Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: This book gets 2 stars only because I was able to finish it, not because of its content. It does not compare to the literary quality of the first 2 books in the series. Good science fiction should be both imaginative in its exploration of the future and intellectually stimulating in its exploration of ethical dilemmas. This book is neither. There was only one lame chapter toward the end of the book that dealt with the religion issue and how 31st century science had impacted it. And what happened to Frank when he landed on Europa and was supposedly reunited with Dave after a millenia? And Hal, the epitome and representation of evil, now a "good guy" or at least benevolent? I agree with the other reviewers that said some things should be left to the imagination and that this book should be read only to complete the series.
By the way, someone who has been writing for as long as Clarke has should not misuse the word "myriad" as often as he does.
Rating:
Summary: Just barely OK
Review: I figure if you're a Clarke reader you come to his work tolerant of his short-comings as a writer: weak characterization and weak dialogue. You come to Clarke for his speculative ideas and interesting plots. 3001 begins well enough; the ideas are abundant and the plot builds, albeit, a bit slowly. There is a bit too much of revived Discovery astronaut Frank Poole's recovery time devoted to the minutiae of fourth millennia technology. When Poole finally gets back into space and pursues the continuing mystery of the monoliths the book really gets rolling. Unfortunately, and inexplicably, Clarke rushes the conclusion, and I believe undercuts the powerful image of the Monolith he has challenged our imaginations with from the beginning of the Odyssey series. The supposed conclusion to the series leaves readers more confused than ever and trivializes one of the most potent images in sci-fi lit. Very disappointing and unsatisfying. I wish he hadn't even made the attempt.
Rating:
Summary: Long on future talk. Short on plot
Review: After reading this book, I decided to read through 2001 and 2010, then never got around to 2061. On the plus side, just watching the movies is enough for you to know what's going on. Plus, there is at least one entire chapter lifted from 2010, and multiple references back to the other books, so you in no way need to read the other books to know what's going on. On the other hand, there's an entire chapter lifted from 2010, and several other instances where entire sections were pasted in from his previous books. Yes, I listed that as a plus, but I also definitely felt a bit short changed by the fact that Clarke had basicaly padded the book by cutting and pasting from previous works.
Also, as somewhat of a nitpicker for details, I picked up on multiple instances of continuity problems between this book and the rest of the series. Clarke timeshifts events in 2001 A Space Odyssey forward several more years to apparently try to maintain some continuity with real life technology. Yet this is a horrible thing to do, considering that he named the books after the years they take place in. There are also a number of other events that take place in the previous books that are altered so as to better fit with the plot in 3001. In reality, it's almost better if you read 3001 as a stand alone book, as if you read it as part of the series, you'll end up scratching your head over the constantly changing details.
It is, however, a facinating view on how far (or how little) we'll have come in 1,000 years. And you do get an explanation behind what the Monoliths are really there for. But once I got past the
Rating: 
Summary: Conclusion of a Space Odyssey
Review: I recently finished Arthur C. Clarke's 3001: THE FINAL ODYSSEY. Like all of Clarke's later books, 3001 was very entertaining and also thought-provoking. This volume completes Clarke's speculative series. Each book stands alone in its time line but are related by common themes. They are really four versions of one story each told from a different point in the story. For instance, in 2010, Jupiter becomes a sun that burns for thousands of years. In 2061, the Jupiter-Sun burns out. In 3001 the Jupiter-Sun is still burning brightly.Frank Poole's body has been found drifting in space and then revived. The last thing Poole remembers is being on a mission to Jupiter. Now he finds himself in a world a thousand years later. The ban keeping humanity away from Europa is still in effect. Because of Poole's relationship with Bowman, it is suggested that he might be able to land on Europa. Poole tries and is successful. He is contacted by what was Bowman. Later, in another contact Bowman brings distressing news. The nearest center of the intelligence that created the Monoliths is about 450 light-years away. That means that the events of 2001 have made it there, a decision has been reached and the answer is almost here. Bowman also knows of a link between the Monolith makers and a nova that has been puzzling scientists. It appears that a planet exploded and that triggered the nova. A similar fate might be in store for humanity. The forces of Earth, aided buy Halman (Bowman and HAL), put together a plan to survive. The most destructive computer viruses ever devised will be fed into the Monolith by Halman. The plan proves to be successful. 3001 is billed at the final Odyssey but it really opens up more questions than it answers. Now that Earth and Humanity have the attention of the Monolith builders how can we expect them to ignore us? I don't think they would but Clarke is done writing in this series. Maybe Gentry Lee will pick up the torch and continue the run. Another amusing aspect is the continual references to Star Trek. Clarke has also taken the opportunity to update some of the technology and history that Frank Poole should be familiar with. All in all it was another fine effort from possibly the greatest science fiction writer still writing. The book also contains an extensive afterword detailing scientific research, history and plot similarities with other projects. If you have read any of the other Odyssey books I recommend reading this one as well.
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