2001: a Space Odyssey: A Space Odyssey (Legend books) (BBC Radio 4 S.) (Space Odyssey)

by Arthur C. Clarke

The classic science fiction novel that captures and expands on the vision of Stanley Kubrick’s immortal film—and changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves.

From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man ventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.

This allegory about humanity’s exploration of the universe—and the universe’s reaction to humanity—is a hallmark achievement in storytelling that follows the crew of the spacecraft Discovery as they embark on a mission to Saturn. Their vessel is controlled by HAL 9000, an artificially intelligent supercomputer capable of the highest level of cognitive functioning that rivals—and perhaps threatens—the human mind.

Grappling with space exploration, the perils of technology, and the limits of human power, 2001: A Space Odyssey continues to be an enduring classic of cinematic scope.

• ISBN10: 0451457994
• ISBN13: 9780451457998
• Publish Date: 1 September 2000 (first published 6 October 1983)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: ROC (imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc)
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780451457998

Reviews

[HekArtemis]

Good classic scifi that is also a bit weird by the end. I guess I need to watch the movie now. I really only had one moment of dislike with this book.

I was not at all surprised by the fact this book had absolutely no women in it, that's pretty normal for pre-90s SFF. So I was actually thinking to myself that it was nice to read a classic scifi that isn't sexist, I mean outside of the non-existence of women that is.

Space pods were not the most elegant means of transports devised by man, but they were absolutely essential for construction and maintenance work in vacuum. They were usually christened with feminine names, perhaps in recognition of the fact that their personalities were sometimes slightly unpredictable.

Yeah. Uhuh. People might think, oh but it's just one line, it's a product of it's time, it's not that bad. And yeah that's true, absolutely. But I have to ask how much women must be hated that even when they are completely missing from a book the author still has to find some way to inject his woman hate into the story. That's not as small and not bad as you seem to think. He literally went out of his way to add sexism into the book. Good job Mr God of SciFi. You're just like all the rest.

Outside of that, it was good old classic scifi and I enjoyed reading it.

[adamfortuna]

I never fully understood the movie. There are long scenes without any explanation, chimps jumping up and down, unusual scenes without context. Reading this book added that context in every case. Any places I was confused or had questions have now been answered. The book is actually really good sci fi - a precursor to Interstellar or Contact I’m more ways than one. Great read by itself, or even better if you want to understand more from the movie.