To the spaceship Discovery, floating in the silent depths of space since Dave Bowman passed through the alien 'Star Gate', comes Heywood Floyd on a mission of recovery. What he finds near Jupiter is beyond the imaginings of any mere human.
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About the Author
Born in Somerset in 1917, Arthur C. Clarke has written over sixty books, among which are the science fiction classics ‘2001, A Space Odyssey’, ‘Childhood’s End’, ‘The City and the Stars’ and ‘Rendezvous With Rama’. He has won all the most prestigious science fiction trophies, and shared an Oscar nomination with Stanley Kubrick for the screenplay of the film of 2001. He was knighted in 1998. He passed away in March 2008.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Archy
Format:Paperback
Nine years on and the latest mission is to find out what happened to David Bowman and Discovery - and the monolith, which is still floating above Jupiter (the book is more a sequel to the film than the original novel). It's told in Arthur Clarke's usual rather flat style, with short, bite-sized chapters, with interesting speculations along the way.
There are some wonderful descriptions of Jupiter and its moons, and the mystical flavour of the original isn't forgotten. But where 2001 had just two main characters, Bowman and Poole - with the ominous presence of the HAL 9000 computer in the background - the sequel suffers from too many. Much of the action is described from the viewpoint of Heywood Floyd, who was in the original, but the other members of the crew become mere cyphers, whose conversations are used to explain the plot. Dr Chandra, HAL's inventor and mentor, is interesting, but the others have little life to them.
Characterisation isn't that important in a Clarke novel, and as sequels go this one's an interesting read. It could never match its illustrious predecessor anyway. Well worth reading, but don't expect a classic.
There are some wonderful descriptions of Jupiter and its moons, and the mystical flavour of the original isn't forgotten. But where 2001 had just two main characters, Bowman and Poole - with the ominous presence of the HAL 9000 computer in the background - the sequel suffers from too many. Much of the action is described from the viewpoint of Heywood Floyd, who was in the original, but the other members of the crew become mere cyphers, whose conversations are used to explain the plot. Dr Chandra, HAL's inventor and mentor, is interesting, but the others have little life to them.
Characterisation isn't that important in a Clarke novel, and as sequels go this one's an interesting read. It could never match its illustrious predecessor anyway. Well worth reading, but don't expect a classic.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Ian Tapley
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
Clarke returns once again to the mysteries of the Monoliths as an American/Russian mission races a Chinese one to investigate the disappearance of Dave Bowman in 2001.
Again he manages to catch the genuine sense of scientific exploration as the two missions enter Jupiter's moon system. The race with the Chinese vessel also gives the novel a nice sense of pace.
The scientist's account, as he awaits his own death, of the Chinese's disasterous encounter on Europa is at once gripping, horrifying and touching.
Dave Bowman, the Star Child, also returns on the side of mankind in the face of the strange alien intelligence behind the Monoliths. And this adds another level of wonder to the story as he explores the solar system as all but a god.
If the coming of Lucifer in this story doesn't set your pulse racing and your mind whirring, then I don't know what will.
In general, perhaps not as good as 2001, but a science fiction masterpiece nonetheless.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Joseph
Format:Paperback
As someone spellbound by the Kubrick original film, i later read all the 'Odyssey' novels as i wanted to clear up the amiguity of the film! I love this book and is my favourite of the four. Still after all these years, the foresight of AC Clarke astounds me. Way ahead of his time in every respect.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Old school visionary sci-fiction that's sadly not as relevant today as...
Arthur C Clarke (died 2008) was a visionary. He predicted the satellites which have already changed our world and has written about the space elevators that I believe will one day... Read more
Published 7 months ago by The Shreester
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not mind boggling as the first
Put simply - Struggled to be the same level as the first - felt like a lot of repetitions. But good read though. Recommendable
Published on 14 Nov 2010 by H. Ramtale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clarke reread
I bought the book in 1983, read it so many times that 'the seams fell apart',and I had to throw away the loose pages. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2010 by Erkki Herranen
4.0 out of 5 stars
2010: Meatier than the first.
2010 carrys the torch forward in the oddessey series and unlike many sequels I think it is better than the first. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2010 by Chris Sams
4.0 out of 5 stars
The sequal to the film of the book....
2010 is actually a sequal to the film (2001) and not the book. I would suggest watching 2001 the film before reading this book otherwise you'll be left wondering what's going... Read more
Published on 12 Aug 2007 by David Bowers
4.0 out of 5 stars
2010 - Odyssey Two
A sequel to the classic '2001 A Space Odyssey' might seem like a unlikely and unnecessary prospect, but this is actually a far-better written novel than the earlier book, with... Read more
Published on 6 July 2007 by Jane Aland
5.0 out of 5 stars
My personal favourite
This book is the exception to the rule that sequels can't surpass the original. Even though the ideas are not so unique and BIG as in 2001 (how could they be, the whole Quadrilogy... Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2007 by holdyourlight
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rewarding Read
After the religious/philosophical experience that was '2001', this was ironically a lot more down to Earth with more action and domestic situations. Read more
Published on 20 May 2005 by stephenmorgan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey
When I read this 2nd book of 4 in the Odyssey series I was simply gripped to it! Having read 2001 before hand I suppose I wanted to find out the answers to the mysteries Clarke had... Read more
Published on 16 April 2003 by Danny
3.0 out of 5 stars
How can you sequel the ultimate?
The book is good - in it's own way. The problem is more this: How can you make a sequel to a story that ends with the comming of the Übermensch? Read more
Published on 28 July 2000 by Normann Aaboe Nielsen
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