The most profound science fiction novel I have ever read. I don't think ANY novel I have ever read has struck me so much by its ending--the reaffirmation of the meaningfulness of existence. ( )

The book was written in parallel with the film, both of them before the first man stepped on the Moon, and they’re both dated by this. They survive by being well crafted, but they’re period pieces.

The book seems ponderous by modern standards. It tells quite an exciting story, but lingers over every detail: Clarke takes a scientist’s interest in everything that’s going on, and he assumes that his readers have the same interest.

It’s a classic story, the encounter between the human and the superhuman, and Clarke tells it well enough, he deserves credit for it. Each stage of the story is told competently, and yet in the manner of a scientist, without flair. It’s all a very odd business, because it comes to us from the late 1960s, a time of hallucinations, from a man born in 1917 who was largely immune to it all, and went his own way regardless.

I saw the film in about 1972, but I’d already read the book by then; I was surprised to discover that I no longer have it. I bought the Kindle version just recently in order to reread it. I don’t seem to have read it in the last 30 or 40 years. It’s not essential reading, but it seems an interesting part of the history of science fiction. ( )

Este é um verdadeiro clássico da ficção científica. Uma grande obra de ficção científica especulativa.

A aventura começa numa época que antecede o aparecimento da espécie humana, numa altura em que os pacíficos e despreocupados homens-macacos morriam continuamente, como consequência de uma seca prolongada e de predadores naturais.
O bando enfrentava a extinção, até que um misterioso monólito negro surge e começa a interferir nos pensamentos dos homens-macacos, convertendo-os em seres inovadores e sedentos de ambição. Começa a evolução.

“ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɴɪᴍᴀʟꜱ, ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛ, ᴍᴀɴ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀᴄQᴜɪʀᴇᴅ ᴀ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ; ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ʙᴇɢɪɴɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢʀᴏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴀ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ.”

Numa rápida transição para 2001, iniciamos a verdadeira odisseia, quando se descobre na lua algo extremamente misterioso.
A aventura centraliza-se nas ideias bem como na ciência, acima das personagens, resultando numa experiência impulsionada apenas pelo vigor da jornada na procura de novas respostas.

O comportamento enigmático do que se encontra conduz-nos diretamente às páginas que compõem a terceira parte da obra. A viagem interplanetária destinada a descobrir as razões das ações intrigantes do mistério que se encontra na lua.

Esta secção, talvez a fração mais famosa de '2001: Odisseia no Espaço', descreve a viagem da nave espacial Discovery em direção a Júpiter e Saturno. A bordo estão três cientistas em hibernação; o comandante da missão, David Bowman; o assistente da missão, Frank Poole e HAL 9000 (um computador com avançada inteligência artificial) e reflete sobre as consequências de se criar este tipo avançado de inteligência.
Dave Bowman e HAL 9000 são duas das personagens mais memoráveis e duradouras da ficção científica.

Bowman embarca na sua "viagem para além do infinito". O que poderá encontrar onde nunca ninguém chegou?

“ᴀ ʜᴜɴᴅʀᴇᴅ ꜰᴀɪʟᴜʀᴇꜱ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱɪɴɢʟᴇ ꜱᴜᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇꜱᴛɪɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ.”

É uma possível resposta às perguntas: Como funcionariam as viagens espaciais de longa distância? Como será a inteligência artificial e a aprendizagem automatizada? O que poderá existir no universo?

'2001: Odisseia no Espaço' foi escrita em paralelo com o filme, já que C. Clarke e Kubrick trocavam ideias entre si. Em alguns momentos, no entanto, as filmagens prevaleceram sobre a escrita, ou vice-versa, e as duas versões, embora semelhantes, acabaram por seguir caminhos diferentes. ( )

Welp. I read the large print edition, including the introduction, in which ACC lauds himself, and also mentions that he consulted Asimov on "the biochemistry of turning vegetarians into carnivores." What? I mean, Asimov was a smart guy, w/ a degree in biochemistry, but consulting a person actually working in the field might have been a better move.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't saying that "the very atoms of [Moon-watcher's] simple brain were being twisted into new patterns. If he survived, those patterns would become eternal, for his genes would pass them on to future generations" so much bs? Unless Clarke is actually saying that the external influence is altering the DNA itself, in which case it's not 'the simple brain' that is relevant...

Anyway.
So, beyond the history and to the speculation. Bleh. A little bit of 'Sense of Wonder' that probably comes through better in the movie. No 'What If' because no development. Just an odd sort of world-building and reportage of events.

I've got to concede, I'm just not a fan of Clarke's longer works. I'm still planning to reread [b:A Fall of Moondust|149059|A Fall of Moondust|Arthur C. Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1302382681l/149059._SY75_.jpg|1397287] but I am afraid I might not like it as much as I remember. ( )

I had no idea that this was written at the same time that the movie was being made. It made it an interesting read, having already seen the movie and knowing that the novel was written in a fairly unique fashion.

I love reading SF and this was a quick read. I can't really give it 5 stars because it wasn't THAT good, but there are some pretty inspiring/big ideas about what contact with aliens might be like, where we are, and where we can go as a human race.

There were also some interesting things I found while reading this, especially in the context of 1968. One paragraph basically explained that some of the surface spacecrafts were named after women because of the "fact" that they are emotionally unstable. There was also the part about the aliens not being small because smaller brain size = less capacity for intelligence. It's interesting to see some of the cultural relics in these older books.

Anyway, it was a fun read. ( )