Rating: 
Summary: So-so
Review: This was a mediocre book relying on the success of the other two books to boost sales. I don't think it would have gone very far on its own. The writing was much more shallow than most of Clarke's other books, and the characters were even more uninteresting.One thing I really love about Clarke's books, especially 2001 and 2010, is the description. 2061 didn't have much of that; there was a sense that we had already seen these things before so they didn't need to be described again. The book wasn't all bad. The redeeming feature is the premise. In the beginning Dr. Heywood Floyd (who I was glad to see again) was on a ship that landed on Halley's comet, which was an interesting twist. I've never read a SF book about landing on Halley's comet before. In the meantime, another ship is hijacked and ends up stranded on Europa, a moon of Jupiter that mankind has been forbidden to land on. The ship that Floyd is on is sent to rescue the other ship. It was an intriguing plot line and more could have been done with it. As usual the characters are uninteresting, and there seem to have been more useless characters in this book than in most of Clarke's books. I certainly wouldn't call this a must-read for anybody. It's a fast book to read and somewhat entertaining while it's being read, but I doubt I'll remember it very long.
Rating: 
Summary: Great as always...
Review: Don't believe all those negative reviews, this is trully a great sequel to 2010. When I read the previous books I really wanted to know what is going on on Europa and what are the monoliths. I bought this one, and I was blown away. Although it doesn't explain everything, it explains a lot, but it leaves something for the conclusion. Clarke takes us on another voyage, this time through the mysteries of the Halley Comet, then on Europa, which was the most interesting part. I just couldn't put the book down, because it was really interesting to read about what is happening there.And the book ends just as it should. Some mystery is left, so that we can think about it and figure out the answers by ourselves. Great book, you should definitely read this one and the last one. Clarke is a genius, and this is sci-fi at it's best!
Rating: 
Summary: pretty good
Review: After reading the mostly tepid reviews posted on this website, I thought that 2061 would be a truly awful book and an embarassment to the superb 2001 saga. After actually reading the novel, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was enjoyable and well constructed. Arthur C. Clarke has greatly matured as a writer; his characters are far more solid than they have been in his previous work. For all his brilliant plotting and scientific legerdemain, one must admit that Clarke's characters have often been bland and uninteresting. Moving on to the plot, I have to say that the whole mission to land on Halley's comet was undeniably cool. As usual, Clarke's accurate scientific observations give everything an air of realism and plausibility. Now the negative aspect of this novel: even a supporter of this novel has to admit that it doesn't really compare to 2001 and 2010. The monumental, immensly imaginative revalations woven into the first two novels are conspicuously absent here. Indeed, 2061 lacks the grandeur of previous installments. Still, it is a worthwhile read for followers of the 2001 saga and fans of science fiction. I haven't read 3001 yet; I hope that it proves to be a worthy conclusion to this excellent series.
Rating:
Summary: Not great at all
Review: 2061 is nowhere near as good as 2010. I think that the story was fairly good, and of course I think that ACC is a great author, but really we still don't see much of why the monolith is what it is, and we just continue the adventures of Dr. Floyd, and now his Grandson. The first few chapters in book deal with a landing on Haley's comet which I am sure was probably real fascinating back in 1986, but here in the year 2000 it really is just his shot at current events like always. Speaking of which it never ceases to amaze me how many times ACC brings up either current events, or events not that long ago, that I am sure no one will even remember let alone care about in the future. If you read 2001 and 2010, I say, either read 3001 and just end the story now, or just stop, because there are really few surprises left the rest of the way.
Rating: 
Summary: Failed attempt at longevity
Review: It is very unfortunate that Arthur C. Clarke decided to continue writing sequels for 2001: A Space Odyssey. As it is, his only truly worthwhile achievement in this vein was his co-authoring the original screenplay for the film with Stanley Kubrick. 2061 takes the reader back to the moons of Jupiter, on top of Halley's comet, and into the strange world of Clarke's vision involving Dave Bowman, HAL, and the black monolith. The book, however, adds little to any of these themes. The reader learns nothing new about the alien intelligence which Clarke hints at throughout the series or about the state of being in which Bowman and HAL can be found. Many chapters are recycled from the other books, and the ones that aren't involve themselves primarily with the more mundane happenings on the newly inhabited moon Ganymede or the luxury spacecraft landing on Halley's comet. Even at the end, when we finally meet the new entity that comprises Bowman and HAL (and possibly Heywood Floyd), its interaction and dialogue with humans contributes nothing new that would lend interest to the book. This is little more than an effort to keep alive a science fiction series that should not have made it this far.
Rating:
Summary: Not as Good as 2001 or 2010
Review: The plot in this wasn't as memorable as the other two books, and don't like how chapters, classic as they are, are reused from Odyssey 2.
Rating:
Summary: 2061 is the best of the Space Odyssey series
Review: Fifty-one years after mankinds last encounter with the little known alien civilization with monoliths, space exploration has become a booming industry. Among one of the things people can now do is visit Halley's Comet. Dr. Floyd, now over 100 years old, is invited to join a mission to land on the famous comet. They're mission is cut short when another ship crash lands on forbiden Europa, and the ship Floyd is on is the only one that can save those stranded. I think this is a remarkable book that gives sci-fi lovers hope for what the future can become, and is a remarkable sequal to 2010.
Rating:
Summary: Good sci-fi adventure
Review: I have just finished reading this book and thought that ACC did a fairly good job in writing it. Like most others I enjoyed the first two books very much, but this one seemed to lack the spirit of those first two books. It is a good read none the less and I would recommend the reading of all four of the books in this series. I have one question however that I don't remember being resolved. When Universe was on the comet and Dr. Chant was investigating one of the caves, he was stunned to find a glowing light. He theorized that it might be many things but settled upon a theory stating that the glowing light may be bioluminescent organisms living in the comet. Was there ever a definte explanation for this glow? Again overall good book!
Rating:
Summary: Still doing well...
Review: Although not as good as 2001 and 2010, this book is still a worthy sequel. I agree that the last few pages is all you need to understand the book, but it's still a good sci-fi book, with many interesting parts like the landing on the comet, or on Europa. It is also interesting to see what is happening on Europa. All in all it's a good book, and it's best to accept this one as the ending of the Odyssey series, because 3001 is a disaster...
Rating:
Summary: Great !
Review: An excellent book . Clarke at his best . A superb book
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