Book Hunt :The Catching Up With A Good Friend Edition

Nothing like a book hunt to bring to people together again, I say. Monica and I caught up after not hanging out for several months now, hitting Georgia's Thrift Shop, The Book Stop and Books 'n' Things - all of which are located in McAllen in about the same area.

Monica didn't find anything over at Mike's book shop (still inside Georgia's Thrift Shop), but I found a copy of St. Augustine's City of God, something I've been wanting to own since I read the excerpt in the Utopian Literature book I purchased. Along with that, I purchased The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuna by Dagoberto Gilb (The Magic of Blood) and A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The total price for all three was $3.50 before tax.

After that, we headed over to The Book Stop, a store I'd seen many times in passing but never really ventured into it. There Monica found a copy of Heavier Than Heaven while I purchased a Buck Owens record ($3), a copy of The House on Mango Street ($2.50) for my mother, and Helter Skelter ($2).

Our adventure took us back to the original used book store we once haunted - though it's moved since our last visit - where I purchased four books by Arthur C. Clarke - The Songs of Distant Earth, The Wind From the Sun, The Sands of Mars and The Sentinel. Monica picked up some Shatner books - one of which, later, she realized she already owned. 

We exhausted our book hunting places by lunch, so we ate and then called it a day. It was good being in her company again. I hope we make a habit of it.

The Sentinel

"The next time you see the full moon high in the south, look carefully at its right-hand edge and let your eye travel upward along the curve of the disk. Round about two o'clock you will notice a small, dark oval: anyone with normal eyesight can find it quite easily," begins the short story "The Sentinel," which inspired Arthur C. Clarke to write the masterpiece - later adapted to the motion picture classic of the same name - 2001: A Space Odyssey.

What started as a typical lunar mission led one man to climb a plateau only to discover a relic left behind during Earth's infancy.

Written in a fashion that can only be produce by a master like Arthur C. Clarke, it's no wonder why this story launched an incredible series of overwhelming imagination that will surpass even the time line of the novels. Originally published in 10 Story Fantasy, the short story was left "in limbo for more than a decade, until Stanley Kubrick contacted me in the spring of 1964 and asked if I had any ideas for the "proverbial" (i.e. , still nonexistent) "good science movie.""

The short story can be found in the pages of The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. Or read it for free here.

3001: A Space Plot Hole

After spending 1000 years asleep - though presumed dead by his former shipmate and those in charge of his odyssey - Frank Poole wakes up in a strange new world - errm, time. How much has the human race changed in the last 1000 years? Quite a bit, but they're still awestruck by the large monolith that inhabits the Jupiter/Lucifer moon, Europa. Not to mention the two - wait, there was two monoliths on earth?! - that they have on Earth. So begins the final odyssey in the pages of 3001.

Poole is more than ready to return back to the planet where he met his doom, in hopes that the entity that Dave Bowman has become will greet him. It is after their 1000 year reunion that Bowman reveals to Frank the truth behind the monoliths uncovered on the moon and in Africa, something that threatens the human race.

Where does this take us? Well, down another path of space exploration that only Arthur C. Clarke can take us. However, the finale falls short of its predecessors - with the kind exclusion of 2061. While it's not a complete disaster, it does leave plot holes open that leaves readers scratching their hands in wonder. The one that strikes me the most is the complete clash with the ending of 2010, which flashes forward to the year 20,001. If the events were to take place in linear time, then Clarke screwed it up himself.

However, like he explain to us in 2010 and 2061, he repeats himself in the Valediction essay at the end of 3001: "Just as 2010: Odyssey Two was not a direct sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, so this book is not a linear sequel to 2010. They must all be considered as variations on the same theme, involving many of the same characters and situations, but not necessarily happening in the same universe." Just like the last two sequels, the final odyssey is far from linear to 2061 in the sense that we learned that Heywood Floyd was also taken apart (much in the same sense that Bowman and Hal - now called Halman in the pages of 3001 - were taken apart, leaving behind just their consciousness. However, Floyd only graces the pages on this final chapter through video recordings and topics of conversation. Otherwise, he is completely left out of the mix.

It's hard to judge the book as a sequel as the author takes the case that it's not linear and shouldn't be read as such. Clarke still possess the power of creating a future - a world - where it all seems possible to us 1000 years in the past, something he never failed to provide to us in the series, even though 2061 seemed to flop miserably. It's a power, I hope, that graces his other novels (which I plan to read in the future). A power very little writers of the genre possess.

2061: A Space Blunder

I'm slightly crestfallen with this sequel to 2001 and 2010. It starts off with Heywood Floyd, a man who is 103 years old, passing an physical exam in order to ride aboard the spaceship Universe which will rendezvous with Halley's Comet. Meanwhile, his grandson Chris (named after his father who was just a child in 2010), is aboard the sister ship, Galaxy. When the second ship is hijacked, the crew and passengers of Universe rush out to the Lucifer system to rescue Galaxy which has landed on the forbidden planet of Europa.

Much things have changed in the last 50 years since the new sun was created, one that leaves you wondering if evolution can take place that quickly.

Unlike with the previous parts, Arthur C. Clarke seemed to have lost his edge. Before I was glued to my seat, turning page after page of the novel. It was only through the sheer fact that I promised myself that I'd read all parts to the Space Odyssey series that I continued onward (I have 3001 sitting on my desk as we speak, looking straight up at me as if mocking me profusely).

The entity that was once Dave Bowman and the consciousness that was once Hal, the computer from the ship Discovery, only present themselves at the end of the novel, which was a good decision. How much more of that pair can we possibly take? However, Heywood Floyd is also split in two, which is as much as a spoiler as you'll get from me.

I understand greatly that the character could not be used again in a later sequel, what he was doing here was puzzling enough but that plot hole was quickly sealed with the fact that he spent the last years of his life in space and suspended animation.

There were even parts of the book that felt like bad humor, such as the whole Beatles reference. Okay, I understand that the Beatles may not be so popular in the last half of this century - and that's a possibility I hope not to live to see.

The writing also seems like something poured over the weekend with a large amount of coffee - though I'd imagine that would be greatly disorganized and this at least followed some structure. Nevertheless, my faith in Arthur C. Clarke will not die with a bad sequel. The fact that he has proven to write two pieces that I instantly fell in love with is proof enough for me that the man has some talent. Let's just hope for my sake that his final chapter of the Space Odyssey series goes over well.

2010: Odyssey Two

I was disenchanted when I started reading 2010: Odyssey Two as it read as a sequel not the the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey but to the film of the same title. While I've seen the film, 2010, the novel wasn't too spoiled for me. Obviously, the detail is fuller.

Nine years after the mishap aboard Discovery, Soviet and American explorers return the abandoned space ship to recover any information that might be used to conclude just what happened to the Hal 9000 unit, and what became of the spaceman, David Bowman. Most of all, to figure out the origins of the huge monolith.

Upon their race to Jupiter, a Chinese space ship launches toward their destination, intending to get their before their Soviet and American counterparts. Upon Europa, where the Chinese ship lands upon, an awesome discovery is made - there is life upon the cold, frozen moon of Jupiter. The dangers that lie for the ship and its crew is made apparent.

Aboard the of the Soviet ship, Alexei Leonov, the crew makes all efforts of uncovering the truth about the monolith and Discovery; meanwhile, the entity that was once David Bowman is headed toward Earth on a mission.

Like the novel before it, 2010, is cleverly written and author Arthur C. Clarke has once again proven he is the master of his genre. Creating well rounded characters and a worlds that surpass imagination. The novel never fails to keep you glued to pages, anticipating the next step toward the discovery of our origins.

Too Many Books

Is there really such a thing as too many books? I didn't think so. It started with me looking through Half.com for a copy of The New New Journalism, which I found for only $0.75 plus shipping, so it came to be a little over $4.

I continued my search the rest of Arthur C. Clarke's Odyssey series, but no luck at Hastings or anywhere else for that matter. I even attempted Barnes & Noble, but nada - though they had another copy of a book by him - as did Hastings - however, not the books I am looking for. Today, I purchased them for $8 for both of them, used.

Clarke's writing has been able to do something most science fiction author's have failed - keep me interested. I don't want to stick my literary nose up in the sky, but let's face it: College killed the genre for me. The only other writer was Heinlein, though I've only been able to read his Stranger in a Strange Land.

Also purchased, but not hunted for, was Chuch Palahniuk's novel, Choke. Hastings had several of his novels on their used shelves, though I picked this one for unknown reasons. It was one part influence by Tumblr and one part influence by Esmer, a friend of mine and Jyg's. I fear that the book will not be a hit with me because of the author's teenage fan base, though I've been wrong before.

Another hunt also ended yesterday. I finally laid my hands upon a copy of Tim O'Brien's war classic, The Things They Carried. Hastings had it listed at value price, paying only $10 rather than the $15. Not a big deal, I know, but it was cheaper and I got to keep the five for another hunt - I can't believe how unbelievably cheap that makes me sound.

So what's the next hunt? I'm searching for a used copy/value priced edition of Belly Off! Diet.

In other news: I purchased the Watchmen: Director's Cut DVD. While several comic nerds and impatient nonthinkers were displeased with the movie, I enjoyed it. I'll be first to admit that I was nearly pissing my pants to watch the Director's Cut because I anticipated so much from the movie. Did I care it was going to exceed three hours - crap no! However, I was disappointed when I tore off the plastic wrapping, popped open the DVD case to see an ad for The Watchmen Ultimate Collector's Edition due in December of this year. The set contains five discs, The Director's Cut with Tales of the Black Freighter woven in, new commentary by Dave Gibbons and director Zack Synder, over two hours bonus content, which includes Hollis Mason's Tell All, Under the Hood and the complete Watchmen Motion Comics! I know, it's a huge fuck you, courtesy of Warner and Paramount.

2009: A Space Odyssey reading

Last week, I went hunting for 2001: A Space Odyssey, a book that inspired the Stanley Kubrick classic. I just picked up its sequel and started reading. This novel also spawned the Peter Hyams' film sequel, which starred Roy Scheider and John Lithgow.

I've never been one to compare novels to their film adaptations because I believe each should be able to stand alone. I do, however, dislike it when a film deviates greatly from its novel successor (e.g. Michael Crichton's The Lost World was written because Hollywood pressured him to write a sequel. The film of the same title, however, had little resemblance to the novel as the plot, characters and theme were changed greatly, leaving in question why they just didn't make a sequel on their own, rather than forcing him into writing on for them).

But in the case of 2001, the film did motivate me to read the novel. I'm also glad that I did. While the film adaptation isn't hard to follow - unless you're one who is bored of monotony, as the film contains several scenes of the man just floating around to classical music, a rather simple description - reading the novel has helped shed a light upon the scenes that lost me. Arthur C. Clarke is probably one of the greatest writers that the Science Fiction genre has to offer. He created a dark, yet insightful, tale of man's journey into the unknown, on a never ending question of our origin.

Whether your a creationist, or an evolution-conspiracy theorist, you can understand the problems that might arise in our question to seek out the truth of our "creation." How did man go from a simple ape-man or a grain of sand to the explorers of other worlds? Who first motivated us to pick up that stone and use it as a tool in order to survive? Perhaps some questions should never be answered until we are ready. Or perhaps, we'll never be ready and the monolith only enables us to take in the cosmic intelligence, our origin - the origins of several species.

Sci-Fi and War Novel Hunt

Hunt: In search for The Things They Carried, 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two and 3001: The Final Odyssey.
Partner: Mother
Location: Hastings, 4500 N. 10th St McAllen, TX
Success: 1/2
Cost: $19.99

Even though I mentioned going to Hastings to purchase 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2010: Odyssey Two and 3001: The Final Odyssey, I thought that I should at least look for The Things They Carried because they normally have it in stock, which they did but not used. A few months back, I put off buying a used copy of the war fiction because I didn't know if I wanted to read it. Recently, however, the novel has been everywhere, mentioned in a few blogs that I read. I blew my chance with that used copy and today the books were down to only two copies left. If worse comes to worse, I'll purchase the book at a college bookstore, hopefully finding a cheap used copy there as well.

As for the three copies of the Space Odyssey series, only two were left - 2001 & 2010. Both were used softcover - 2001 cost $6.99 and 2010 cost $7.49. I suppose I'll look for 2061 and 3001 at Books 'n' Things or online.

Because I originally thought my success rate was going to be 3/4 - I already knew that finding a used copy of The Things They Carried wouldn't be in stock - I was let down when 3001 was swiped. However, as we ventured toward check out I saw a large box with several copies of different books. One of which was a softcover of William Gibson's Spook Country for only $3.99. Just the other week, I saw a hardcover at Barnes & Noble for $6.99 (online for only $3.99!), new. I love value books - I love used books, too, but not as much as value books which are new.

Along with the novels, I also picked up a lemonade, some pin-back buttons for my messenger bag and some for Izzy, whose birthday is in two weeks. I'm also thinking of looking for a book she was interested in. 12-year-olds are so different today than they were when I was one. The grand total for everything purchased was $29.38. Three books for under 30 bucks (really, under 20 - as noted above). What an awesome day!