2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke

Many people believe that the film 2001: A Space Odyssey is an adaptation of Arthur C Clarke’s book but in fact almost uniquely for such a highly regarded novel the truth is the other way around. Stanley Kubrick the director of the film had read a short story by Clarke ‘The Sentinel’ and from the idea within that he decides to make an epic Sci-fi movie that was to explore some of the most basic and yet most complex themes, the origins of man, the nature of humanity and its future. He decided to co-opt the services of Clarke as a joint scriptwriter and only later after the ... more

One of the greatest science fictions films ever?, ‘The proverbial good’ science fiction film as envisioned by the creators. Wether the film is as good as its reputed to be isn’t quite the case here, as what we’re really looking for is, ‘Is the book any good?’. Having watched the film of 2001: A Space Odyssey two or three times I came to read the book, it was recommended, though perhaps not my usual choice, it certainly seemed an interesting thing to do, but first...... ~~The Details~~ 2001: A Space Odyssey is mostly based on the short story by Arthur C Clarke, called ‘The Sentinel’, and is the ... more

I've always described the Stanley Kubrick film of '2001: A Space Odyssey' as "a great motion picture - but a terrible movie". Fortunately Clarke's novel much more of the former. If you've seen the film, you were probably left thinking "What's that all about?", but many things become much clearer in the course of the book. There are some things left unclarified, of course - otherwise we wouldn't have the next three books in the series - but that's part of the quality writing. The plot follows that of the film very closely - the two were written alongside each other - but differs in detail (in ... more

The book 2001: A Space Odyssey is the book which came from the film is based. I orginally saw the film first, but then was so fascinated I preceeded to read the book. It is written by Arthur C Clarke and was originally published in 1968. Both the film and the book were written together, in collabaration with Stanley Kubrick. The basic plot of 2001: A Space Oddyssey is that aliens have help us to evolve by putting 'black monoliths' around the Universe. The film finds the first modern day monolith on the moon which instructs them to go to Saturn by sending a signal towards it. A crew is then ... more

This is the best science fiction book ever. It is a true classic and is a must for anyone who appreciates science fiction writing. Arthur C Clarke excels himself in this story about the rebirth of worlds and the development of civilization. It tells the story of a race that places monoliths in different places in the solar system which spark invention and creativity on earth. The monolith inspires the birth of fire in society, and the beginning of man's evolution. This leads to the space missions and the confrontation with our past and classic moments with HAL, the space ships computer. This ... more

this is a must for all sci-fi fans. This classic is possibly the best space opera ever written. it has simple clean ideas that have stood the test of time. dont be put off by the movie read the book and watch the film again, its a revelation. I guarantee once you start to read it you wont be able to stop, its the most facinating and gripping a sci-fi novel i think ive ever read. if for no other reason read it so that you understand the end of the film. ... more