2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

This was not a read I was looking forward to as I am not a fan of Science Fiction, but to my surprise, it was an eerily enjoyable book.

From the dawn of man to the development of nuclear weapons, Clarke skillfully details the beginning and end of civilization. The presence of the monolith from early civilization to the year 2001 becomes symbolic of how easily man is manipulated by artificial intelligence.

Moonwatcher is the leader of the man apes and has survived to the incomparable age of 25. His natural abilities and survival skills are enhanced by the monolith as he creates weapons with the natural materials found in his environment.

A stereotypical bureaucrat, Dr. Heywood Floyd is sent to the moon to investigate TMA-1; Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-1 and its capabilities. His concern for his family and his career leaves him playing a balancing act with his conscience.

One of the astronauts sent to Saturn, David Bowman is very disciplined, yet unaware of the true purpose of his mission. His intuition leads him to a better understanding of his role and the eerily human side to HAL, the ship’s computer.

HAL keeps the ship running efficiently and requires no rest so can outperform any of the crew on board. His “humanity” is revealed when he realizes he can be stripped of his capabilities and resorts to malicious tactics to ensure his survival.

Quotes:

…there had been talk of radio-hypnosis from satellite transmitters, compulsion viruses, and blackmail by synthetic diseases for which they alone possessed the antidote.

The more wonderful the means of communication, the more trivial, tawdry, or depressing its contents seemed to be.

But their tools would not be ax and gun and canoe and wagon; they would be nuclear power plant and plasma drive and hydroponic farm. The time was fast approaching when Earth, like all mothers, must say farewell to her children.

“What you are now looking at is the first evidence of intelligent life beyond the Earth.”

Sir Clarke was certainly a man way ahead of his time and I would love to chat with him about the current state of the planet. If he could so accurately predict its future decades ago, imagine what he could tell me about earth’s survival today. We could sip some tea and muse over the Space X failures and what NASA is secretly researching. AI be damned!

My rating for 2001: A Space Odyssey is an 8 out of 10.

Please share your own reviews or comments by using the Leave A Comment link below.

Next up, Andre Brink’s A Dry White Season…