2001: A Space Oddity
2001 is famous. Not very well understood, but famous. It also has a production cycle and time-frame that surprised me when I found out about it. Unlike almost all comparable things today, the film and the book were produced concurrently, but separately. The stylistic differences between the two are stark - right down to the planet that Discovery travels to. And, of course, the level of explanation. In the film, this entire post might be a single still shot for a few seconds:
This slight weirdness continues on beyond the originals - there are three printed sequels. The first sequel, 2010, follows the chronology of the film, rather than the original novel. Or, possibly a mix of the two. I say that it's possibly a mix because the next book, 2061, makes references to the ending of the novel 2001, and certain points that were dropped from the film as they went against the movement of current events during it's production - namely the militarisation of space1. The fourth, I haven't reread recently. But, what I remember of it, it is orthogonal once again to the rest...
It's almost like they wanted to mess with our minds or something...
- 1 ↑ See The Outer Space Treaty, formally known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies