As a nerd this book really scores big because Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, space, movies, space movies etc and so on and it’s got a spaceship on the front which is pretty cool.  The contents are also pretty swish.

This is a great ‘making of’ book that expands on Kubrick’s movie and, more extensively, Clarke’s novel.  It delves into the genesis of the project and it’s evolution.  You get a fascinating insight into the working and personal relationship of two great minds and the film / book that could have been.  Thankfully neither possibility is as interesting as what we got and the book’s strength is that it captures the creative process at work.  It also contains some fascinating insights into Kubrick and Clarke themselves as story notes and personal messages are passed between the pair and Clarke includes notes on his day-to-day life.

This isn’t the usual ‘behind the scenes’ book and is possibly a bit more removed from the day to day of the production than some might like but for me that distance helps create a more interesting peek behind the curtain.

Highly Recommended.