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3001 The Final Odyssey

3001 The Final Odyssey

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Three stars in the name of Technology
Review: Although I don't have complains about the linear plot, and the mostly impossible to happen ending (I don't think the Gods use digital computers anymore), I must give this book three stars for the technological speculations alone.

That said, I will recommend people to read this book, although do not expect much, it could have been much better, and the premise alone shows it.

Unfortunately, that did not happen on this Universe.

A near respectable finale for the series.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Don't bother
Review: As I said in the review about 2061, the series should have ended with 2010, because it had the perfect open-ended way of finishing the series. 2061 and 3001 are not important at all, and with all its inconsistencies 3001 is much worse than 2061.

I recommend 2001 and 2010 only, and also some other classics from Clarke like Childhood's End and Rendezvous with Rama.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 3001: A depressing odyssey
Review: Oh God, Arthur! Why why why! Why did you have to write this book? It was flat, unimaginative, and a complete waste of my time as a science fiction reader/fanatic. If it weren't for some basic information that led you back to the series I would have given this book one star. But I gave it two because it looked so pathetic setting next to its predecessors on my bookshelf. Thank god its over! Try the Dune series or Foundation series or Lord of the Ring series if you want true reading material.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So that's it?????
Review: This book was twice as useless as 2061. It is a good short story that never makes it as a novel. As usual, Clarke uses the story to publish his predictions for the future, but with this book that's about all you get. The poorly developed characters elicit no empathy from this reader, and the plot is only ankle-deep. I kept thinking that sooner or later it would have to get interesting when I realized I was three quarters of the way through to the rushed and wow-less ending. I read this book only to finish out the series. Odyssey 2: 2010 left me wanting more. And while Odyssey 3 was rather lackluster, 3001 is contrived and downright juvenile in story development. Read the Epilogue from 2010 and consider that the end of the story because you will find no new revelations or answers here.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not that bad
Review: After reading the negative reviews I really expected the worst, but I wanted to finish the series, so I bought this book, and I can say that it comes nowhere near to 2001. That doesn't mean that it is that bad as most of the reviewers describe it.

I too was disappointed by those inconsistencies that bug everyone, but I accepted Clarke's explanation that the sequels to 2001 are variations on the same theme, not necessarily happening in the same universe.

Overall it's OK, and as one of the reviewers described it: "it costs less than a movie and is better than most of what's out there on film". It really does.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Just like 2061-totally unnecessary
Review: When I first saw the adverising for this book it said "what really happened to Dave Bowman and HAL, and what are those monoliths?". But all those things were explained in 2010, so there was no need for any more sequels.

In 2061 nothing really happened, but at least it was an odyssey (because odyssey means a long journey, like the journeys in the first three books). 3001 is not an odyssey at all. Poole just hangs around on Earth most of the time, then he makes a quick travel to Jupiter's moons (which takes about two pages of the book, and therefore it's not an odyssey), and then the stupid ending takes place.

All the inconsistencies and bunch of other very stupid stuff are explained by most of the other reviewers, so I'm just gonna say that just like 2061, this one is totally unnecesarry, and is obviously made just for money.

Stick to the first two books, and also see the two movies. You don't need anything else.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Read for predictions only
Review: The only reason to read this book is to see Clarke's science predictions for the next 1000 years, which are very interesting. Also of interest are the notes at the back of the book, where Clarke expands on some of the technology he's describing in each chapter. Clarke has never been a great charactor developer, but the 1-dimensional portrayal of Frank Poole is really disappointing. Clarke throws in a paragraph about how Poole suddenly realizes that he'll never see his dog or his brother (in that order) again, but otherwise, Poole is completely (and unbelievably) well adjusted after his 1000-year sleep. The story in the second half about the monoliths and Dave builds nicely with suspense, but the ending is quick, easy, and 1-dimensional. This book is quite short. It's a real shame Clarke didn't spend more time on it to double the legnth to put some flesh on it and come up with a more thoughtful ending.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Unworthy of the first three Odyssey books.
Review: Clarke should have left well enough alone. 2001, 2010, and 2061 were all fascinating stories. 3001 appears to be little more than a Clarke manifesto, full of his not-too-subtle preaching on various subjects (it's one thing for him to be a vegetarian or vegan or whatever he is; quite another to go on and on about "corpse food"). If you've completed the trilogy, leave it at that and pass this one up.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Stale...but good in a cold pizza sort of way.
Review: There's nothing I enjoy more on a Saturday morning than a Friday night pizza. Somehow it manages to satisfy some base need. Maybe it's the nomadic sense that I'm foraging for food. "3001: The Final Odyssey" is the cool leftovers from an intense evening before.

That said, I wasn't expecting anything particularly profound. I wanted to finish the series and 'see what happens.' No car chases, no lewd or baudy scenes. And while I get the distinct impression - from the notes in the back of the book - that Mr. Clarke is beginning a new genre: the pre-historical novel, I enjoyed the read. He absolutely makes clear what the future is like: the world is a kindergarten class on Ritalin. One can have fun imagining what we only do in our dreams, and in that respect the book offers some fresh ideas. The novel is a reflection of what life is like: it's a lot less interesting and romantic...it usually plods along with a couple of punctuations for flavour. Is it the best A.C. Clarke book ever written? No. Is it A.C. Clarke? Most definitely. Should you read it? Hey, it costs less than a movie and is better than most of what's out there on film.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Despite Everpresent Criticisms, Excellent!
Review: I must admit that this is the first ACC book I've read, so I do not know how good his others are, but I found 3001 to be quite intriguing. The characterization is a bit lacking, but the characters are not as important here. Remember that it is a series, and so ACC probably expected people to start at the beginning, hence we would have known a bit about Frank Poole before reading this installment. This one is mostly about the future, and how humanity might be in the year 3001. ACC does provide a look at the planet Jupiter that is extremely vivid, however science fiction-y it may be. The description of life on all of Jupiter's moons, like beneath the icy surface of Io, is stunning. This is a classic sci-fi book, ranking with many of L. Ron Hubbard's works, which, however, are decidedly different. I've read 3001 twice, and I enjoyed it just as much each time. One character, though, Dimitri, who is the first person we encounter, is enjoyable and you get to like him pretty well. It is quite unfortunate what happens to him, and you really do start to miss him. Even if you haven't read any other part of the series, you should still read this one--though I would suggest starting at the beginning.


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