From: Evan Reese (evansreese@directvinternet.com)
Date: Thu Mar 07 2002 - 10:49:50 MST
----- Original Message -----
From: "mike99" <mike99@lascruces.com>
To: <sl4@sysopmind.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 8:33 PM
Subject: RE: Transcendental Fiction List
> Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End was already mentioned when the
> Transcendental Fiction list idea was first proposed. That work certainly
> describes a type of Singularity, albeit one with a rather underexplained
> cause. But I would like to propose that portions of Clarke's 3001: The
Final
> Odyssey (is that the right subtitle?) also qualify. While the book as a
> whole tends to be more traditional SF, in which the year 3001 is "the
future
> the way it used to be," the prologue describes a Singularity having
occurred
> to the unnamed alien race that is behind the powerful monoliths that were
> central to all the 2001-series novels. These beings had advanced through
> stages to immortality, then species unity of mind, and eventually
embedding
> their minds into the very fabric of space. They also uplift (and judge)
> lesser species. If you don't want to read the whole book, just read those
> first few pages and about the last 10. Or better yet, read the whole
thing.
You're right about the Prologue, and I hadn't thought about including it
mainly because the material about transcendence is confined to the Prologue.
The book itself has nothing to do with that. So, in the list, I would
recommend the Prologue, but the whole thing.
SPOILER! DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW 3001
TURNS OUT!
Personally, I thought it was a terrible book. How can Clarke say that these
beings have become so advanced and then have a computer virus written by
moshes able to disable the Monolith? It's only slightly less shlockey than
Captain Kirk's talking AI's to apoplexy in 'Star Trek'.
Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't exclude a book from the list simply because
I thought it wasn't very good. I didn't really care that much for 'Queen
City Jazz', but unless I get some good arguments as to why not, I think it
has to go on.
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