2010, Odyssey two door Arthur C. Clarke

Year of first publication 1982 Number of pages 294 1 Explain why you chose the book Well, it is simple. I chose the book because I was interested in the cover. I usually like the science-fiction kind of books. I heard from Rogier that the book was quite good, and I thought "This is great, I have to read a book and I actually like it". So it wasn't difficult to find the book, the next step was to read it. 2 What is your opinion of the novel This is the most interesting and biggest book I have ever read for English. The book had everything to keep me reading. Usually I get bored and don't like to read but this book kept me going like a train. I recall that I read eighty pages at one day, just

to see what would happen. The writing-stile was pleasant and there was instant action when you would least expect it. Arthur C. Clarke has done a really good job writing this novel and he should write more of this stuff. 3. Extract of the plot The main character in the story is Heywood Floyd. The story begins when Heywood has a top secret meeting with a Russian, named Dimitri Moisevitch. It is about a voyage to Jupiter. There is a spacestation called Discovery floating around Jupiter with a malfunction. There are two spaceships travelling towards it to find out what happened and make history. These two ships are the "Leonov", where the Russians and the Americans are travelling in, and the "Tsien", where the Chinese are travelling in. When the trip begins, Heywood goes along with the Leonov and has to say goodbye to his family for two years. The trip to Jupiter is eleven months. So Heywood goes into hibernation and wakes up ten months later instead of eleven. There is a problem. They have approached Jupiter and the Tsien has already arrived. But Tsien has run out of hydrogen (their fuel) and need water to run their engines. So they land on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. There is
water there. But the Leonov receives an emergency call from one of the Chinese members that there is life on Europa and that all of the crewmembers have died. And that he will die soon too. The Leonov wants to save him but there is nothing they can do. Now they have to get Discovery started again. HAL, the maincomputer of the Discovery has gone postal. And he murdered all the inhabitants of the Discovery. Now the Leonov has restarted HAL`s programme and he works at top level again. But they find a surprise. Floating across Jupiter is a rectangle. This is very strange. They call it "Zagadka" or "Big Brother". One month later the Leonov detects a black spot on Jupiter that is quickly expanding itself. And Zagadka is gone. Heywood is talking to HAL when suddenly HAL says that he is Mr. Bowman. (One of Discovery's dead crewmembers). And HAL says that Leonov has to leave Jupiter within fifteen days, or they will parish. Heywood doesn't believe that HAL speaks for Mr. Bowman. But then a figure appears, so it has to be real. Bowman has flown into the Zagadka and has turned into some sort of God. He is now
a being of pure energy that is immortal. He can create and destroy planets and suns. This Zagadka has been around Jupiter for millennia and has apparently made Earth and has
also watched the life evolve on the Earth. And that is exactly what is going to happen around Jupiter. The Leonov uses the Discovery to boost away from Jupiter's gravitational sphere and flies home. But then the black spot has covered all of Jupiter and the planet creates a supernatural source of light, Jupiter has turned into a sun. This was the meaning of the Zagadka, to create a sun and so that Europa could obtain intelligent life as well as the Earth. If Earthlings would try to disrupt the life-evolving on Europa, the Zagadka would immediately destroy it. Now there would be two suns and to sources of life in our
solar system. 4 Looking at the title what kind of book did you expect I expected that I would drop right in to the story, because there had been a story before this one. I thought that the story would be pretty hard to read and that there would be some action
in the book. My predictions were right. I knew Arthur C. Clarke was a philosopher and that he is on Discovery Channel pretty often. And his programmes are almost always connected to the future, so this story had to be written in this stile too. 5 Explain the title The title is '2010, Odyssey Two". The story takes part in the year 2010, and runs to 2012. (At the prologue goes to 30000 but that doesn't count). So this explains that part of the title. The

Odyssey Two refers to the voyage that was taken in the first novel this is the sequel. I think that the title has to be familiar to the experts so that if they see the title they instantly know that this is the sequel of Odyssey One. 6 Do you think the title covers the contents of the novel I think it really does. The whole book is about the voyage to Jupiter and the subscription of the tools and techniques of that time, somewhere in the future. Although the title is a bit
old compared with the title of the first book, but that is, I think, done on purpose to be familiar with the experts and the fans. 7 Give your own title which you think would better express what the novel is about The dawn of a new age 8 Where does the story take place At first the story takes place somewhere in America where a meeting takes place. But for the rest of the story takes place somewhere between Earth and Jupiter, and especially within the
atmosphere of Jupiter and its moons. 9 When does the story take place The title already says it, but the story takes place in the years 2010 till 2012, but at the end of the story is a prologue. This goes far into the future, to the year 30000, when there has
evolved intelligent life on one of Jupiter's moons, Europa.
10 Write down three quotations which are essential to the meaning of this novel 1. "Yet even the spaces between the oases was not altogether empty of life; there were hardier creatures who had dared its rigours. Often swimming overhead were the Europan analogues of fish - streamlined torpedoes, propelled by vertical tails, steered by fins along their bodies. The resemblance to the most successful dwellers in Earth's oceans was inevitable; given the same engineering problems, evolution must produce very similar answers. As witness the dolphin and the shark - superficially almost identical, yet from far distant branches of the tree of life" (pg. 190). 2. "Jupiter was not moving from its immemorial orbit, bit it was doing something almost as impossible. It was shrinking - so swiftly that its edge was creeping across the field even as he focused upon it. At the same time the planet was brightening , from its dull grey to a pearly white. Surely, it was more brilliant than it had ever been in the long years that Man had observed it; the reflected light of the sun could not possibly -" (pg. 279) 3. "Still, it must be admitted that those cranks had made some interesting discoveries during their excursions into the darkness of Farside. They claimed - though this was hard to believe - that the whole sky was sprinkled with uncountable myriads of tiny lights, even smaller and feebler than the Cold Sun. They varied greatly in brilliance; and though they rose and set, they never moved from their fixed positions" (pg. 292) 11 Explain for each quotation why you chose it 1. This is one of the descriptions of the life that was trying to evolve and develop on Europa, and one of the things that the crew of the Leonov was particularly interested in. 2. This is the tension-peak of the whole story. This is when Jupiter changes in to a sun. And it is the dawn of a new age. 3. This is a piece of text from the epilogue. I found this very interesting. It is about the life that had evolved on Europa, and the people are seeing the Zagadka`s and the fictive forms of the future transportation vehicles of the Earth somewhere in the future. 12 Give an extensive description of the main character The main character is Heywood Floyd. He is a man who I think is somewhere in his forties. He is a very intelligent man, because he knows everything about space and the technologies. He is also a man who is very clear of mind. He can make contact with other people very well, but he can also survive on his own. He is

married and has a son who he misses very much. And he is also pretty good in giving commands to people and giving leadership. He is definitely a good person. 13 Give four quotations which you think best characterise the main character 1. "Who would have believed that we'd come all the way to Jupiter, greatest of planets - and then ignore it. Yet that's what we're doing most of the time; and when we're not looking at Io or Discovery, we're thinking about the …….. artefact. `It is still ten thousand kilometres away, up there at the liberation point, but when I look at it through the main telescope
it seems close enough to touch." (pg. 103) 2. "You should have heard the oh`s and ah`s of my shipmates when they saw the videos of them swimming together, and Chris riding on its back. ….. 'Sorry it's been quite a while since my last message, but the newscasts will have given you an idea of the huge job we've had to do." (pg. 127) 3. " `At Novosibirsk, you soon learn who are the serfs and who are the aristocrats. Sasha was an ambitious young man, as well as a brilliant one`. Just like you, Valisi! Et tu, Brute! You see I can quote Shakespeare as well - Bozhe moi! - What was that? (pg. 152) 4 " Floyd was so astonished that for a moment he did not associate the glare with Jupiter; the first thought that flashed through his mind was: Supernova!! He dismissed that explanation almost as soon as it occurred to him: even the suns next-door neighbour, Alpha Centauri, could not have matched the awesome
display in any conceivable explanation." (pg. 279)
14 Explain for each quotation why you chose it 1. It describes Floyd`s astonishment of the features that are happening. He is an experienced scientist, but his interest in the surroundings of Jupiter and its happenings are making him
curious as a child again. 2. Floyd is very sad about not seeing his wife and little boy Chris for at least two years. He misses them very much and sends them letters about how much he cares for them and
what sorts of things are happening in the Leonov. 3. Floyd is pretty good at communicating with his Russian colleagues. They are all very intelligent and they know naturally a lot about their literature. They spend hours talking with each other about nice things and about literature. 4. This quotation explains why Floyd was entering the mission, not in the first place, but in is eager to explore new things. Floyd has a great knowledge. He knows everything
about space and stuff like that. 15 A piece of the character chart There is only one main character in this story. The name is Heywood Floyd
age : somewhere in his forties. occupation : he is a space expert and a highly educated astronaut. friends : I don`t know anything about his life at home, but all the people on the space station are his friends. marital status : Floyd is married
financial status : I think Floyd is pretty rich and that he only competed in this journey because of his interests. social status : He has a nice wife and he has a little boy, called Chris. family background : ???????? what I like : I like his sense of knowledge, he can give orders very good and Floyd is nice to people. what I dislike : I do not dislike anything about him, he is a very nice person. five words : guilt, common sense, social, knowledge, adventure 16 List differences and similarities between this novel and other novel(s) 1. This novel "2010 Odyssey Two" A. subject : space exploration

B. atmosphere : friendly, not a good-bad story but an adventure story. C. style : It is written in a third person perspective. D. message : more a question, "Will space travelling develop drastic in the future?" E. your preference : Yes this story has my preference. 2. Earlier novel "Freedom trap" A. subject : unwrapping a mob plot, a detective story
B. atmosphere : hostile, a lot of violence in the story
C. style : It is written in a first person perspective. D. message : Not a clear message in the novel. E. your preference : Yes, this story has my preference. 3. Earlier novel "Day of the Triffids" I cannot do this one, I do not have the report on my computer any more and I Don't know what the story was about.