Rating: 
Summary: I suggest reading the book before seeing the movie
Review: This book is good. I know- bad start, but it's the truth. It's a darn good book. The way it's written- you can almost call it beautiful, just like the movie. It answers a few questions, so don't think you're gonna open this book, read it, and close it and go "Oh Lord- I know the entire movie!". But- it does help (to me it did) to watch the movie, read the book once (or twice), and then watch the movie again. Usually I read the book, then watch the movie a few weeks after. And it helps, they interact in a way- that both answer questions.
Okay, basically, if you don't know the book- I'll try my best to explain, there's most likely a review that's much better. But, in the beginning of time, back when the apes where on the planet, way way back then, this giant slab of mysterious rock came, and sorta evolved the apes into humans, it took millions of years, but that's what it did. Now, it's the year 2001, and a mysterious magnetic field is coming from the moon (granted, this book was written in the 1960s- so he thinks we'll be living on the moon in huge towns and be flying to the moon and Mars for a little weekend getaway and stuff like that, so, it's sorta dated- but not that bad), so they dig down, to find (surprise) the same "rock" that the ape monkeys found millions of years before. And then- in the middle of the book, you're thrown to the end of our solar system, where you are in a state of the art ship, and two guys and a computer (sounds like a bad sitcom), and about 4 other crew members sleeping make there way to Jupiter, and well, I know it doesn't make sense, but in the end it does make sense. And, I relly can't tell you the ending, because I really don't know the ending well enough to explain it. It's confusing, and it's mindbending...but it's good. I really suggest reading it. I really do, I'm on my 4th time reading it. And I always find something new.
Rating: 
Summary: 2001 ways to blow your mind
Review: i loved Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, but what this book does, is it makes you look at the history of man in a completly different perspective. What should literature do? Inspire, provoke thought and emotion, challenge? Well you go through some of the most unique emotions as you read this as it is like peering into an unknown thread of your brain and having it tingle where it once was numb. Recommened for everyone on the planet.
Rating:
Summary: Science at the service of literature
Review: Science is not fantasy in this book.
A very enjoyable journey through the solar system and an ultimate frontier to reach for a human. If you liked the movie you'll like the book even better. Pay attention to the scientific details. Also, this novel makes you wonder if human minds and electronic minds are any different, it seems stress affects computers too.
Rating:
Summary: A page turner
Review: Clarke's novels are always well structured and are comfortable to read because they always progress forward with as little of flashbacks as possible. the story itself is the first SF novel to examine the possibilities and implications of intelligent extraterrestrial life in light of current knowledge of space explorations,astrophysics, and biology. it is difficult to agree with the author , however, that there are beings who can invent living intelligence( by converting an unintelligent species to an intelligent one), othe than god. it is a real page turner, though.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Sci-fi...Clarke really knows what he's doing
Review: One might think that 2001 the book was based on the screenplay for 2001 the movie (it's written on the back of the book). However, after reading the epilogue before I read the story (oops), I found out that Clarke worked on the two projects simultaneously. The book is actually very well written, with the technical expertise of any good science fiction writer. It does not read like a screenplay at all; it keeps you interested throughout the whole book. The two different yet related conflicts in the book are well chosen. The struggle between man vs. machine on board the Discovery is similar to the conflict of man's insatiable curiosity vs. the vastness of space. Human beings have always been longing for contact with another race of beings, and this first contact is described flawlessly by Arthur C. Clarke. Clarke also portrays the worst case scenario of modern technology: a computer that is capable of malice and has control over human lives. All in all, this book is one of science fiction's best and a must-read, whether you've seen the movie or not.
Rating:
Summary: A breathtaking classic
Review: A scientific expedition uncovers a tall black monolith, purposefully buried below the moon's surface. Exposure to sunlight triggers a powerful radio signal from the mysterious object. NASA determines the signal's destination: Saturn. Although, Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey centers around the discovery of unquestionable proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, what is truly being commemorated in this science fiction classic is mankind's own investigation and realization of the wonders around him. In an age when so many other authors of speculative fiction were predicting nuclear extinction, Mr. Clarke took a very different stance, presenting a goodhearted, intelligent mankind ready to tread that final frontier and meet with what or who received that signal. From the account of man-apes using rocks and sticks as the first tools and weapons in the story's prelude to a human being looking down at an unexplored planet through the window of a space craft in its later parts, every vividly painted scene of this incredible novel seems to gasp at the scientific accomplishments of mankind and our potential for even greater enlightenment. Mr. Clarke believes that we are ready to join the other intelligent denizens of the universe and he wrote a heavily contemplative dazzler of a novel explaining why.
Rating:
Summary: Ah! The films makes sense!
Review: I saw Kubrick's film (1968) several years ago and I thought it was simply too ambiguous to understand or appreciate. However, the novel clarified things greatly. Granted that some of Clarke's ideas have been falsified (e.g. in the novel, the Chinese visit the Moon three times by 2001, over 30 nations have nuclear weapons, a permanent base is established on the Moon and the Soviet Union still exists), the novel still remains remarkably plausible. Clarke thought that the space race of the 1960's would continue at the same feverish pace throughout the late 20th century, alas, he was wrong. It is true that the International Space Station is due to completed soon, there have been no further manned ventures to the Moon. Clarke is the typical writer of Golden Age science fiction in that respect. The description of Discovery (the space ship of the novel) is entirely realistic with its limited food reserves, sublight speeds, hibernation and A.I. computer that controls the ship. The computer that runs the ship, HAL 9000, was well executed in the novel and the sudden betrayal of the computer is explained much better than in the film...My overall impression in comparing to the novel to the...It strove to evoke wonder but it failed because it was simply too mysterious. The ending makes much more sense; it is amazing how much difference narration makes. There does seem to be a theme in Clarke's works of humanity maturing and then growing into something completely different (e.g. see Clarke's "Childhood's End"). In both works, humanity, under the guidance of aliens, transitions into immaterial existence and fondly regards it time on Earth as an adult looks back on his childhood.However, the ending in the novel drags somewhat due to the lack of dialogue. Clarke has obviously done some research into astronomy for he describes stars, and other astronomical phenomena with great accuracy. Yet, it feels like it is degrading into mysticism laced with astronomy. It is an interesting novel and it is a good treatment of a perennial SF theme; first contact with aliens. The aliens of the novel are loosely described as paternal as one of the most memorable passages of the novel says, "And because, in all the galaxy, they had found nothing more precious than Mind, they encouraged its dawning everywhere. They became farmers of the stars; they sowed, and sometimes they reaped." (pages 243-244) Given a choice between a grand, ambiguous film and comprehensible novel, the choice is clear.
Rating:
Summary: Not Just For Sci-Fi Fans
Review: 2001 is one of only a few science fiction novels that I've read and I enjoyed it tremendously. Clarke is clearly a distinguished writer and provides every 'part' of the book with a particular feel. This style provides an interesting contrast to Kubrick's movie version. Whereas scenes from the movie seem slow moving and almost static, the book flows smoothly. Though essentially the same story, both end up leaving you with an entirely different feeling. As a result, both are definitely worth the time.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best ever
Review: Sorry...I am speechless. One of the best books I've read. ENJOY!
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: Ok, boys, what's the point? Aliens helped some bunch of simians become humans? Well, what species of hominids are those Clarke speaks of? Ardipithecus Ramidus? ... Ergaster ? And it's so hot a subject for a scientist to speak of? Erik Von Daniken wrote volumes on this unproven, a little stale topic.But he's not that admired either by scientists or science-fiction writers. Oh, yes, there's the Artificial Intelligence topic. Great, but Hal remains thankfully a "galactic legend". Penrose's told you so in "Emperor's New Mind". Development of characters? Negligible. Plausible and clear ending? I have my doubts. A lot of scientimystic pap, a lot of brooding,and some good idea. There are better Science Fiction writers than Clarke, who's written better novels than this (and I'm not talking of the pityful sequels of the novel in question).
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