movie. It could never really match the dramatic power of the famous HAL/Dave "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that" exchange in the movie, but adds a better understanding to what is not clearly spelled out in Kubrick’s film.
So, I mostly enjoyed this book. I say mostly because I found the writing style was at times a little pretentious, and more wordy than necessary to get certain key points across. I found myself loosing track of the plot whenever the author went on what I dubbed a “sci mumbo jumbo rant”. However, I finished the book and had to read through past reviews to collect my thoughts because the ending left me thoroughly shocked- and upon doing so I realised how little dialogue there was. Honestly, that wasn’t so bad. I loved the themes of technology and humanity’s relationship, however the ending was a bit rushed and I worry some of the impact was lost on the way out. I do have to give this book credit for being mostly well paced as I finished it in 3 days! I just wish the wordy bits didn’t cause me to -space- out.
Amazingly easy read. The first part is one of the best openings to a science fiction novel I've ever read, both in premise and execution. It, unfortunately, loses steam after the main climax, about 2/3rds through, leaving an extremely meandering narrative to follow. But those first few parts and the way they transition from one time period to the next? Amazing.
~Spoilers~
I'm debating reading the rest of the series, and I'm going to have to look into spoilers before I decide. The theme that caught my attention immediately was humanity and tool use. The first part, set in a pre-historic age of ape-men, covers the gradual ascendency of man as they learn how to... pick up a bone and use it as a club. Or... pick up a stone and throw it. The substantiality of these acts is stressed so well, and the tension you feel as they make huge mental leaps is invigorating. Having already seen the film, I was hoping this theme would continue to be emphasized with the character of HAL, the end of human tool use. HAL may have been created to help humans like any other tool, but it was so much more impressive and cognitively powerful than the sum total of humanity. I was hoping the book would have more of a focus on humans vs their tools, and which the extraterrestrials were interested in. Did they care about humanity, or just the AI humanity would eventually create?
If the sequels explore this concept more, than I'm in.
~Spoilers~
I'm debating reading the rest of the series, and I'm going to have to look into spoilers before I decide. The theme that caught my attention immediately was humanity and tool use. The first part, set in a pre-historic age of ape-men, covers the gradual ascendency of man as they learn how to... pick up a bone and use it as a club. Or... pick up a stone and throw it. The substantiality of these acts is stressed so well, and the tension you feel as they make huge mental leaps is invigorating. Having already seen the film, I was hoping this theme would continue to be emphasized with the character of HAL, the end of human tool use. HAL may have been created to help humans like any other tool, but it was so much more impressive and cognitively powerful than the sum total of humanity. I was hoping the book would have more of a focus on humans vs their tools, and which the extraterrestrials were interested in. Did they care about humanity, or just the AI humanity would eventually create?
If the sequels explore this concept more, than I'm in.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur Clarke is definitely for science fiction fans. It takes place almost entirely in space which makes it have a good plot because of the pace. In this book the main characters are Frank Poole, Dave Bowman, and of course HAL 9000.
"'I think there's been a failure in the pod-bay doors,' HAL remarked conversationally, 'Lucky you weren't killed.'
Here goes, thought Bowman. I never imagined I'd be an amateur brain surgeon."
pg.159
After this moment, HAL is shut down for good, or at least until book 2. Bowman showed some remorse about shutting HAL down but because he was trying to kill Dave, he didn't feel as guilty. Dave then turns into the Star Child so it was actually good that he wasn't killed. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction and anyone who wanted to find out where the quote "Open the pod-bay doors HAL" comes from. However, the quote comes from the movie not the book, so don't be confused. The scenario is almost the same though.
Spoiler
HAL would be considered the antagonist of this book because he starts out friendly enough, but he turns against Poole and Bowman very quickly. As HAL played a major part of the mission to Saturn, he was given complete control of the ship because everyone thought he could be trusted. Unfortunately though, because of his contradicting orders, he kills all the crew but one, Dave Bowman. Bowman already knew that HAL was confused but he decides to take things a bit more seriously now that his friend is dead. A quote from this part of the book:"'I think there's been a failure in the pod-bay doors,' HAL remarked conversationally, 'Lucky you weren't killed.'
Here goes, thought Bowman. I never imagined I'd be an amateur brain surgeon."
pg.159
After this moment, HAL is shut down for good, or at least until book 2. Bowman showed some remorse about shutting HAL down but because he was trying to kill Dave, he didn't feel as guilty. Dave then turns into the Star Child so it was actually good that he wasn't killed.
Simply perfect. This is exactly why I love sci-fi and the feelings of wonder and mystery it can instill. Having seen the movie several times (and being a big fan), I was originally a bit hesitant to read the book because I felt as though I already knew the story and didn’t want to ruin Kubrick’s masterpiece. Well it turns out the book is just as much of a masterpiece, and in wonderfully different ways than the movie. The book paints a slightly different image of the greater beings who have been tinkering with mankind since before we could even be considered “Man,” and it includes some gaps that were not present in the film. The ending is also notably different (or perhaps simply more detailed) than the movie without losing that feeling of incomprehensible alien contact, which nearly doesn’t feel like the typical “first contact” at all. The writing is simple and elegant tells you just what you need to know.
So frustrated that I actually enjoyed this, fuck you Stanley Kubrick :(
reflective
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No