2001

A Space Odyssey

By: Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

It has been 40 years since the publication of this classic science-fiction novel that changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves. From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man adventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is 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 director Stanley Kubrick's immortal film, and lives on as a hallmark achievement in storytelling.

©1968 Polaris Productions, Inc.; 1968 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2000 Brilliance Audio

Better than the movie

Of course, it is better than the movie but, in this case, I think the book is phenomenally better and captures so much that can’t yet be conveyed through traditional cinematography. I enjoyed the narration. Mr. Clarke is one of my favorites.

A great read.

I loved this book, it is a well paced novel. Clarke's ability to pull you into a world is amazing.

2001: A Space Oddity

2001 is an oddity because the The movie didn't follow the book. Arthur Clark and Stanley Kubric worked on the story together in order to make to make a movie and a book. They evolved in tandem up to a point with the movie coming out first. I’ll say a few things about the movie first, as they are relevant if you’ve seen it.

I remember hearing all the hype and then seeing the movie when I was a kid. The movie was, well, weird and confusing -- so much so that it I found it unsatisfying. I just couldn't get it and I suspect a lot of other people didn't either unless they'd read the book. Someone recently said to me, 'If you read the book the movie will make sense.' Well, I just read it. And, yes, the movie seems to make more sense now. I'm much more satisfied with the book, though. It seems to me now that the movie sacrificed clear storytelling for being oh-so-visually-stunning (read that last phrase in your best Stewie Griffin voice).

Movie aside, the story in the book is excellent. It struck me as very original (though based on earlier works by the author), which matters to me. What really blew me away though was discovering the book was actually published BEFORE the U.S.reached the moon and yet the description of spaceflight and life in space is so convincing. The plot was quite enjoyable, although I have to admit the tension between Hal and the crew is done better in the movie. "Open the pod bay doors, Hal. I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave." is only uttered in the movie. Still, I get some, but not all, of the interesting bits of the movie now and I'm glad for that.

If you want to understand the movie somewhat better and enjoy an excellent, old sci-fi story, I highly recommend this book. You even enjoy it more if you haven’t seen the movie yet and don’t have its scenes in your head. The narration was excellent, btw.

A new view of a foggy tale

I am amazed at how differently I view this story now that I've read the book. Mr. Clarke's depth and detail and richness of content genuinely shed new light on characters I had held in a murky regard for most of my life. I think it's hilarious that some criticized this book is having too many details, too much description. To me it was very necessary to understand what a magnificent film Kubrick and he had created.

Astounding

It is astounding to me how accurately Clarke detailed the solar system in the mid '60s. I find it funny that the most glaring error in his prediction of the future is that the US cooperates with Soviets on building the space station rather than with Russia. Amazing story. Beautiful imagination of the future. Detailed scientific knowledge of the cosmos.

Puts me in the mood to watch the movie!

I was quite hooked at the beginning, less so towards the end when it was just one long unending description of his surroundings – that part bored me although in my experience it’s pretty standard for a Sci-fi book ending.

I want to read the sequels, but Audible does not have Book 2 in store, and I wonder if I will miss out by heading straight to book 3?

Great listen

I loved it after hearing a conversation about it I had to buy one

The Story is full of stars!

I’m bad. I saw the movie first. But the book adds insight and beautiful imagery.

This was my first audio book, and it took a little bit of getting used to it. But the narrator disappeared eventually.

The only thing I found troublesome- the announced chapters in the book don’t match the chapters available on the Audible chapter list. So if I wanted to go back to book chapter 2, I would click on 2, but the narration would go to chapter 5. Maybe this is a result of the book having ~40 chapters, so Audible condensed them down to 14. This was difficult to figure out. But I accepted it after I understood.

That wordy paragraph makes it look like it casts a huge negative shadow on it overall. But I love the story. I love being able to listen on the train. I’d recommend this book to anyone that appreciates suspense and sci-fi. And overall- it’s full of (5) stars!

Completes the movie

As a fan of the vagueness of the movie, this book really brings it all together, but still leaves some mystery to the story. The mix is a little weird, so I recommend turning your bass down quite a bit.

One of five works that changed my life

Any additional comments?

Arthur C Clarke's works caused me to fall in love with reading. for a long time in my teen years he was the only author i could stand to read. this one was a pinnacle work