book data
1197 ratings, 3.28 average rating, 30 reviews
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published
November 3rd 1997
(first published 1987)
by Voyager
binding
Paperback, 304 pages
characters
isbn
0586203192
(isbn13: 9780586203194)
description
2061 is the year Halley's Comet makes its next pilgrimage to the inner Solar System - and the year centenarian Heywood Floyd encounters once again the...more
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avg 3.28
Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who likes SciFi with a big emphasis on the Sci-part
third book in Clarke's Odyssey-Saga...
short plot description: set (obviously) 51 years after the events in "2010: Odyssey Two" we meet again Dr. Heywood Floyd, now 103 years old. Mankind has build bases on the moon and Ganymede (where a scientist makes an astonishing discovery about Europa) and advances in science have made interplanetary space travel economical feasible, which paved the way for private enterprises. One of them is Tsung Spacelines where Chris Floyd, grandson of Hey...more
short plot description: set (obviously) 51 years after the events in "2010: Odyssey Two" we meet again Dr. Heywood Floyd, now 103 years old. Mankind has build bases on the moon and Ganymede (where a scientist makes an astonishing discovery about Europa) and advances in science have made interplanetary space travel economical feasible, which paved the way for private enterprises. One of them is Tsung Spacelines where Chris Floyd, grandson of Hey...more
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Read in August, 2008
I was hesitant about this novel when I started reading it. It begins with the slightly contrived circumstance allowing Dr. Heywood Floyd to still be an active participant at the age of 103. But that's a small pill to swallow to get to the rest of the book.
As in 2010, there are no ordinary people, so the characters are all engaging, believable, and fascinating.
The over-arching plot is a bit contrived, which I can entirely forgive, es...more
As in 2010, there are no ordinary people, so the characters are all engaging, believable, and fascinating.
The over-arching plot is a bit contrived, which I can entirely forgive, es...more
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Read in January, 2005
2061 was less of a page turner than 2010. This was more of a character story, following the paths of two ships in and around the area of Europa, where they are not supposed to land. OK, what really upset me about this book was the back jacket, which implied that Heywood Floyd would once again be in contact with Dave Bowman and HAL, and that THAT was the main part of the story. So my impression was that we'd learn more about the monoliths and the entities that put them there, but that was not the...more
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My least favorite of the three, this book seems as if it was created because there was an expectation that it HAD to be.
The story here is DEEPLY rooted in the science and tech of the future, with very little time given to the dimensions of the characters...you care very little about what happens to them by the end.
It's also longer than it truly should be, given what events actually transpire.
Best advice is to skip this and go directly to 3001: The Final Odyssey. The few lines of pertinant...more
The story here is DEEPLY rooted in the science and tech of the future, with very little time given to the dimensions of the characters...you care very little about what happens to them by the end.
It's also longer than it truly should be, given what events actually transpire.
Best advice is to skip this and go directly to 3001: The Final Odyssey. The few lines of pertinant...more
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Read in January, 1998
Not as good as the first two.
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Read in September, 2008
This one is a little disappointing after 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: odyssey two were so great. This is more like a story that just happens to take place in the Space Odyssey Universe than anything that adds much to the mythology. And that's particularly sad because, as an adventure story, it doesn't have much. 2061 is just an interesting romp through space
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I can barely remember this one, having read it not too long after it came out because I wanted to see what else there was left in Clarke's story of the Europans. What I got instead was a brainful of science that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and a bunch of characters I didn't care about. Ultimately, you don't even get to see Bowman and HAL again until the end of the book. It's retarded. Not recommended.
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Read in May, 2008
The third of the four books in the space odyssey series. Arthur Clarke is brilliant, the story continues to unfold, I can't wait to read the next one. Okay, so I love SciFi, sue me. Maybe not love SciFi, but I love this series and I love Arthur Clarke (RIP). To think these books have been out there almost my entire life and I only found out about them by reading his obituary.
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Read in January, 2006
I don't remember this one as well as the other 3 in the series, but the idea of using the exploded diamond shards from Jupiter's implosion was REALLY fun. The concept that we could use these large diamonds and huge elevators to get to space stations and avoid having to go through earth's atmosphere was really cool. Anyway, I geeked out on this book and had a blast.
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
2001 : A Space Odyssey
While the 3rd installment of the Odyssey series is no where near as good as the first novel, I enjoyed it immensely. The story centers around what has been happening on Europa since 2010. If you like the first two I recommend it, though like I said it isn't as good as the original.
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Read in July, 2008
A big fall off from the last book. So far the series decreases by a power of ten for each sequel. There is one good idea in the novel which doesn't come close to making up for poor pacing, incoherent plot, bad characters, and worse writing. A severe disappointment.
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Read in April, 2008
So, continuing with the whole Odyssey Saga. 2061 takes us on a little side trip to Halley's comet, then back to some strange happenings on Europa. The whole thing felt like foreshadowing for the last book in the series, 3001, which I'll start soon...
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Read in December, 1987
recommends it for:
people who want The Whole Story
Yes, I did read these books out of order. My 12-year old self assumed that since I'd seen the movies of 2001 and 2010 that is was the same thing. I know, how precocious. Am afraid to contemplate how I would feel about the book 20 years later.
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Again, Clarke tweaks details between this and the proceeding books...making things a little inconsistent, but not so much as in 2010. Unfortunately, the story isn't as engaging as the earlier books either.
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This book is when the main character is 100 years old, still able to speak to HAL and David Bowman- The Europa Moon; typical betrayal by political corrupt officials. A real cynical book, loved it.
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Read in February, 1998
recommends it for:
people who read the first books in the series
This book was ok.
It has little to nothing in the way of character development. However, as far as hard and out there science fiction goes this book was pretty good.
It has little to nothing in the way of character development. However, as far as hard and out there science fiction goes this book was pretty good.
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Read in January, 1991
Tom Hanks tried to make this into a movie. I think it should remain a book . A movie would ruin it for me.
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Read in June, 1998
Pretty standard and unremarkable sci/fi. i think the law of sequels holds in this case, as in most.
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Huh? What? Why did they...? OK, colonies and stuff... but what are we...? Wait, that's it?
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sci-fi (on 17 people's shelves)
science-fiction (on 16 people's shelves)
fiction (on 9 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 8 people's shelves)
own (on 6 people's shelves)
scifi (on 3 people's shelves)
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quotes from this book
"It is a good principle in science not to believe any 'fact'---however well attested---until it fits into some accepted frame of reference. Occasionally, of course, an observation can shatter the frame and force the construction of a new one, but that is extremely rare. Galileos and Einsteins seldom appear more than once per century, which is just as well for the equanimity of mankind."
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