Hardcover, 236 pages
English language
Published Oct. 20, 1999 by New American Library.
"Allegory about humanity's exploration of the universe, and the universe's reaction to humanity."
This was a re-read. The mastery of sentence and story in this novel is incredible. Plus, I love his future-gazing. He does a great job except for thinking we'd get there sooner than we will.
Having seen the movie a long time ago I had a vague idea of the plot before going into it but that didn't hamper my enjoyment of it at all. Reading the sci-fi of Arthur C. Clarke feels like seeing our present through the eyes of a time travelling scientist. The descriptions of technology yet to be invented in his time is rather remarkable.
The book has several parts. Loved the part in the ship with the stress and helplessness. The repairs tasks are awesome. Some more abstract parts resonated less with me.
I can finally comprehend how seminal this script was. Just the fact that it was written prior to humans reached the moon. So precise and well written, hasn't aged a day!
