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| 2001: A Space Odyssey | |
|---|---|
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| Publisher's info | |
| Title: | 2001: A Space Odyssey |
| Author: | Arthur C. Clarke |
| Publisher: | New American Library |
| 1st printing: | 1968 |
| ISBN: | ISBN 0-453-00269-2 |
| Page count: | 221 (1st edition hardcover) |
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| Next: | 2010: Odyssey Two |
2001: A Space Odyssey is a science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke and first published in hardcover edition in June, 1968 by New American Library. The paperback edition was published in July of that year. The novel was written to coincide with the release of the 1968 2001: A Space Odyssey film directed by Stanley Kubrick. Although the concept behind the novel was first envisioned for a film, Clarke and Kubrick decided that in order to better realize their respective visions, it would be prudent to write out the early drafts of the novel first. Clarke based many of the novel's key plot points on his own earlier works, which included the 1948 short story "The Sentinel" and the 1953 story "Encounter in the Dawn". Both the novel and the film are divided into separate parts, each one exploring the discovery of an alien Monolith and what each one represents with regards to evolution and the cycle of life. Whereas the film is divided into three quintessential chapters, the novel is divided into six parts, with forty-seven chapters total.
Synopsis[]
Part One: Primeval Night[]
Three million years ago, during Earth's Pleistocene era, a tribe of primitive ape man is on the verge of starvation in the Olduvai Gorge on the continent of Africa. Edible plants are hard to find, and the tribe must protect themselves from predators as well as rival ape tribes. The leader of the group, "Moon-Watcher" struggles to lead the tribe on journeys to find food, but loses several of his kind along the way, including his father.
They eventually discover a fifteen-foot crystalline Monolith in the middle of the gorge and find themselves oddly attracted to it. The Monolith resonates with a persistent pulsing sound and when Moon-Watcher makes contact with it, he finds himself elevated to a higher state of being. Moon-Watcher's increased intellect and self-awareness makes him appreciate the value of tools and he uses the bones of dead animals to ward off rival apes as well as a weapon against a hungry leopard. Moon-Watcher's tribe are forced to become carnivores and they hunt for live prey across the valley. With renewed insight, focus and strength, Moon-Watcher becomes the veritable master of his world.
Part Two: TMA-1[]
Three million years after the rise of Moon-Watcher, humanity has advanced to the degree that they are now capable of breaking away from their home world and exploring the stars. In the year 2000, the super-powers of Earth have contributed their scientific prowess to the formation of a large space program, which includes a shuttle program, several orbital space stations and a lunar outpost.
Heywood R. Floyd, chairman of the National Council of Astronautics, takes an Orion III shuttle to Space Station One on his way to his ultimate destination - the moon. A discovery made at Tycho Crater has unsettled the scientific community stationed on the moon and Floyd projects a cover story for the general populace of Earth, claiming that the areas near Tycho and Clavius Crater are being quarantined until further notice. Reporters and even some of his colleagues try to get Floyd to reveal information concerning the "quarantine", but he refuses to divulge any news that might jeopardize the secrecy of his mission.
From Space Station One, Floyd takes an Aries-1B lunar carrier to Clavius Base on the moon. He meets with base administrator Ralph Halvorsen and holds a meeting with the base's top staff. He tells them of the quarantine cover story and the importance of keeping knowledge of "TMA-1" a secret until further notice.
Floyd then takes a moon shuttle out to the Tycho crater where several geophysicists show him their discovery - a large, black Monolith - similar to the one discovered by Moon-Watcher millennia ago - stands upright in the middle of the crater. Due to its unidentifiable properties, its precise measurements and the electromagnetic pulse that it produces, the Clavius scientists determine that this is the first evidence of extraterrestrial life in the universe. When Floyd goes to touch the Monolith (dubbed Tycho Magnetic Anomaly - One, or, TMA-1), it produces a shrill, ear-piercing whine that forces all those in attendance to double over in pain. A wave of radiation ripples across the universe and is picked up by various satellites, communications arrays and research stations. The TMA-1 Monolith becomes a veritable beacon and the immaterial pattern of energy continues to spread across the stars.
Part Three: Between Planets[]
Part Four: Abyss[]
Part Five: The Moons of Saturn[]
Part Six: Through the Star Gate[]
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Dave Bowman
- Frank Poole
- Heywood R. Floyd
- Moon-Watcher
- Diana Halvorsen
- Dimitri Moisevitch
- Ralph Halvorsen
- Roy Michaels
- Nick Miller
- Ballard - Orion III spacecraft first officer
- Jim Forster - an Associated News reporter
- Mike - a reporter
- Miss Flemming - Floyd's housekeeper
- Miss Simmons - a flight attendant on the Orion III
- Mister Bailey - Senior flight control officer
- Old One - an ape man
- One-Ear - an ape man
- Tyne - Orion III spacecraft captain
- White-Hair - an ape man
Locales[]
- Earth (Pleistocene era)
- Earth's moon
- Jupiter (briefly)
- Saturn
- Space Station One
Items[]
Vehicles[]
- Aries-1B lunar carrier
- Discovery One
- EVA pod
- Orion III spacecraft
Differences from the film[]
One of the most notable differences between the novel and the film is the change of venue from Jupiter to Saturn. In the novel, the third Monolith is discovered in orbit around Saturn. In the film, it was located near Jupiter. In the early script drafts for the film, Saturn was to be used as the Discovery One 's destination, but director Stanley Kubrick was unsatisfied with the special effects treatments used to render Saturn's rings, so the script was revised to make use of Jupiter rather than Saturn. As it turned out, satellite images of Saturn taken from the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions in 1977 would have made the effects team's original designs implausible. As it stands, Jupiter was still used in the novel, albeit briefly, to provide the Discovery One with additional gravitational thrust to expedite its journey to Saturn. [1]
The "Dawn of Man" sequence at the beginning of the book takes place three million years ago. In the film, the opening chapter takes place four million years ago. The Pleistocene man featured at the beginning of the book is given the name Moon-Watcher. In the film he is never identified by name. The novel also expands slightly on Moon-Watcher's history and personality as well as provides more details concerning his interaction with the Monolith.
In the novel, Heywood Floyd's Russian colleague on Space Station One is Dimitri Moisevitch. In the film, its Andrei Smyslov.
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Arthur C. Clarke; Forward to the Millennial Edition; 1999
Keywords[]
2000s; 2001; Accelerated aging; Alien artifacts; Astronaut; Computer malfunctions; Cryogenic suspension; Earth's moon; Evolution; Explosive decompression; Hominid; Jupiter; Monolith; Moon; Planet; Pleistocene era; Quarantine; Rogue computers; Saturn; Space agencies; Space station; Spacecraft; Spacetime; Spacetime compression