Book Review, Final Verdict: '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'The Last Unicorn'

So I managed to read most of 2001 and The Last Unicorn. Unfortunately, I have to turn in the books tomorrow since the renewal limit has run out, so I'll just go ahead and give you my thoughts on both books.

As I mentioned in the past, the books are basically what their movie counterparts are in written form, which is not surprising considering both authors wrote the screenplays. 2001: A Space Odyssey has basically the same plot as the movie but with unnecessary rambling. Whole pages are dedicated to explaining the advanced technology and locations, which can get annoying at times. It is because of that I would recommend watching the classic film instead of reading this book. The special effects are phenomenal, especially when you consider they were made without any CGI. Overall Score: 8/10

The Last Unicorn is also a beat-by-beat retelling of what happens in the film. What bothered me was when characters were thinking to themselves and the text didn't become italicized or given any indication that it's the characters' thoughts and not the narrator speaking. But that's just a minor gripe. Both the book and movie are great, and the film has the added benefits of being animated by Rankin/Bass and given an amazing music score by the band America. Overall Score: 9/10

Update on Book Reviews

I have decided to stop reviewing each chapter of the books 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Last Unicorn. Due to my unpredictable schedule, I don't always have time to sit down and write up a bunch of posts. That and I would like to focus on other things on this blog than just these books.

I will finish reading the books and then write a review post for each of them in the near future, hopefully by the end of the month. Thank you all for understanding, and have a good rest of your day, and if you are Christian, happy Pentecost.

Book Review: 'The Last Unicorn' - "Chapter 5"

Molly Grue from the film. Source

In which we are introduced to the other side character of the story, Molly Grue.

Book Review: 'The Last Unicorn' - "Chapter 4"

Schmendrick and the unicorn from the film. Source

 "Chapter 4"

After Schmendrick and the unicorn leave what's left of Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival, the magician weeps for a while in the rain near the road. Afterward, he looks up at the unicorn who states that she can never regret. She can feel sorrow, however.

Book Review: 'The Last Unicorn' - "Chapter 3"

Schmendrick and the unicorn. Source

 I gotta say, after reading the first few chapters, I really appreciate how on point the characters in the animated movie are with their book counterparts. Take Schmendrick pictured above. He has the pointy hat and the childish face, just like how he is the story. Just a thought. Anyway, back to the book review with "Chapter 3."

Book Review: 'The Last Unicorn' - "Chapter 2"

"Creatures of night, brought to light." Source

When we last left our characters in Chapter 1, the unicorn had just been captured by Mommy Fortuna and her two henchmen, Rukh and the magician who has not been named yet. The latter character has been built up to be the more sympathetic henchman to both the reader and to the unicorn. I knew this would be the case, and I also know who the magician's name is before reading this chapter, because I've seen the movie.

Book Review: 'The Last Unicorn' - "Chapter 1"

Now we begin The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle. 

First edition cover. Source

The Last Unicorn was published in 1968, the same year as the book and film of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the book I am concurrently reviewing with this one. The film adaptation was released in 1982 under directors Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass of Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc., the studio mostly known for their holiday television specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Here Comes Peter Cottontail. And as mentioned in a previous post, the author of the book wrote the screenplay for the film.

Interesting Finds at the Library

Today, my family and I went to a local outdoor festival. As it is the beginning of May and I live in the eastern United States, it was fairly warm outside, and my younger sister and I wanted to go into the library next door to cool off. My sister, being an avid fan of classical composers due to the recent anime series ClassicaLoid (a series which I may or may not review in the future), wanted to borrow a book on the subject. She eventually found one, a biography about Mozart. As for me, I went to the science fiction section wanting to find 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. I indeed found it, as well as another book that piqued my interest: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, which oddly enough was in the same section as 2001. Thankfully, I had my library card with me, and I managed to check out all three books.

Though 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Last Unicorn seem very different on the surface, both books share at least two things in common: they were made into feature films, which are more well-known, and each author wrote the screenplay for the film based on his story. 

I am like most people in that I am more familiar with the films than the books that inspired them. So, I thought to myself today, why not read the books that inspired the movies? Both are not that long, so I should be able to finish them within the month, if time permits. Expect more blog posts on the way, as I have decided to review each chapter of each book. Stay tuned.