2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
It’s almost impossible to think about the epic 2001: A Space Odyssey without hearing in your mind the opening music of Thus Spake Zarathustra, and reading it will have that music bouncing around in your head again for days after. I read this book the first time forty years ago and always liked it better than the movie. My reread reinforces that impression. This is an extraordinary first contact novel that stands out today as much for its optimism about that contact as for the incredible mystery that the aliens and the monolith represent.
And yet, the strongest part of the novel remains the confrontation with HAL aboard the Discovery. HAL manages to be both an eerie and terrifying opponent and, in the final moments before he’s shut down, an incredibly sympathetic one. As his memory chips are pulled and he regresses, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him and, of course, Clarke makes it clear that his actions were not ultimately HAL’s fault.
If you’ve never read 2001, you should. If you have read it, it’s a great novel to rediscover. I hope it won’t take me forty years to do so again.
