3001 The Final Odyssey

Rating:
Summary: Classic Clarke !!!!!
Review: Okay... I admit it, I AM BIAS! I'll read Clarke's grocery list if he published it!! I love the way this man writes. His descriptions of things, places and events are just incredible! He transports you there! I could see the rain on Venus, the asteroid rustlers working, Poole's body being rescued! It is almost impossible to see where his science stops and his fiction begins. 3001 is a wonderful view of what human society will be in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Pennies from heaven
Review: If you are expecting a big payoff from 3001, you'll be shortchanged. This book does have an audience however---10 to 14 year old kids with an active imagination. This is not meant as a put down. 3001 is just the kind of book that stirs the pot of an enthusiastic youngster. My suggestion to adults is to read the book, give it to a young person and then have a dialog with them exploring facets and implications of the book. That is when the fun will begin, and you may be in for a few surprises that even Arthur Clarke wouldn't think of.

Rating:
Summary: Quite a disappointing ending to a fantastic epic
Review: Although I was well aware that this book was the one to anwer all my questions, I was still disappointed to find that it did so easily. I'm afraid the adventure ended far too quickly for me - and I was especially saddened to discover that the Monoliths and their controllers had their weaknesses too. It was nice to think that us Earthlings will not always win in the end! All together I felt that Arthur C Clarke could have concluded this epic series in a far less hurried way.

Rating:
Summary: well written book but it is no sequel to 2061
Review: Although the book was very good. It should have been written as a 'stand-alone' book.

Rating:
Summary: A manual for the third millenium - fascinating but lifeless.
Review: Undoubtedly Clarkes scientific and philosophical ruminations are to be taken seriously, he is a proven clairvoyant in this respect. But to bring these values to a text and sweep the reader along is a monumental feat. With 2001: a space odyssey the synthesis was brilliant and Clarke flew us through the solar system barely stopping to explain how the escape pods worked. Unfortunately 3001:the final odyssey leaves you feeling like you read the manual but never climbed aboard.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed 3001: Final Odyssey. It reads fast, has clean language, and brought up some interesting speculation on what life might be like in the third millinneum.

Rating:
Summary: Letdown of massive proportions!
Review: 3001 was a letdown. I had been looking forward to this book ever since I finished 2061. I finished the book and basically said "That's it?" I'll admit that some points in the book are very flavorful, but they are not used to their potential. It's as if this was a bit rushed and background was kept at a premium. I guess the Odyssey went in like a lion and out like a lamb.

Rating:
Summary: Goodbye, David Bowman...
Review: Since being introduced to the works of Arthur C. Clarke a little over a year ago, I have spent great heaps of money buying his novels. The man has vision of the way things can be, without all of the "post-apocalyptic" garbage many Sci-Fi writers include. His works are about what mankind could, and should, be. The "Space Odyssey" novels are wonderful. Not only are they creative, interesting, absorbing, and just plain awesome, the works are accurate. I can see where many of Clarke's predictions have come true. "2001" is a great movie, as well. As for the movie version of "2010"... all I can say is Hollywood has yet again piled feces onto a movie screen. I read "3001" because I was wondering about the fate of the Monolith and Dave Bowman. I will not say that I am disappointed in the novel, but something was not quite right with it. The story seemed like it was just trying to end all of the questions of what would happen to Dave and Hal so no one would wonder anymore, but I feel that the ending was left open. What is going to happen when the creators of the monoliths come to the solar system to investigate what happened? Will that be the end of mankind? Surely there will be some sort of reaction. The reason this bothers me is that I think that after Clarke has passed on, some two-bit moron will try to resolve this by trying to write a fifth "Space Odyssey" novel. It will be a disgrace. Who wants to see a mishap like the sequel to "Gone With The Wind" happen again? Humans are money hungry and will do anything to get ahead in life, and this includes defecating on the greatest Sci-Fi writer ever. The novel was interesting, especially since Frank Poole managed to live for 1000 years in a vacuum. I would recommend it to anyone. It is, in my opinion, the least well-written of the "Space Odyssey" series. To be called the "Final Odyssey" it left too many questions in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Far below what one expects from Arthur Clarke.
Review: The saga began with Odyssey 2001 in stunning form, with the brilliant setting of the opening scene in primordial Africa and developing surely to the Star Child. Odyssey 2010 which followed maintained Clarke's high standards with a compelling story and a fascinating denouement. Odyssey 2061 saw the first cracks in the edifice as Clarke meandered all over with a clumsy and rather amateurish plot, yet managed to retain a bit of the atmosphere and ethos of the saga. By now, fans of Clarke and the saga had grown in number and hence Odyssey 3001 was received with cheers; which however slowly died away as the extent of Clarke's slippage dawned. Frank Poole returns from the dead thanks to the chill of outer space and new medical techniques. His recovery and reintegration into a society which has advanced a millenium are brushed over and lose all force, despite Clarke making the point about advanced science appearing magical to a time traveller from the past. Little attempt is made by Clarke to explore this theme despite its immense possibilities. The idea of computer viruses as the ultimate weapon of mankind against the monolith and its masters is ingenious. However the very idea of the monolith's mysterious masters dispassionately weighing Earth and finding its inhabitants wanting in a kind of Last Judgement is more suggestive of a religious orientation and is perhaps (sorry to be cruel) indicative of Clarke's advanced age. One must add, to be fair, that the novel still sparkles in parts with the typical quirks and quips that Clarke is loved for. The part where a circumcised Poole is rejected by a potential lover who equates circumcision with mutilation is a good example. But one longs for the clarity, the coherence, the brilliance that shine through in Clarke's earlier works. This is an effort that would win a newcomer laurels, but not Clarke. He falls by his own supremely high standards of excellence.

Rating:
Summary: Far below what one expects from Arthur Clarke.
Review: There is a time to keep going and a time to stop. For the Space Odyssey "franchise", stop please. The saga began with Odyssey 2001 in stunning form, with the brilliant setting of the opening scene in primordial Africa and developing surely to the Star Child. Odyssey 2010 which followed maintained Clarke's high standards with a compelling story and a fascinating denouement. Odyssey 2061 saw the first cracks in the edifice as Clarke meandered all over with a clumsy and rather amateurish plot, yet managed to retain a bit of the atmosphere and ethos of the saga. By now, fans of Clarke and the saga had grown in number and hence Odyssey 3001 was received with cheers; which however slowly died away as the extent of Clarke's slippage dawned. Frank Poole returns from the dead thanks to the chill of outer space and new medical techniques. His recovery and reintegration into a society which has advanced a millennium is brushed over and loses all force, despite Clarke's using the quote of advanced science appearing magical to a time traveler from the past. Little attempt is made by Clarke to explore this theme despite its immense possibilities. The idea of computer viruses as the ultimate weapon of mankind against the monolith and its masters is ingenious. However the very idea of the monolith's mysterious masters dispassionately weighing Earth and finding its inhabitants wanting is more suggestive of a religious orientation and is perhaps (sorry to be cruel) indicative of Clarke's advanced age. One must add, to be fair, that the novel still sparkles in parts with the typical quirks and quips that Clarke is loved for. The part where a circumcised Poole is rejected by a potential lover who equates circumcision with mutilation is a good example. But one longs for the clarity, the coherence, the brilliance that shine through in Clarke's earlier works. This is an effort that might win a newcomer laurels, but not Clarke. He falls by his own supremely high standards of excellence. As a fan of Clarke, I am disappointed in this work.