The Lost Worlds of 2001

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3331396.html

The Lost Worlds of 2001, originally published in 1972, is an interesting exploration of alternate storylines for the novel and the film. Earlier versions of the film had more personalised aliens coming to educate the apemen, and a much longer segment of politicking in Washington DC (where incidentally there are quite a lot of women, even of most of them are defined by their male partners). Clarke frames the out-takes with some explanation of the painful process of film-making. He was 48, Kubrick was 40, and there's a slight sense of generational clash (the Englishman old enough to have fought in the war, the American who wasn't). It's interesting to see which paths were not taken, and in the show more end I have to agree with the judgements made by Kubrick and Clarke to move the narrative as they did; making the aliens too visible would have risked looking silly, and monoliths and music are much more impactful. I like it for the same reason I like the Book of Lost Tales, etc; they throw further light on something I already love. show less

An interesting examination of how one of the great movies of the 60's came together. Interesting to see what was the seed, how it blossomed, and what was pruned.

I read this mainly out of a sense of nostalgia for the movie. But this book wasn't very interesting or informative, and in fact, the various endings Clarke gives the reader are for the most part boring.

Clarke's story of the writing of the book and movie, in contains multiple versions of the original story that are as good as anything he's done.

Very interesting background information on how Clarke and Kubrick ended up with the film version we know of 2001. Also includes the story that inspired it all.

The book is too slow paced for me. And my GK isn't very good. If some historical character is mentioned I feel the author should brush up at least a bit on what that character did in history. Here and there were some words I didnt understand. I started pushing myself to read it.
Finally I read its summary in wiki. Felt the story was too small for such a thick book.