2001: A Space Odyssey (film) its initial release. "2001: A Space Odyssey" is now considered one of the major artistic works of the 20th century, with many critics and filmmakers considering it Kubrick's masterpiece. Director Martin Scorsese has listed it as one of his favourite films of all time. In the 1980s, critic David Denby compared Kubrick to the monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey", calling him "a force of supernatural intelligence, appearing at great intervals amid high-pitched shrieks, who gives the world a violent kick up the next rung of the evolutionary ladder". Poet and critic Dan Schneider wrote that "2001: A Space Odyssey"
A Time Odyssey Clarke's previous "Space Odyssey" novel series. In the introduction to the "Time's Eye", Clarke describes the premise as "neither a prequel nor a sequel" to "Space Odyssey", but an "orthoquel" (a neologism coined by Clarke for this purpose, combining the word "sequel" with "ortho-", the Greek prefix meaning "straight" or "perpendicular", and alluding to the fact that time is orthogonal to space in relativity theory). In "Space Odyssey", a race of benevolent godlike aliens with highly advanced technology decides to use machines called "monoliths" to travel across the galaxy with the intention to ensure the survival chances of intelligent life