With 2001: A Space Odyssey, I embarked on a rare voyage to space. Space has always been a fascinating mystery to me, yet, I never took the time to go on a literary journey to space. I think my general aversion to science fiction should be blamed. I was never keen on reading books about Robots and Artificial Intelligence and mistakenly casted Arthur C. Clarke’s works with that lot. Of course, Clarke uses artificial intelligence in his works (like the HAL 9000 here) but for him, AI is only a tool that serves an end purpose and not the outcome itself. Clarke’s works explore deeper themes beyond the superficial realms of technology.
2001: A Space Odyssey is an intelligent story. After the initial confusion with the first part (the significance of which I understood later), I had an interesting journey through to the end. The end was impressive, and I was so fascinated with the author’s genius. His thought process that led to this magnificent creation is undoubtedly at a higher level of intellect.
Clarke’s prose is plain and devoid of poetic elaborations. Yet he writes with intelligence and feeling. His simple prose brings to life the few characters of the story, including HAL 9000, and helps the reader form a deep bond with them. The reader keenly feels the death of Dr. Pool, the feeling of isolation of Dr. Bowman (before his great transformation), and even the subterfuge of HAL 9000 which necessitates its destruction. Whatever the flaws in Clarke’s writing, he is undoubtedly a good storyteller.
After reading the novel, I felt that it is pertinent today on many levels. The story points out that there are mysteries in this universe that humans cannot even begin to understand. It will be a long way for humans to understand their journey’s end. The story affirms that human intelligence and their technological creations are insufficient to answer the question of the final destination. Human intelligence is limited (contrary to what they wish to think) and there may be far more intelligent beings in the universe so there is no need for humans to demonstrate their ego. As Clarke says, we live in a borrowed time. In this borrowed time, in our egoistical belief of superiority, we create havoc in this world, destroying each other, animals, and nature. The story also demonstrates humans’ fragility to say that we are not superior after all.
On another scale, it is refreshing to think that there are mysteries in this universe far beyond our reach. The present chaos in the world paints an uncertain picture of the future, so it is nice to think (even though it sounds fantastic) that there are unforeseen powers in this universe that guide humans and help their evolution.
What I like about Arthur C. Clark’s books is their thought-provoking content. His stories stimulate my mind. Even though he may not be able to annihilate my general aversion to science fiction, his works have given me a positive taste for the genre.
Rating: 4/5
