2001 cover art

2001

A Space Odyssey: Space Odyssey, Book 1

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About this listen

 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 Classics Fantasy Fiction Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Space Opera Solar System Funny Scary Space Science Fiction
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Had Arthur C Clark traveled forward in time to glimpse the changes that we would see?

A visionary

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The seeds of the famous movie and interestingly the novel becomes Olaf Stapelton's star maker :)

Great novel and 2001 companion.

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Having always wondered about the book / movie focusing on Arthur C Clarke’s amazing fantastical marvel of imagination and often hearing unknown references it was a delight to listen to the book and let my imagination fill in the picture with a more modern tale than the dated technology we would have to deal with from the classic movie.

It was truly an amazing story and incredibly detailed in the imagines along with the scientific descriptions.

Truly if you enjoy science fiction books then this is a must read

A first time for a classic

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i thought I'd revisit the book , having recently watched and marvelled at the film.

I do love the film , it's absence of dialogue, the music and the mysterious feel of the whole thing. The term awe is overused, but I do feel it through much of the film. The book clears all that away and explains everything in considerable detail, but I think rather robs the story of some of its strangeness, first-contact is going to be very un-familiar, and truly alien to anything we know. I don't think another film has come close to this, though Contact , Solaris and Arrival are worthy attempts.

However the book is good for understanding the back story and more about the characters who are only briefly in the film.

At first I found Dick Hills reading rather monotonous , almost like a voice synthesiser, but once the action moves to 2001, I think it improves; he can speak as different characters, not describing in the 3rd person the behaviours and thoughts of our distant ancestors . Also his voice sort of suits the story, he is almost HAL-like at times.

More explanatory, less mystery

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A truly inspirational classic, I'd never gotten the chance to read this book before. I've hardly gotten the chance to see the film. It's already got me enthralled by the end of chapter 1 and although I can see immediately where the plot is heading (an omnipotent and omniscient ancient alien species), it still maintains a great deal of mystery.

Although the performance can be a bit of a drag at times, I feel it's beyond a passable delivery. Strongly recommended for Sci fi fans and those wanting to dabble a little in the genre; start with one of the greats.

Legendary

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