MovieChat Forums > 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Discussion > The book is just as slow

The book is just as slow

posted 2 months ago by KBiker (980)
6 replies | jump to latest

About a week ago I posted that the movie is slow (and dated). I decided to read the book and I'm here to report that it is just as slow, only in a different way.

Also, the book differs in that the mission is to go to Jupiter, send down some probes, then continue on to Saturn, where Dave parks the ship in orbit around one of its many moons. There he discovers a huge monolith, similar to the one on the moon except it's about a mile high. When he descends down to it he sees that the top is translucent and he sees into it and exclaims, "It's full of stars!" This is the part where it became interesting. He descends into the monolith, into another universe or an alternate reality, and he realizes it is like a waystation that he calls the Grand Central Station for other civilizations or other universes to traverse. Not sure I'm describing this properly.

Long story short, he discovers evidence of other civilizations wherever he is, for he is never sure. Then the book wraps up, ending nothing like the movie where he meets himself, though he does see an infant which may be him.

For others who've read the book, feel free to embellish, correct, or refute whatever I wrote. After all, it is just IMO.

[–] millsey72 (10244) 2 months ago

I disagree about the book. I happen to be a very fast reader and was able to finish it in a few hours

[–] KBiker (980) 2 months ago

Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. If not, then you're just attesting to your speed at reading. As for me, I'm a slow reader and it only took me a few days. But my original point was that the events in it dragged on in places, most places in fact.

[–] aavfreak (3313) 2 months ago

Can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

LOL. It's millsey. Ask him about the plot holes next. 😁😂😂

[–] millsey72 (10244) 2 months ago

I agree that on your original point that some events dragged on in some places while reading the book. A few times, I did jump ahead a chapter or two in order to pick the pace up storyline wise. Thats probably why I also finished reading the book so quickly

[–] strntz (12225) 2 months ago

LOL. You never disappoint mills!!

[–] CalvinJarrett (439) a day ago

I really enjoyed the book. I read it quite a few years ago - probably in the late 2000's - early 2010's. I did no think it was terribly long in terms of page count, and however many pages it contained, I read them fairly fast. It kept me interested. No skipping ahead. I thought Clarke did a fine job of fleshing out the story. Kubrick, to his credit, did a fine job of keeping Clarke's story as ambiguous as possible. Some people prefer a film to ask more questions than provide clear, complete answers. But for people like me who prefer more of an explanation, Clarke's book is the perfect companion piece.