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I've got 'the innocent man' on my bookshelf. have you read that? is it any good?
I found that book to be a bit of a slog, but well worth it in the end.
It does ultimately come together well, I think.
Way through the J Gardner Bond books, haven't read them in ages.
Read licence renewed last week and I've just started For Special Services.
This novelization is great, I had forgotten just how great . Clarke was a genius.
If you loved the film, this book gives you a completely different angle to it all.
If you did not understand scenes in the film, this book explains them without making you look dumb.
If you did not care for the film at all, chances are you will still love the book if you are into sci-fi, anthropology, philosophy or mysteries.
What a dreary read: it's truly hard work and I'm amazed I've stuck with it so far to get past the half way point, speaking of which is there any point in continuing if you have read it?
I find the characters very flat and bland with little interest in the actions/fortunes of those whom I assume to be the lead story driven protagonists. The writing style whom I believe to be done completely by a ghost writer is like pulling teeth. With it being a spy/action story with the all action Harrison Fordesque Jack Ryan always saving the World it's not a patch on previous books.
I threw the towel in with Net Force and look likely to bin this one too. Don't do it if the thought crossed your mind. It's not so much a book I couldn't put down as one I can't bring myself to pick up.
This is my favorite (and I like all Reacher books) because I think his writing is really superb throughout this one. I must say I truly enjoyed his latest one, Personal, too. Very worthwhile. I liked it even better than the previous two in the series.
Also reading a bit of Harry Potter - Azkaban - when I need something light (like for on train reading).
Plan on going on to Ian Rankin's Rebus next. Starting with my very favorite in that series, Resurrection Men (from 2002). :)
Interesting thriller, very much in the Clive Cussler mold. :)
Paula Hawkins - the girl on the train.
@Thunderfinger, I agree it's a fantastic book. But is it really a novelization? Technically, the book was written simultaneously with the script, with the indulgence of being its own thing. Also, I'm not sure the book's angle is completely different from the film's. There certainly are a few details (e.g. Jupiter - Saturn) which differ, but the overall story and its message is quite the same, no? While Clarke's ideas haven't all been visualized in the film, especially in the last section of the book, most of them have found a place in the film, either explicitly or implicitly. Kubrick left out a lot of details because he felt the movie would be better if more was left to our imagination. A general misconception then is that the film version doesn't have to suggest aliens if you prefer a more biblical or spiritual interpretation for example. I personally feel that once you've read the book, it's practically impossible to go with any other interpretation. The story quite simply makes most sense when the alien angle is used. The sequel, 2010, which IMO is a far better movie than many claim it is, also leaves nothing to the imagination anymore. This sequel is also where the movie and the book versions of 2001 converge. As soon as you are prepared to accept the sequel as authentic - and why wouldn't you, despite Clarke's suggestion that every next book in the series takes the liberty of retcons and such - everything in 2001, the movie, is linked to the alien plot of 2001, the novel.
That said, I'm a fan of both. 2001 is my favourite film of all time, the book series one that I tend to go back to almost as often as Fleming. ;)
As I understand it, Clarke and Kubrick cooperated on both the book and film to various degrees. Talk about a dreamteam!