Recently, I’ve been diligently working on the final outline
for my novel, “SETI, Conception” which will be book III in my SETI Trilogy.
And, in my humble opinion, will be a fantastic and fast-moving story with a
monstrous surprise ending that startled even me when I came up with the idea.
As I was working
on completion of the story and outline for this book I thought I would review
some of my favorite science fiction works that really moved me in such a way
that even today I think about those stories. The absolute first story and film
that came to mind was the motion picture “2001 A Space Odyssey.” It was
directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1968.
I was young when it was first released and full of ideas and
passions for filmmaking, television, writing and telling my stories. I went to
see “2001” with my father to a large theater in Kansas City, Mo. After the film
was over I will never forget an older gentleman saying to his wife, he was
walking behind us, “…What the hell was that all about…” I pitied him then and
now that he didn’t get it. He didn’t get the concept that the universe is large
and mysterious, there may be civilizations millions of years more advanced than
we are and that we have to realize that what is “out there” truly is unknown or
unimaginable to us.
It was the beauty of the way Stanley Kubrick told the story
from Arthur C. Clarke’s short novel, “The Sentinel,” that made the existence of
extraterrestrial civilization come alive with the underlying subtext that we
may not be prepared for what we find. Kubrick’s films were events, more than
just mere movies to entertain an audience for a few hours on a Saturday night.
They have stood the test of time and are seen and enjoyed long after they were
released. Some of Kubrick films: “Paths of Glory” (1957), “Spartacus” (1960), “2001,
A Space Odyssey” (1968), “Barry Lyndon” (1975), “The Shining” (1980), and “Eyes
Wide Shut” ( 1999).
When you watched a Stanley Kubrick movie, you were watching true
motion picture art; you were experiencing and were part of an event.
I am really trying to make this book III of my SETI Trilogy,
an event. I can only dream and hope to come up to that same level of excellence
established by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick.
If you have the time and are curious about the life and
films of Stanley Kubrick, there is a wonderful documentary available free on
YouTube, “Stanley Kubrick, Life in Pictures.” But be prepared, the running time
is slightly over 2 hours, twenty minutes. But it is excellent. Here’s the URL:
My cover art for book III, the SETI Trilogy, can be found on
my home page at www.frederickfichman.com.
Links to purchase books I & II can also be found on my home page.
Frederick Fichman
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