When 2001: A Space Odyssey first rocked, amazed, and delighted mil-ions in the late 1960s, the novel was quickly recognized as a classic. Since then, its fame has grown steadily among the multitudes who have read the nove or seen the film based on it. Yet, along with almost universal acclaim, a host of questions has grown more insistent through the years: Who or what transformed Dave Bowman into the Star-Child? What purpose lay behind the transformation? What would become of the Star-Child? What alien purpose lay behind the monoliths on the Moon and out in space?