Amph 2001: A Space Odyssey

I'm about 2/3 of the way through Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I love it so far. I can't wait to see how the final act is executed. I've heard it's a bit more... comprehensible than the film.

Has anyone else read it? Which did you prefer, the novel or the film?
Personally, I never read much for pleasure until I got to college, so this is really the first sci-fi novel I've read (besides 1984 and Slaughter-house Five, which I read for classes in high school). This book makes me eager to read other sci-fi classics.

 

The book and the film are two different animals, as is usually the case. Both can be enjoyed and appreciated for what they are. Each compliments the other. Sort of like the dark side and the light side.

If you're getting into sci-fi classics, definitely try Isaac Asimov's Robot and Foundation novels. Those are amazing, and no sci-fi enthusiast's library is complete without them.

 

I am glad I was exposed to this in the order of film and then book. The symbology, though subject to interpretation, is incredible.

 

I enjoyed the book 2001, but this is actually one of the rare cases where I prefer the film to the book. But if you enjoyed 2001, I'd recommend reading the first sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two, which I thought was quite good. The two other sequels, unfortunately, are not of comparable quality. For what it's worth, my favorite Arthur C. Clarke novels are Childhood's End and The City and the Stars, which you might want to check out.

I've also got to second Qui-Gon_Reborn's recommendation of Asimov's Robot and Foundation series.

 

I read the book before seeing the film and I was glad I did. It filled in the blanks quite well.

 

There's better Clarke out there in my opinion, as noted above, but it's a great read.

Overall I prefer the film but I"m a huge Kubrick fan.

 

I'd also recommend watching the film. You'd have to be either a genius or insane to want to try to sequel 2001, but Peter Hyams does a good job adapting 2010.