Author: Arthur C. Clarke

Okay, I finally get it.

You’d think as a huge fan of science-fiction, I would’ve read one of its most seminal texts. Nope.

Didn’t even see the movie.

It was always in my buffer. One of those, “You really need to read and see this because, how could you not?”

Well, fine, I finally parked my butt and read the book in a day while a feeling of satisfaction washed over me when I finished. Even though this is a popular text written in the late 60s, it still feels fresh.

Give this book to someone who has no clue it’s a classic and they’ll believe it was written recently, then dumbfounded there’s a movie to go along with it… which, by the way, I found out was written in tandem with the book.

The book still opens up the possibilities of the future of humankind, including the dark side of A.I., while offering reflection on our origin story and purpose in this universe. You would almost hope that a monolith will suddenly appear on the moon to show us the way.

Even though it took forever, I’m glad I finally read it. I get it, get the many cultural references to it and have a better understanding of Christopher Nolan’s nod towards it in Interstellar.

I can also fully appreciate the license plate my buddy Thomas Jast gave to one of his characters (likeness based on me… loosely) Victor Montebello: XD1 TIMC. It’s a license plate I’ll be sure to own now.