3001: The Final Odyssey

3001: The Final Odyssey
Space Odyssey #4
Arthur Clarke
SF
2 stars

Frank Poole didn’t die, but hybernated in deep space. Gets rescued in 3001. Mankind destroys the Monoliths, which, according to Halman[the amalgamation of Dave Bowman and HAL which were NOT the next step but merely co-opted as extra sensors] were going to destroy humanity because it had been found wanting. So it ends with Humanity having 900 years to figure out the next step. The whole Odyssey series was so blase! And whole chapters were taken from former books, it got very boring and repetitive. Glad I read them, but I don’t plan on reading them again unless there is some Need, which I can’t imagine there ever being one.

2061: Odyssey Three

2061: Odyssey Three
Space Odyssey #3
Arthur Clarke
SF
2 stars

this is either blase hard scifi or just boring scifi. Ship crashes on Europa, gets rescued even with the interdiction. Haywood is “uploaded” to the non-physical plane, but is also left in his body. So there are 2 of him, I think. Boring and weird.

2010: Odyssey Two

2010: Odyssey Two
Space Odyssey #2
Arthur Clarke
SF
2 stars

this follows the movie, not the book, as a sequel. So the Monolith is at Jupiter instead of Saturn and is about 10times larger. Life is discovered on one of Jupiter’s moons and Jupiter itself is turned into a second sun. Starchild has very little to do with this novel at all. And HAL joins Starchild at the end, scary if you ask me.

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey
Space Odyssey #1
Arthur Clarke
SF
2 stars

Evolutionistic thought disguised, more like thongwearing, as a scifi novel. Superintelligence messes with our ancestors and starts them on the path of developement. Leave a calling card on the moon, which directs us to Saturn. The man chosen to go ends up becoming a Star Child, and returning to earth. We’ll see how the rest of the novels carry this out.