The Brilliant Conclusion To 2001: A Space Odyssey

The voice performance is perfection for this story, which, is in my opinion, a masterpiece. Combine them, and for those yearning for the learning out there, this is a book that you don't want to miss, assuming you've at least read the books or seen the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, the film, actually started out as an offer of collaboration from Stanley, to Clarke to create the "Citizen Kane" of Science Fiction films. The film draws upon one of Arthur C. Clarke's short stories, initially only published once. A story called The Sentinel, which detailed the discovery of a monolith on the moon left there by the space faring civilization who'd seeded the human race.

From that story as their starting departure, Kubrick, Clarke and an army of creative architects and technicians from Canada's own Expo '67, created the Citizen Kane of all science fiction films: 2001: A Space Odyssey, years before the first actual moon landing. They literally were the Beatles of science fiction. All of the imagery in 2001 the film was conceptualized by the most prevalent imagineers of that time, including Kubrick and of course Clarke, a scientist and engineer himself having designed radar systems for the air force and navy. Clarke even conceptualized the global satellite network nearly thirty years before the first satellite even existed.

Clarke would go on to expand his short story in the book 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the film and the book roughly being born at the same time, from the seed of the short story, the Sentinel, with Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke as the parents of this genius child.

After Kubrick moved on to other projects, Clarke continued developing both the world and story of 2001: A Space Odyssey, eventually releasing 2010: A Space Odyssey 2 and 2061: A Space Odyssey 3, both books drawing upon the story the Sentinel and the film 2001.

In the mid nineteen nineties, Arthur C. Clarke decided that he'd finish the series and developed the most elaborate and inventive plot hinging this story on all of the same characters from the original 2001: A Space Odyssey, albeit, one thousand years into humanity's future. A millennium after humanity had "triggered" the Tyco Monolith signal to Jupiter from the moon.

This book brings back all of the original characters and retreads past details left out of the first three books to create a masterpiece conclusion to the most important and extraordinary story for the implications of humanity its future, and ultimately its origins, both here and in the stars.

Remember though, that enjoying a story doesn't necessarily mean agreeing with its perspective, outcome, or aspects of its development or politics. It means simply that you were entertained and introduced to ideas and concepts that expanded your awareness. As in, I'll consider what was said here, and figure out whether I agree with it or not. As a story, it is absolutely great entertainment.

This entire series is an absolute must read for any fan of science fiction, ponderers of Fermi's Paradox, and anyone who loved Isaac Asimov's Foundation, and above all else, for anyone who plans to play the Paradox Studios PC game: Stellaris.

However, I urgently remind you not to forget to don your braincap before reading.

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