2001: A Space Oddessy

So among the books I found downstairs was the book "2001: A Space Oddessy." As I'd never read it before, I figured I'd give it a try. Actually, I've only even seen the movie once in my life. On New Year's Eve right before it became 2002, I figured I ought to see it, so I forced my friends Lee and Tim to watch it with me. I wasn't that impressed. But it's a "classic" for sci-fi, so I figured I should read it at some point.

The movie makes _SOOOOOOO_ much more sense now! And did you know that the movie and the book were written concurrently? I thought that was interesting.

Anyway, my critique of the book is that it's an easy read, the technical details are pretty good (although, obviously, the timetable was "a little" off - the author blames that on the cost of the Vietnam War), and the story's good. Overall, a really good read. I don't even remember any cursing or sex, so it's clean too. Of course, it has to do with extra-terrestrial life, which may or may not be a theological impossibility (C.S. Lewis imagined other races on other planets, but they had never "fallen" and were therefore not in need of reconcilliation with God...or, if they _did_ fall, they had their Aslan just like we have our Jesus, providing them with that reconcilliation - otherwise, did Jesus die to pay the price for their sins too? How does that jive with the idea that the need for Jesus' death came as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve? Other races on other planets (unless they are from Adam and Eve post-fall also) would not fall under that condemnation...), but that's why it's called sci-fi.

I actually read a very interesting short story recently about a couple who are sent out on a survey mission. They're the first people to go to extra-solar planets and search for life. Each place they go, they leave a portal making the trip for those to come after them much shorter...but each place they go, they find nothing but barren rock - not only did they not find any sentient life, they found _NO_ life - no bacteria, no plants, no animals...nothing. Eventually the wife dies, and even the cats which they brought with them and their descendants die, leaving the man alone, and too far away from Earth to return in his lifetime. He's left with the thought that maybe life doesn't exist anywhere else in the universe. That, naturally, leads him to believe that maybe we didn't arise by chance...or else that same chance would have occurred elsewhere. Just maybe we were put on the Earth by special design.

Interesting thought, huh?

Anyway, so now I'm looking forward to the eve of 2011 so that I can watch 2010 and then read that book too. :)