This novel is the result of much accumulated research on the future of man in space and in time. Arthur C. Clarke, who is
clearly a genius, succeeds wonderfully in his pursuit of this subject and shares his educated insight with the reader. The novel begins with the origin of man and his quest for the basic needs and progresses through time until those needs are fulfilled. He then takes us to the point where artificial intelligence begins to encroach on man’s dominion and is ultimately a threat. Primitive man encounters a massive monolith that seems to give him knowledge and the understanding of a greater good and evil. This is much like the bible story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. The book jumps ahead to the future and a mysterious problem on a lunar surface, the nature of which is shrouded in secrecy. As the novel continues we read of a long space journey in which several members of the crew are kept in suspended animation. HAL, the on board computer tries to manipulate the crew and take control of the mission and is eventually shut down. The book progresses through the entire life of a man until he returns to an embryonic state. There is much symbolism in this novel and at times this becomes confusing, nevertheless it is a great and classic work of
science fiction considered by some to be the best science fiction novel ever written. It was made into a major motion picture and a sequel.
Arthur C. Clarke was born in Somerset, England on December 16, 1917. He served in World War Two as an officer. After the war he returned to London and won many awards for satellite technology. Clarke has lived all over the world. He is now wheelchair bound due to polio. He has written over 200 books.