2001: A Space Odyssey. I first read it when I was 12, in 1968, the year that both the movie and book came out. I was already a fan of Arthur C. Clarke by that p

2001: A Space Odyssey. I first read it when I was 12, in 1968, the year that both the movie and book came out. I was already a fan of Arthur C. Clarke by that point. I somehow knew that the book and movie were both coming, and was really excited. Then the book appeared, and finally the film did. I read the book between those events, so, when I saw the movie, I was among the few who were not confused by the ending. I loved both. They got into my book- and film- appreciating soul and never left. 2001 is still my favorite movie. It's partly because it infiltrated my being at such a young, impressionable age. There is nothing like the receptiveness of a 12-year-old. But it's also because it's legitimately superb. I may have seen the movie 20 times now. Most recently, with it projected on a screen at Lincoln Center in NYC with the NY Philharmonic playing the score live. DEFINITELY SEE IT ON THE LARGEST SCREEN YOU CAN, PREFERABLY IN A THEATER. SCREEN SIZE IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL. Getting back to the book... The book was co-written with the film and certain plot elements were created on the film set rather than by Clarke, which work very well and add to the momentum of the plot. Probably read it 4 or 5 times. Loved it every time. In those days, Clarke had a way of combining hard science with a poetic sensibility that has never been equalled. I feel that his writing declined at some point, and that the books he co-wrote with other authors in his later years actually sucked. But 2001 and pretty much all of his books through Rendezvous With Rama shared the same sensibilities and were uniformly excellent. I heartily recommend them all (up to RwR).