2061: Odyssey Three

Quality of book received was great, the cover was the one I wanted, the older original paperback cover. The Odyssey story line is one of my favorites, and this one doesn't disappoint. also, there is nothing like the feel of an actual book. Great book.

Arthur C. Clarke's "2061: odyssey three" is the third installment in one of the most successful science-fiction book series ever written. While the narrative doesn't flow as steady as it did in the previous two entries, it is still a fascinating novel with great and unusual characters. The novel also captures both the loneliness of men stranded on another world, as well as the fears of those who are coming to their rescue, wondering if they'll get there in time, or if the planet's population will pose a threat to them. The main story of a rescue mission sent to retrieve a crashed ship from Europa is told with great attention to detail. But then, we soon learn, that there is more to this story than just a "rescue mission," as it is all part of a plan to involve a part of humanity in the evolution of Europa, whether they wish to or not. "2061: odyssey three" is a great adventure tale that takes us back to the moons of Jupiter (or Lucifer, as in the case of this story), and should satisfy both the "Space Odyssey" fans and fans of all science-fiction. Grade: A-

This book is a great extension from the others in regards to the "great monolith" and the unseen-but-advanced race that keeps getting Heywood Floyd and humanity in general involved with the evolution of life elsewhere within our solar system and more. A great addition to such sci-fi books as: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "2001", "2010", "Rendezvous with Rama", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, as well as books as new to the genre as "Advent of the Corps" and others.

2061 is one of my favorite science fiction books. I love the way it goes into technical detail. (If you know of science fiction that has more technical detail, please e-mail it to me!)This book had potential to degenerate into a horror book. It didn't take that route, and for me that made it more eerie. You need to suspend disbelief for this book. In real life humankind has not had any widely observed direct evidence of extraterrestrial life or a "creator". In this book series, humanity finds such evidence... when Jupiter becomes a small star and the Discovery's computer sends a mysterious message calling for humans to make peace and granting humans permission to explore the solar system with the exception of Europa-- no other commandments or explanations. Humankind knows it's powerless against something that could create a star, and so it obeys the monolith's laconic directives. Imagine the scene at the end of the movie 2010. We are shown that Euopa is changing thanks to Jupiter having been turned into a sun. We see water an plant life. In the distance we hear movement. Could animal life have developed? Although it looks like a swamp, we know the atmosphere is mostly methane-- the environment is nothing like anything on Earth. Then we see the monolith silently towering over the swamp, influencing it perhaps as it influenced Earth a billion years ago. Now for 50 years human kind has diffidently avoided Europa. There has been no further activity associated with the monolith. They have tired to observe from a distance, but clouds of vapor resulting from the heat of Jupiter obscure Europa most of the time. Humans are getting more and more daring about how close to Europa they venture. In this book, humans decide to risk sending down a probe. While they're launching the probe, a hijacking forces them to land on this forbidden planet. The stranded researchers focus on staying alive and cautiously exploring Europa while they are waiting for a rescue. They come in contact with many natural phenomena and one supernatural phenomenon. If you can imagine contact with something as powerful and laconic as the monolith appearing and you can imagine the awesome temptation to study it while trying to remain as dispassionate as possible, you will really enjoy this book.

The year is 2061, and the economy is truly global. Aerospace companies offer cruises to exotic destinations and Floyd is on one that will take him right to Halley's Comet! Floyd is now towards the end of his life but is in for one more adventure that will leave his grandson strandon the forbidden Europa. This is a great book full of action, adventure, and enigmas that leaves you hoping for such a hypothetical future.

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!