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2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C. Clarke
Product Group: Book
Publisher: NAL Hardcover (1999-10-01)
ISBN: 0451198492
EAN: 9780451198495
UPC: 071136020019
Dewey Decimal #: 823.914
Binding/Media: Hardcover - 256 pages
SKU: 5920335
Condition: Collectable Like New
Comments: A HARDBACK BOOK. 1976. EARLY PRINT. BCE. HARDBACK, DUST JACKET and pages are in great condition, clean and tight. Ships rapidly. Air mail.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product 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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Amazon.com Review
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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Customer Reviews
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Classic
Rating  (5)
Date: 2010-08-02
I would recommend this book to anyone that would like a proper introduction to science fiction. This book is a classic for many good reasons.
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Intelligent Science Fiction at its best!
Rating  (4)
Date: 2010-05-24
2001 is a book that I had been planning to read since I had seen the movie 10 years ago. i never got around to reading the book because I figured that it would be just as cryptic as the movie. Nothing could be further from the truth. Having read Clarke's Rama series I expected a hard science fiction story that that was just as enjoyable due to it's mystery and the questions that are left unanswered as much as from the facts that are provided. I was not at all dissappointed.
2001 take on two major themes one is the nature of consciousness and what it means to be consciousness. It could be argued that the first encounter with non human intelligence occured with the HAL 9000 unit and the disaster that ensued was a cautionary tale as to what misunderstandings can lead to. The second half of the book takes up the issue of the ultimae fate of mankind and where we are going as a species. In many way space is the ultimate test as to how far we have advanced as a species because the endevors that are taken up in exploring its depths will have to be measured in lifetimes trancending the experiences of any one or any particular group of individuals. The books does a good job of portraying this as it jumps from several different protagonist in a story that spans 4 millions years. This is one of the best examples of intelligent Science Fiction that I have come across and i highly recommend it.
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Truly mind-bending. A book that will stick with me for life
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-04-25
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This was another book on the list of books I should have read, but I just haven't. I remember as a kid watching the movie in class, but I was a punk so I didn't really pay attention to it. I should have!
2001 is a book about the progression of man. The book starts by taking us back 3 million years ago to a time when apes were evolving into man (man-apes). This is a time when our ancestors make a significant evolutionary step, the step when we truly become human, we develop an imagination. An alien race has helped us evolve, without the monolith that was discovered by a man-ape dubbed 'Moon Watcher' who knows where we would be, perhaps nowhere.
Well, another alien artifact was discovered, but this one was uncovered on the moon. This time a man named Dr. David Bowman is the center-piece in a new dawning of man.
Like the reviewer just before me said, for some reason this book seems oddly plausible, eerily plausible considering how non-plausible it sounds when you simply summarize the plot. Clarke just writes so well.
This book is absolutely amazing. Clarke writes in a very succinct, accessible prose. Rendezvous With Rama was originally my favorite Clarke novel but 2001: A Space Odyssey has taken that place.
When I find a better space sci-fi book I'll remove this line. Until then, 2001 is now my all-time favorite space sci-fi book.
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Transcendent
Rating (5)
Date: 2010-01-31
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Recently, I decided to catch up on some older, classic films. One of the first I tried was 2001: A Space Odyssey. While I admit that it gave a great sense of the chilling isolation of space, the ending was too much of a non-sequitur. The special effects (ape-men of the veldt, the final trip) did not age well. However, a friend I watched it with was intrigued enough to read the book. They were very much impressed and recommended it to me. I skeptically decided to check it out.
I'm so glad I did. This is possibly the most important book I have ever read. There is too much that goes on beneath the surface for a film, but it works as a novel perfectly. Many sci-fi books try to be spiritual, but this is the first that I have read, sci-fi or not, to actually pull it off in a profound way. One thing that really sets this book apart is how incredibly plausible it all seems. Yes there are aliens. Yes there are evil computers. But this book is the product of a clearly scientific mind. For as fantastic as the elements are, nothing seemed impossible.
Even knowing (sort of) how it ends, this book has changed my life. It is uplifting and spiritual, and there is simply nothing else like it.
As Clarke says in the forward, "Here is one possible answer to that very reasonable question... The truth, as always, will be stranger."
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Holds Up Well for a Forty-Year old SF novel
Rating (4)
Date: 2010-01-22
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I enjoy reading science fiction, although it can be difficult reading some of the older novels, due to their dated quality. But I found 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY to be an exception to this rule.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is a relatively short novel, and effectively reads like three interconnected novellas. Each novella is filled with interesting information about space travel and Clarke's theories about the future. Clarke is an engaging writer who makes complicated ideas understandable, and I found this novel quite engrossing.
This novel was originally written in 1968, before humankind even landed on the moon. Unsurprisingly, Clarke gets many things wrong about life on Earth in 2001(for example, he assumes moon bases exist, as well as the USSR), but it doesn't undermine the power of the storyline.
The two major downsides of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY are the superficial characterization (this is a problem with all of Clarke's novels) and the surreal ending, which you will either love or hate. But in the end, this is a novel of ideas, and the ideas are quite fascinating to read about.
In short, while I personally don't consider this novel a classic, it's fun and thought-provoking and well worth your time.
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