NINETOES VS. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (THE NOVEL)

Ninetoes revisits the story behind what many call the best sci fi movie ever made, Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

TITLE: 2001: A Space Odyssey

AUTHOR: Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick

GENRE: Science Fiction

PAGES: 255

FORMAT: Ebook

PRICE: $7.99

Hey there, book lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes Loves Books Headquarters. Today, I am looking at Arthur C. Clarke’s classic novel 2001: A Space Odyssey. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!

In the spirit of transparency, I have to tell you up front that I saw the movie first. This crime was committed fifty years ago, when the movie was on television one Sunday night. EVERYONE in my class watched it. This was a major television event, and our parents let us stay up until it was done. When I look back on it, it was pretty much a hostage situation, but we are here to talk about the book.

So, the following Monday, I went to the school library to see if it was there. I wasn’t. To my total surprise, my father bought a copy for me, and I dug in. Fear not, dear reader, I am not doing a review from 50 years ago. I just finished reading it again for what is my third or fourth time.

The book follows the movie in some respects, but goes into more detail. The best example is the Dawn of Man sequence. He gave us fantastic detail on what primitive man was thinking, and how he changed and developed tools to work with after encountering the crystal monolith (it was clear in the book). Then the jump to the year 2001 was seamless, and we encountered Dr. Heywood Floyd on his way to the moon to investigate the Tycho monolith (TMA-1). After this short investigation, we are aboard the USS Discovery One, and we are heading to Saturn, and this is where the story really picks up!

On the Discover One, we are introduced to Dr. Frank Poole, Dr. David Bowman, and HAL 9000, their sentient computer. This was the first time I had encountered Artificial Intelligence in science fiction (between both the book and movie), and back then, like now, it scared the hell out of me! Especially when HAL has his little nutty up there and tries to kill the crew.

One of the hallmarks of great science fiction is how it can see what is coming in the future. This book is full of such hallmarks, whether it is in everyday living or up in space. This book foretold some things we take for granted today, and maybe we are better for it; the jury is still out on that.

The writing is sharp and held my attention throughout the entire book, and I went ahead and got the other books in the series, so we shall see if the trend continues. The characters were engaging, and their progression flowed in a pleasant way.

If you are looking for quality science fiction that stands up today as much as when it was first written, look no further. I cannot recommend this book any stronger.

I give this one 5 bookmarks out of 5!

Darren “Ninetoes” Perdue is a book and media reviewer. When he is not reading, he is watching true crime shows, cooking for his family, or working on a plan for universal domination. If you see him on his porch, say hi. He does not bite…much.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.