Thankfully, I had no previous knowledge of the plot of this book (aside from some references in TV shows) so, my reading wasn't spoiled. I never watched the Kubrik film and only knew there was a monolith in it because of the news a while back about some mysterious monoliths that kept showing up all over the world.

Anyway, I was invested in the book from the beginning since the omniscient narrator gave me some David Attenborough vibes. I loved the tribulations of Moon-Watcher for as long as they lasted. The second part though markedly different had me at the edge of my seat. It's amazing how accurate A.C. Clarke was about some of his predictions even though that's not really the purpose of Science Fiction. His vision was utterly innovative and astounding. It's very curious to notice how most modern sci-fi books still use a lot of the material and ideas he introduced in his books.