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2001: A Space Odyssey (Space Odyssey, #1)

Arthur C. Clarke

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Oct 31, 2016 Avisek Bandyopadhyay rated it it was amazing

The one thing that constantly boggled my mind was, Hell !! Arthur Clarke wrote this book in 1968 and even after 50 years, we are still pursuing the dream. 2001 is long gone but his vision, every idea he conceptualized or described remains true till date. I never felt I was reading an outdated Science Fiction book. The only feeling that washed me over and over was, Wow !! This guy is a visionary.

About the book, I loved the concept that probably there were some advanced intelligent life forms tha The one thing that constantly boggled my mind was, Hell !! Arthur Clarke wrote this book in 1968 and even after 50 years, we are still pursuing the dream. 2001 is long gone but his vision, every idea he conceptualized or described remains true till date. I never felt I was reading an outdated Science Fiction book. The only feeling that washed me over and over was, Wow !! This guy is a visionary.

About the book, I loved the concept that probably there were some advanced intelligent life forms that extended a hand to the evolution of primates on the earth & that accelerated our thought process. Arthur Clarke says, as we advance, we have been relying on machines or rather mechanisms that are infinitely stronger than humanity, intellectually superior and emotionally stable. So, as we would evolve, we would leave off our degrading body parts and prolong our life span with undegradable stuff like metals and plastic. And as we gain higher degrees of consciousness and intellect, slowly we would shift to electronic senses and keep evolving till the time, where we would thrive only in a spiritual realm. Pondering on it, it just seems logical.

The clash between man and machine is bound to happen as both try to deduce their own rationale for making decisions. Power game will always be on.

The most beautiful part about this novel is the way it handles these bigger concepts and how easily he describes space travel nuances and the panorama that space travel offers.

The ending was psychotic and to be honest, I didn't get it. Then, I decided to rewatch the movie. As I did that, I realized I dont even get that except for a trippy visual. Then, I stumbled upon Mr Clarke, wryly smiling, stating that 'If you understood this book fully, we have failed as authors. We intended to raise more questions than give answers'.

This is a beautiful book, crafted with immense vision and written with a grand gesture. Do read it. The movie, well, I dont know, I am not a big fan of the movie. It eluded me. ...more

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