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2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C. Clarke
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Roc (1968-07-01)
ISBN: 0451166752
EAN: 9780451166753
Paperback: 1 pages
SKU: WB206454
Condition: Good
Comments: 0451166752 MMPB evidences gentle use; it is free of markings but lightly tanned with age. Its cover shows only minor shelf wear, a few scratches & a small stain. Your book will be carefully protected for transit in sturdy, weather-resistant packaging. We are prompt, efficient, communicative.
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Editorial Reviews
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Amazon.com
When an enigmatic monolith is found buried on the moon, scientists are amazed to discover that it's at least 3 million years old. Even more amazing, after it's unearthed the artifact releases a powerful signal aimed at Saturn. What sort of alarm has been triggered? To find out, a manned spacecraft, the Discovery, is sent to investigate. Its crew is highly trained--the best--and they are assisted by a self-aware computer, the ultra-capable HAL 9000. But HAL's programming has been patterned after the human mind a little too well. He is capable of guilt, neurosis, even murder, and he controls every single one of Discovery's components. The crew must overthrow this digital psychotic if they hope to make their rendezvous with the entities that are responsible not just for the monolith, but maybe even for human civilization. Clarke wrote this novel while Stanley Kubrick created the film, the two collaborating on both projects. The novel is much more detailed and intimate, and definitely easier to comprehend. Even though history has disproved its "predictions," it's still loaded with exciting and awe-inspiring science fiction. --Brooks Peck
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Book Description
A deluxe hardcover edition of the science fiction classic...now with a new introduction by Arthur C. Clarke!
It has been over thirty years since the publication of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the science fiction classic that changed the way we looked 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, Arthur C. Clarke takes us on a journey unlike any other.
This allegory about humanity's exploration of the universe, and the universe's reaction to humanity, was the basis for Stanley Kubrick's immortal film, and lives on as a hallmark achievement in storytelling.
* Special hardcover edition for the new millennium
* New introduction by Arthur C. Clarke
* Winner of the Science Fiction Writers' Grand Master Award for Life Achievement
* Basis of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 movie--chosen by American Film Institute as one of the 100 best films of all time
* 2001's unforgettable character, HAL the computer, has been revived in Macintosh's TV spots
"Full of poetry, scientific imagination, and typical Clarke wit."--The New Yorker
"Breathtaking."--Saturday Review
"Brain-boggling."--Life
"A mind-bender."--Time
Special Millennial Edition
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Customer Reviews
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The book that started it all
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-09-01
The most realistic depiction of space travel I have ever seen or read (if you don't count the NASA documentaries). The incredible meets the mundane every day. It isn't better than the movie, but neither is it worse. Personally, I prefer it to the movie because Clarke can actually explain to you what is happening during Bowman's transformation, whereas in the film you are stuck with some crazy surrealism and a guess as to what has become of Bowman.
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space nerds unite
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-08-29
This is a long lost classic for the true scifi fan. For having been written 40 decades ago the book is surprisingly accurate in terms of technology. Other then Hal's brain taking up an entire room Arthur C was very close to current trends in technology. I loved it and right away read 2010. I have 2065 and 3001 on order.
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Much Better Than the Movie
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-08-24
I found 2001: Space Odyssey the Movie to be confusing, boring at times, and vastly overrated. The book, however, is fantastic. Plot details that I feel you couldn't possibly glean from the movie are clear in the book. The story actually makes sense. Questions like, "Why did HAL go crazy?", "What exactly happened at the end?", and "What was the significance of the ape-men at the beginning?" all become clear.
Besides the plot, the book was quite satisfying for me on a technical level. Clarke describes many technical aspects of spaceflight in prophetically accurate detail.
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Arthur C. Clark: Travelogues of the Mind
Rating  (3)
Date: 2008-05-15
I don't know that I would classify Clark as a creator of great fiction; as mentioned in other reviews, the "human equation" in his works is largely missing. Clark excels and creating vivid descriptions of technology and alien grandeur, but his books are a bit lifeless at they have almost no character developement or interesting dialog.
I've read most of his books, and find he is a great alternative in those times I would find myself reaching for an atlas or a National Geographic. Honestly, I think AC Clarke is one of those sacred cow authors--praised by those who think it raises their intellectual profile, and read mainly when bored by those who can see that the emperor, while not entirely naked, could do with more than a loincloth.
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Where Did We Come From? Where Are We Going?
Rating (5)
Date: 2008-04-20
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Because Arthur C. Clarke recently died I decided to reread his classic novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some people say that the major knock against science fiction is that it's necessarily dated soon after written because of the progress of society and technology. While this may be true of many stories, 2001 is timeless. It's hopeful, it's beautiful and it's filled with themes that speak to what we are as humanity.
Evolution is probably the most important element of the story. From the beginning when primitive man finds a black obelisk and it teaches the concept of tool use and subtly changes these creature's minds the idea that our improbable evolution was guided by alien intervention. Then, just as humanity gained the power to destroy its own planet those same aliens had planned to help the descendants of those early creatures jump to the next step, as equal in advancement as using stones for tools were to starving primitives. The message I took from the story was that we are limited in how forward we can think and until we break through another evolutionary barrier we'll be butting our heads against an invisible barrier on creativity. It's profound and humbling to consider the possibility that there are beings who look at our restrictions as simplistic as we view the idea of making a fire for survival.
Invariably this novel gets compared with the Stanley Kubrick film and rightly so. Unlike any pair I've encountered, both the novel and screenplay were developed simultaneously and in conjunction. With slight differences the stories are complementary and equally brilliant. What makes me favor the book more than the movie is the ending, which is explained better revealing the true scope of the evolutionary step man is about to make.
- CV Rick, April 2008
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