3001 the Final Odyssey (Space Odyssey) - Softcover

Clarke, Arthur C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345423496 ISBN 13: 9780345423498

Publisher: Del Rey, 1998

Synopsis

It began four million years ago with a gleaming black monolith - an inexplicable apparition that ignited the spark of human consciousness transforming ape into man. It continued at the dawn of the twenty-first century when an identical black monolith was excavated on the moon - beginning the adventures of Dave Bowman, his deputy, Frank Poole, and the supercomputer HAL. Only Dave Bowman would survive to encounter a third, and far more massive, monolith on Jupiter's moon Europa - and be forever transformed into the star child. It is the world of 2001: A Space Odyssey. And now, the odyssey enters its perilous, ultimate stage. In 3001, the human race, incredibly, has survived, fearful of the trio of monoliths that dominate the solar system. Then a single hope flickers. The body of Frank Poole, believed dead for a thousand years, is recovered from the frozen reaches of the galaxy. Poole is restored to conscious life, and readied to resume the voyage that HAL abruptly terminated a thousand years ago. He knows he can't proceed without Dave Bowman. But first he must fathom the terrifying truth of what Bowman - and HAL - have become inside the monolith.

About this title

Review:

Then it came close enough for visual inspection.

"Goliath here", Chandler radioed Earthwards, his voice tinged with pride as well as solemnity. "We're bringing aboard a 1000-year-old astronaut. And I can guess who it is. "

Thus after drifting to an icy death in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the body of astronaut Frank Poole is recovered in the outer reaches of the Solar System. Preserved at near absolute zero, it is a simple task for medical science a millennium hence to restore Poole to life--though strangely for a novel which pits religion against science, the metaphysical implications of technological resurrection are unexamined --and the first half is devoted to Poole's integration into the society of the future. If anything he adjusts with far too little grief or culture shock: apart from mourning his dog, and learning how the new technology works, he faces no major difficulties. Still, the world of the future is drawn with broad, imaginative strokes and apart from a persistent continuity error which makes Poole 6 years old in 2001, this is fascinating stuff. The plot kicks into gear with the revelation that the famous black monoliths may ultimately not have humanity's interests at heart, leading to a perfunctorily presented struggle for survival. Clarke himself notes that the ending is functionally identical to that of Independence Day, though novel and film were created simultaneously. Not the hoped-for late classic, 3001: the Final Odyssey does provide the satisfaction of closure to Clarke's epic Odyssey Quartet.--Gary S. Dalkin

Review:

"3001 is not just a page-turner, plugged in to the great icons of HAL and the monoliths, but a book of wisdom too, pithy and provocative."--New Scientist

"A one man literary Big Bang, Clarke has originated his own vast and teeming futuristic universe."--Sunday Times

"Well-paced and absorbing . . . It is as a flight of fancy by the master of science fiction that 3001 makes its mark."--The Times

"In his exciting new novel, Clarke reveals the ominous answer about the ultimate purpose of the monoliths."--Daily Telegraph

"Serene, uplifting, and icy clear."--Mail on Sunday

"From the moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. 3001 The Final Odyssey is a tour de force that finally answers the questions that sparked the imaginations of an entire generation."--Buzz Aldrin

About this edition

• Publisher: Del Rey
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0345423496
• ISBN 13: 9780345423498
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 288