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  • #1

    2001: A Space Odyssey (novel. And. Er, spoilers?)

    I just finished the damn thing and my mind is completely blown.

    First of all, I pity Hal more than anything else. As Bowman observed, he panicked. He was an absolute mess because of conflicting orders and you had to see that he was desperate to survive. He was practically begging. And much more personable and relatable than he's cast as in the movie (which I have not seen).

    As for the real end...

    Dave had no reason to believe that he might live...he could not hibernate. He was alone.

    So went ahead, into the unknown. Imagine being Mission Control, getting that last line of his, the panic that would create.

    P.S. Because of the details of science as they related to space travel and such, I could almost believe that it was written relatively recently. It's done very well.
    My Guide to Oblivion

    "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."
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  • #2
    You might not know this, but Arthur C. Clarke basically invented geostationary communications satellites. Before Sputnik. He is, quite legitimately, considered one of the masters of science fiction.

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    • #3
      Some of the details of our solar system that he put into the novels have since proven out to be true: in some cases much to his amazement.

      Some, he researched. Some, he made up - because there was, at the time he wrote them, no way to research them. And yes, some of the latter turned out to be either just as he wrote them, or scarily similar. (Some, of course, turned out to be different.)

      Examples for 'just as he wrote them' that I can think of offhand: He put an 'eye' shaped feature on one of the moons ... I forget which planet and which moon. I'm told that Carl Sagan got the astronomical photo when they found the 'eye', wrote a short note on a reprint of it, and sent it to Arthur.
      And of course, we recently discovered the water on Europa.
      Seshat's self-help guide:
      1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
      2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
      3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
      4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

      "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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      • #4
        My edition of the book says the moon astronauts saw the movie and were tempted to report a black monolith...but alas, discretion prevailed.
        My Guide to Oblivion

        "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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        • #5
          Do you know, for all that I love me some science fiction, I have never read this book or seen this movie? *blinks* I must repair this oversight immediately.
          You're only delaying the inevitable, you run at your own expense. The repo man gets paid to chase you. ~Argabarga

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          • #6
            More trivia: the novel and the film were created in parallel, with Clarke and Kubrick trading ideas back and forth as work progressed. When Clarke wrote the sequel novels, he used the film as authoritative canon rather than his own novel version.

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            • #7
              I know that the foreword by the author said that in the film he went with Jupiter, rather than Saturn, because Kubrick wasn't satisfied with ANY models of Saturn that people came up with.
              My Guide to Oblivion

              "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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              • #8
                The novel, and the movie, were preceded by a short story, The Sentinel. The Sentinel is the part that happens on the moon.

                Having finished 2001, you can find out what happens next by reading 2010, 2061 and 3001. 2010 was made in a good movie.
                "I don't have to be petty. The Universe does that for me."

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                • #9
                  Quoth Kittish View Post
                  Do you know, for all that I love me some science fiction, I have never read this book or seen this movie? *blinks* I must repair this oversight immediately.
                  Definitely do so, both the novel and the movie are absolute wonders!

                  Quoth Ironclad Alibi View Post
                  The novel, and the movie, were preceded by a short story, The Sentinel. The Sentinel is the part that happens on the moon.

                  Having finished 2001, you can find out what happens next by reading 2010, 2061 and 3001. 2010 was made in a good movie.
                  Ah, 2010. Read the condensed version in PLAYBOY and loved it. Read the novel and loved it. Saw the movie and said to myself "What the #$%*@! is this mess?" However, it does explain what happened with HAL. I thought 2061 was pretty good (although not as good as the first two) while 3001 was a great wrap up to the series!

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                  • #10
                    Quoth Kittish View Post
                    Do you know, for all that I love me some science fiction, I have never read this book or seen this movie? *blinks* I must repair this oversight immediately.
                    Indeed you must. It is a moral imperative.

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