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Space Odyssey #3

2061: Odyssey Three

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Arthur C. Clarke, creator of one of the world's best-loved science fiction tales, revisits the most famous future ever imagined in this NEW YORK TIMES bestseller, as two expeditions into space become inextricably tangled. Heywood Floyd, survivor of two previous encounters with the mysterious monloiths, must again confront Dave Bowman, HAL, and an alien race that has decided that Mankind is to play a part in the evolution of the galaxy whether it wishes to or not. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

302 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1987

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About the author

Arthur C. Clarke

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Stories, works of noted British writer, scientist, and underwater explorer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

This most important and influential figure in 20th century fiction spent the first half of his life in England and served in World War II as a radar operator before migrating to Ceylon in 1956. He co-created his best known novel and movie with the assistance of Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke, a graduate of King's College, London, obtained first class honours in physics and mathematics. He served as past chairman of the interplanetary society and as a member of the academy of astronautics, the royal astronomical society, and many other organizations.

He authored more than fifty books and won his numerous awards: the Kalinga prize of 1961, the American association for the advancement Westinghouse prize, the Bradford Washburn award, and the John W. Campbell award for his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Clarke also won the nebula award of the fiction of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979, the Hugo award of the world fiction convention in 1974 and 1980. In 1986, he stood as grand master of the fiction of America. The queen knighted him as the commander of the British Empire in 1989.

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Profile Image for Ahmad Sharabiani.
9,563 reviews713 followers
May 23, 2022
2061: Odyssey Three (Space Odyssey #3), Arthur C. Clarke

2061: Odyssey Three is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1987.

It is the third book in Clarke's Space Odyssey series. It returns to one of the lead characters of the previous novels, Heywood Floyd, and their adventures from the 2061 return of Halley's Comet to Jupiter's moon Europa.

2061 is set 51 years after the events of 2010: Odyssey Two and 60 years after those of 2001: A Space Odyssey. At the end of that novel, the enigmatic aliens who built the Monolith had transformed the planet Jupiter into a mini-sun in order to aid the evolution of life on Jupiter's moon Europa.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «2061(میلادی) ادی‍س‍ه� س‍ه»� «راز کیهان س‍ه‌»� تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز چهارم ماه نوامبر سال1994میلادی

عنوان: 2061 ادی‍س‍ه� س‍ه‌� نویسنده: آرت‍و� س‍ی� ک‍لارک‌� مت‍رج‍�: رض‍� ف‍اض‍ل� تهران، نشر فاخته، سال1372؛ در362ص؛ عنوان گسترده دو هزار و شصت و یک ادیسه سه؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده20م

عنوان: راز کیهان س‍ه‌� نویسنده: آرت‍و� س‍ی� ک‍لارک‌� مترجم: هوشنگ غیاثی نژاد؛ تهران،نشر گلدیس، سال1377؛ در338ص؛ شابک9649171428؛ چاپ دیگر تهران، نشر پاسارگاد؛ سال1382؛ در340ص؛ شابک9646933327؛

ادیسه سه سال2061میلادی، شصت سال پس از ادیسه یک سال2001میلادی، و پنجاه و یکسال پس از از ادیسه دو سال2010میلادی رخ میدهد؛ داستانی در گونه ی علمی-تخیلی است، که در سال1987میلادی، به قلم: «آرتور سی کلارک»، نگاشته شده است و سومین کتاب از چهارگانه ی: «ادیسه فضایی» است، که با ادیسه چهار، سال3001میلادی، سری جهارگانه ی «ادیسه های فضایی» پایان می‌پذیرن�

در فصلهای آغازین «ادیسه ی2061(میلادی)»، به تدریج رویدادهایی را که در خلال سالها رخ داده، بازگو میشوند؛ «خورشید جدید»، یکی از قمرهای «مشتری»، پیشین، «لوسیفر» را دگرگون کرده است؛ «آیو، یا همان ژوپیتر)»، به یک جهنم آتشفشانی تبدیل شده، «اروپا» یک جهان اقیانوسی است، که از ابرها پوشیده شده، و «گانیمد، یکی از قمرهای مشتری» اکنون یک دنیای معتدل است، که نژاد بشر در حال استعمار آن است؛ کوه بزرگی به نام «کوه زئوس»، بر روی سطح «زمین» روییده، در زمین دوره ای از صلح نسبی، بین «ایالات متحده»، و «اتحاد جماهیر شوروی (روسیه فعلی)»، و «چین» به وجود آمده، در «آفریقای جنوبی (اکنون ایالات متحده آفریقای جنوبی یا یو.اس.اس.آ)» انقلاب رخ داده؛ جمعیت سفید پوست فرار کرده، و بیشتر ثروت کشور را با خود برده است، و جمعیت سیاه را برای بازسازی اقتصاد تنها گذاشته، که آنها هم به لطف معادن «الماس» کشور، طی چند هفته کار را به پایان رسانده اند

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 12/05/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 01/03/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Profile Image for Henry Avila.
531 reviews3,323 followers
December 1, 2023
Dr.Heywood Floyd, is back for the third installment of the 2001 Odyssey series still vigorous at the ripe old age of 103. So apparently the good Dr. requires excitement to live his next mission is to land on Halley's Comet, in the year 2061. When the most famous comet there is comes back past the orbit of Earth, which it has done for an incredible 20,000 years. AS A CELEBRITY HE GETS A FREE RIDE ON THE Spaceship Universe, a luxury liner, Heywood has been in a lot worse crafts in his trips around the Solar System.The best feature in the spaceliner is a swimming pool...yes you read right. Because of the continuous thrust of the rocket, there is gravity on board.The passengers, rather a mixed group to say the least ; one movie star, a science commentator , a rather famous musician, and luckily for safety reasons
in any emergencies a lone astronaut, the first to land on Mercury, even a lowly writer.The five official celebrities, are ironically not as well known as the sixth Floyd, who doesn't consider himself one anymore. Dr.Floyd calls Universe a "Ship of Fools", Captain Smith has his hands full trying to control these egomaniacs, oh and some men of science are around too.The touchdown on Halley's is surprisingly dull, just the way the captain likes it. This dirty snowball has a few interesting things to see. Geysers, that shoot out water which quickly turns to vapor and ice goes out into endless space never to return. Natural structures look unnatural caves are found and the scientists of course need to explore them. The real reason for this voyage knowledge, the naive men believe. A strange light at the end of a cavern is spotted but a ominous message has been received an emergency, they have to leave this colorless but novel place immediately. Their sister spaceship the Galaxy crashed landed on cloud covered Europa, a former moon of Jupiter, which aliens have turned into a second Sun, called appropriately Lucifer. A Forbidden World, yes the taboo in the future is still around,
as no one for fifty years had the courage to visit. The weird Mount Zeus towering miles high above the surface of the satellite and also an ocean formed there, with giant sea creatures below, the Galaxy floating on top. Nearby the enormous Jupiter/Lucifer, warms the sphere, as strange a place, as exists in the whole Solar System.Something doesn't make sense about the accident.The rescue ship Universe, will demand a thorough investigation. But how will the aliens react? By the way, Dr.Floyd's estranged grandson, is on board the Galaxy.The wonders in this series gives the audience many pleasant moments.
Profile Image for Justo Martiañez.
513 reviews214 followers
November 13, 2022
3.5/5 Estrellas

Estamos en 2061, 50 años después de lo acontecido en la 2ª entrega, en la que por acción de la inteligencia que está detrás de los monolitos, se había creado un nuevo sol en el planeta anteriormente llamado Júpiter, que fue rebautizado como Lucifer.
Parece ser que el objetivo de los seres controladores del monolito era cambiar las condiciones en los satélites del sistema Joviano, sobre todo Europa, con la finalidad de crear unas condiciones favorables para el desarrollo de criaturas inteligentes. Para proteger su "creación", habían dejado un mensaje claro a la humanidad, dejándoles el campo libre para su expansión por el sistema solar, pero prohibiendo expresamente su acceso y exploración de Europa, el antiguo satélite de Júpiter.

Pasados 50 años, los habitantes de la Tierra se han acostumbrado a un sistema de dos soles, donde la noche casi ha desaparecido y han hecho espectaculares progresos expandiéndose por el sistema solar.

Sin embargo, lo que los entes creadores de inteligencia no habían previsto, o si, es que la curiosidad mató al gato, y que la posibilidad de que los humanos husmearan cada vez con mayor insistencia en el entorno de Europa, iba a ser difícil de controlar, hasta que sucedió lo inevitable, una nave tripulada aterriza sobre la superficie de Europa y la humanidad debe decidir si debe acudir o no a su rescate, rompiendo el interdicto que, tantos años antes, el monolito interpuso sobre nosotros.

Todavía ronda por este libro uno de los protagonistas de las dos entregas anteriores: Heywood Floyd, que con 103 años (65 reales por haber vivido en condiciones de ingravidez, a ver cuando abren una estación espacial-residencia para cuando me jubile, dotada de una buena biblioteca), nos deparará una de las mejores sorpresas al final del libro.

Gran novela de aventuras humanas y tecnológicas, cuya narración me ha parecido muy deslavazada, no sé si es un problema de la traducción o de mis entendederas, pero hay párrafos que, por mucho que he releído, no he acabado de entender. Esto ha hecho que la lectura no haya sido tan disfrutable como me gustaría.

No me ha parecido tan redondo este libro como los anteriores, en cuanto a las implicaciones religiosas o filosóficas. Algunas cosas, como los pasajeros VIP de pago, me han parecido muy artificiales y no aportan nada.

Me ha encantado la entrañable buena voluntad de Clarke, que escribió este libro en 1987, y que preveía que hacia los años 20 del siglo XXI, la humanidad estaría unida, Rusia, USA y China garantizarían la paz mundial y las armas nucleares estarían casi desterradas y todos los esfuerzos de la humanidad estarían centrados en la colonización de Sistema Solar.......jeje, parece que estamos un poco lejos de esto. ¿No?

Parece que en la 4ª entrega el monolito que apareció en la luna en la legendaria 2001, vuelve a despertar por 2ª vez en 4 millones de años ¿Qué pretenderá?......en breve lo descubriré.
Profile Image for Perry Whitford.
1,956 reviews73 followers
March 26, 2020
2061 may seem like a random date in which to continue the Space Odyssey story into a third book, but there is a very good reason for it - the return of Halley's Comet.

Amazingly Dr Heywood Floyd, middle-aged in the first two books, is still going strong aged one hundred and three, thanks to half a lifetime spent in low gravity, orbiting Earth in a space hospital after a bad fall.

His grandson is also an astronaut and they are about to meet up after a space-jacking in the Jovian system. All eyes are again turned to Europa, the moon that the makers of the monoliths had warned the people of Earth to leave alone.

I really enjoyed Odyssey Two, which Clarke never thought he would write and which came a long time after 2001. Despite the delay, the plot was a fitting continuation, the ending spectacular and the overall scope of the story much enhanced.

This third part, however, which came soon after the second, is a pretty feeble effort, adding little to the legacy. The plot is a flimsy, tensionless affair, the resolution wholly underwhelming.

The inclusion of a landing on Halley's Comet is interesting enough in itself I suppose, but it has nothing to do with the wider narrative. Worse yet, whole portions are simply lifted verbatim from the previous book!

A lazy disappointment.
Profile Image for Ѳí.
179 reviews136 followers
December 2, 2020
De los tres libros que he leído de esta saga este es el que menos me ha gustado.
La historia, aunque me ha interesado, ha llegado a aburrirme en algunos momentos y la he encontrado algo pesada y monótona. A pesar de esto sigo bastante intrigada con el tema del monolito y con todo lo que queda sin resolver, así que próximamente leeré el cuarto y último libro de la serie.
Profile Image for David.
310 reviews161 followers
July 18, 2016
4.5 Stars. Loved it !! :D

Just like its preceding book , this is a book full of wonder, awesomeness, vivid imagery and adventure.

Preferring to rate books independently, I really liked this one. The landings on Halley's Comet, and Europa, along with their vivid descriptions of the landscape and life-forms make it an engaging read filled with wonder! Based on certain facts and conjectures, Clarke has written some good stuff using his wide imagination. Celestial mechanics seem to be authenticate enough. But I would not worry about that.

As a sequel to 2010: Odyssey Two, I liked the progress of the storyline. Although the monolith is not shown to be involved much in this part of the series, all else was nice, including the space hijacking part.

Also, I liked that technology has not been largely focussed upon as could have been in 2061, because that is nearly irrelevant to the main storyline. Of course however, the necessary technology has not been ignored.

Low on action (hence I liked it more), more on exploration and imagination [:D], which made the novel really a very good read to me.

Thoughts that I could pick up from the book:
1. Mankind's responsibilities (probably) do not stop with his own upliftment (while at the same time taking care of other creatures on her planet). It extends to uplifting primitive life-forms on other worlds as well, of which we should be knowing about in the future.

2. Fear is an attribute by which anything can be made to not-happen.

3. Whichever way in which man is told to restrict his venture, his curiosity and desire will always want to go beyond the necessarily available boundaries. Just like eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

4. Not all mysteries can be solved by man. Some mysteries have to be left to themselves. The acts of wonder needs to be appreciated and absorbed by man, making him realize that she is a part of that same Wonder. :)

A great read, only if read with an open-mind (especially to possibilities of wonder and awe outside our own world), read as a part of the series in its proper order. One needs to drop one's expectations to enjoy this one, and certainly not make oneself to compare it with any previous titles in the series. In any case, what would be the point of it being different and unique, if it was written just like the first book ! :D
Profile Image for Kimber.
222 reviews114 followers
November 5, 2019
This was incredibly slow moving. It also felt confusing, and the characters don't come alive very well. Clarke has two plots going at the same time and there isn't much of a plot as it is and nothing of very much interest happens. (Even the hi-jacking feels cheesy.)

Having said that, Clarke is more of a scientist than a writer and what captivates me is the astronomy, the science, the feeling of space travel and descriptions of outer space as well as future technology some of which has come to pass that he had predicted in 1987, such as the internet and social media.

Here is Floyd observing a fellow passenger : "He found it both sad and fascinating that only through an artificial universe of video images could she establish contact with the real world." What a prediction for our time!

Clarke sprinkles his knowledge (sometimes even insider knowledge), his scientific expertise and his humor into this minor story as part of the Odyssey series. But the plot limps along and then doesn't really go anywhere. He has lost the wonder and majesty of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Perhaps he answered too many questions, and the answers are actually dull. Once he lost the mystery, this story became merely second-rate science fiction. But I do need to read the final installment, hoping for closure with these themes and characters *sigh*.
Profile Image for Daniel.
806 reviews73 followers
July 20, 2016
Jos jedna ineresantna knjiga prepuna originalnih ideja i lepih scena (citav deo oko Halejeve komete je izvrstan) ali sve ukupno ipak ostavlja daleko slabiji utisak nego prethodne dve. Jednostavno mi nekako fali na osecaju velicine, monumentalnosti. Ka SF roma je odlican ali mi je nekako suvise konvencionalan za gosn Klarka. Vise mi dodje kao neka medju prica nego pravi nastavak.

Nemojte me razumeti pogresno knjiga je vredna citanja, naravno, ali treba smanjiti ocekivanj sto ja nisam odradio.

ocena bi pre bila oko 3 ili 3.5 ali ipak je to Klark pa ne mogu :P
Profile Image for Debbie Zapata.
1,947 reviews38 followers
June 23, 2023
Jun 23, 10am ~~ Review asap.

3pm ~~ Overall thoughts after three of four Space Odyssey titles:

2001 ~~ Impressive and thought provoking.

2010 ~~ Slightly confusing at first but ultimately okay.

2061 ~~ Boring. It felt like a rough draft of many different stories searching for a way to become just one.

I really think Clarke should have stood by his original plan to not write any sequel to 2001. I don't believe the new advances in scientific knowledge that he supposedly wanted to share with readers really justified creating something as disjointed as this book turned out to be.

I'm off to 3001, for the finale.

Profile Image for holy_fire.
37 reviews5 followers
September 25, 2008
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 Heywood Floyd, works on one of their space ships (named "Galaxy"). Tsung Spacelines has finished building another ship (named "Universe") and invited several celebrities, among them Heywood Floyd, to the maiden flight which includes a stop-over at Halley's comet. But things take a turn for the worse when the Galaxy is hijacked and crash-lands on Europa...

my thoughts: I felt a bit disappointed since the story dealt only marginally with the mystery of the Black Monoliths and their builders and the overall story-arc doesn't get advanced that much.
That out of the way we get some typical Clarke: enthusiastic and optimistic about space exploration, the science as always accurate. The characters are more varied than usual, instead only a crew of capable scientients and officers we get some colourful civilians on a pleasure cruise thrown into the mix.
But all that (including the plot sometimes) takes a backseat to Clarke's imaginative descriptions of some places in our solar system: Ganymede, Europa, Halley's comet and some developing lifeforms are brought vividly to life.
Add some funny musings about the problems on the more mundane aspects of future space travel (e.g. you can get an insurance policy from Lloyds but is hijacking covered?) and you have a good and actual believable book on the exploration of space.

my advice: can be read stand-alone (Clarke dedicates a couple of pages at the beginning of the book to get the reader up to speed) but it's better to start with "2001"
Profile Image for Stuart.
722 reviews322 followers
August 3, 2016
There really wasn't any reason to write this book besides cashing in on its very well know predecessors 2001 and 2010, both of which are supported by two very different but decent movie adaptations.

I dont' remember a single event from the book, but just remember getting it for Christmas and being excited by the cool cover. Fairly disappointing, really.
Profile Image for Aou .
1,983 reviews206 followers
November 8, 2019
This is my first fiction book I've read in English. I've read the first two volumes in Turkish when I asked the bookseller bout this one, he said it would be translated in a few months. As an impatient reader, I bought the original. I have read lots of articles about politics, law and economics but not literature or science-fiction. It was a good journey for me. I realized that my comprehending of English was better than I thought. After these series, I ordered lots of book from Amazon. :)
Profile Image for The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo.
2,736 reviews370 followers
November 12, 2022
Hm. 2061 was pretty similar in scope and feel to the first two novels, but I'm still a little disappointed.

Let's see... 2010 left off with the crew of the Leonov reaching escape velocity from Jupiter, leaving homicidal Hal behind. The Being Formerly Known as David Bowman, remade by unknown intelligences, sent a message to Earth: attempt no landings on Europa. The unknowable monoliths multiplying exponentially around Jupiter collapsed, causing the gas giant to implode and become a star that we renamed Lucifer.

In this novel, Earth is looking to expand humanity's footprint in the solar system, but it doesn't seem possible without a water source en route. The Chinese send a crew, against general sentiment, to check out Europa's water resource possibilities... annnnndd maybe also find out why "someone" doesn't want us "landing there." Their ship runs into some trouble of the Stranded and Certain Death varieties, but the sole survivor is able to send a final message about what they found there.

Meanwhile, the Universe is on its way to Haley's Comet, with Dr. Heywood Floyd aboard (yep, the guy from 2010.) While Dr. Floyd is living his best life and sciencing his heart out, another ship is travelling toward Lucifer. As it approaches, a disastrous event causes the ship to crash land on what used to be the most forbidden moon in the galaxy. They get off an emergency signal, but while they're waiting they decide to check out the sights - especially a new mountain that's recently appeared on Europa's surface.

I really, really like Arthur C. Clarke's Science Fiction. When he writes about space, it's accessible - meaning it's scientific, but also within or very close to our current technological capability. There's no FTL or interstellar travel; no generation ships hauling thousands of people in cryochambers. Most of his ideas seem realistic or obtainable. But similar to Dave's life-flashing-before-his-eyes in a hotel room setting in 2001, Clarke made another strange departure in this novel. Since nobody has made a 2061 movie yet (have they?) (I hope they don't), I won't go into anything discovered on Europa. Suffice it to say I would have been content to read the adventures of Heywood exploring "all these worlds" that were alluded to in the last book. Surely they can't be as disastrous as Europa.
Profile Image for James Parsons.
Author3 books74 followers
July 25, 2016
Have not read all of the books in this series, but of course this one is in the shadow of the original. 2001 was such a realistic yet profound SF book. So can the following sequels still feel fresh and surprise? After the second book, which I did not feel gripped me as much (the film either), this next one again is similar. The writing style of Clarke is always a good crafted standard, but is dating now. There is mystery in this next book, though it does move along a little slowly until becoming more entertaining near the end. If you like 2001 or other well known Arthur C.Clarke books, you will probably enjoy this.
Profile Image for Efka.
529 reviews309 followers
August 12, 2015
Not as wonderful and gripping as 2001, but still better than the 2010. Not a very long and complex adventure, but great world-building and it's reasonable shortness makes sure you don't get bored by the lack of action.
Profile Image for Chrysalis.
105 reviews15 followers
December 16, 2024
I have to say this is the weakest entry so far. Lacked the same sense of wonder the other two books gave me, and the ending did not feel as impactful, not much of a wow factor. Finished a bit abruptly as well.
Profile Image for Kyle.
Author1 book29 followers
July 3, 2020
The copy I own is a hardcover first edition, and it's the most poorly-edited professionally published book I've ever read. Numerous spelling and grammar mistakes litter the text, but the worst offender is a minor villain's surname that switches back and forth throughout her part of the story for no apparent reason. Also: the main character and his grandson both have the same surname and are, at times, referred to only by that last name, Floyd, making it difficult to understand which exactly is being referred to. I can only hope these flaws were corrected in later editions. Since a majority of this review has to do with the abysmal editing, you can imagine what my opinion of the actual story of the novel was. It's terribly dull and pedestrian, and not up to the standards of "2001", or even its subpar sequel "2010". It's best just to forget this installment ever happened.
Profile Image for Юлія Бернацька.
233 reviews67 followers
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July 13, 2024
Артур Кларк сам заявляв, що усі частини "Космічної Одіссеї" не особливо пов'язані сюжетом, оскільки його більше цікавило прогнозування науково-технічного прогресу і це, насправді, дуже помітно. Майже у кожній книжці десь половину займають описи різних наукових ш��уковин, якими користуються у майбутньому та політичної ситуації, яка, на думку автора, мала б скластися в світі на той час.
У відгуку до попередньої частини я зазначила, що мені подобається, як Кларк пише космічний горрор, але він навіть близько не зрівняється з моторошність майбутнього, яке, на думку Кларка, є утопічним.

"Інакше кажучи, ще на початку часів на Землі був єдиний супеконтинент Пангея, який за еони існування планети розколовся був на частини, а от людська цивілізація навпаки: тепер її незліченні й колись роз'єднані племена та на��оди стали зливатися в одне ціле, а споконвічні мовні та культурні відмінності між ними почали згладжуватися."

Оце 'згладження культурних та мовних відмінностей' це таке дуже заувальоване знищення усіх мов та культур, які не є домінуючими, отже і не вважаються потрібними, наскільки я розумію. Звісно, Кларк, як представник однієї з наддержав того часу, за його версією, - США, СРСР та Китай - напевно, не бачить в цьому нічого поганого, і, навпаки, вважає, що це хороший спосіб до вселенського миру, адже це не йому треба буде відмовлятися від своєї ідентичності на благо "миру у всьому світі" aka перемоги імперіалізму.

Ще тут є дуже наївні роздуми про відсутність воєн у майбутньому, які, може, не були б такими смішними, якби не паталогічна любов Кларка до росіян:

"До 2020 року масштабний збройний конфлікт між великими державами став так само немислимим , як і війна між Канадою та США в минулому столітті. Це не було пов'язане ні з якимись надзвичайними покращеннями людської природи, ні взагалі з будь -яким іншим чинником, окрім того, що нормальні люди просто ставили життя вище за смерть."

Діма з Одеси мав коротеньке камео в цій частині і загалом ми знову повернулися до головних героїв та екіпажу з американців та індуса, тому більшу частину цього тексту мене не підкидало від злості + сюжетно було цікаво.
Profile Image for Neil R. Coulter.
1,233 reviews154 followers
December 2, 2014

Even as part of a series that I've found mediocre at best, 2061 was a disappointing, awful book. Clarke demonstrates again how clumsy he is at creating and developing characters. The plot is unnecessary, and nothing of particular importance happens until the very end (which is also when Dave and Hal make their sole brief appearance). We're treated to the usual chauvinistic, awkward writing, this time with occasional random chapters about a gay couple on a space hospital (??).

It's interesting to me how as Clarke continued through this series, his vision of the future seems to have become less and less "on target." He had some uncannily accurate predictions in 2001, but now he has missed some directions that I would've thought might be more evident in the late 1980s. For example, he imagines a character wanting to look up a poem, but deciding against a computer search, because it would be too costly and take 10 minutes or more to find the answer. And can we really believe that in 2061 everyone on Earth will have forgotten the Beatles?? Clarke really missed the upcoming digital information revolution, and that makes his 2061 feel very wrong at a number of key points.

My reviews of the other books in the series:

2001: A Space Odyssey
2010: Odyssey Two
3001: The Final Odyssey
Profile Image for Franky.
565 reviews61 followers
July 18, 2022
I consider 2001: A Space Odyssey one of, if not, my favorite science fiction novel of all time, and 2010 was a stellar sequel to the Clarke’s Odyssey series. However, 2061: Odyssey Three was mostly a letdown, especially considering how amazing the first two books in the series were.

As the plot is fairly convoluted (one key element is an attempted hijacking and a race to a place known as Europa), I will not going into particulars, but rather just give some thoughts:

I don’t know if this was a rushed job by Clarke, but one of the biggest flaws of the book is the disjointed, uneven feel of the plot, which, in turn, trickles down and causes other issues. There is almost no flow to transitions between the chapters, as they seem isolated from each other, and I think one of the issues is that there are far too many characters to keep track of, way too many subplots (some not very important to the plot), and way too much exposition and backstory before we actually get to the “meat� of the book. Also, the disjointedness makes some parts very difficult to follow.

In short, there are too many things going on, too many moving parts and characters coming in and out in the plot, and I think this strips the book not only of a focus, but also strips it of any dramatic tension or suspense felt in the previous two books (this even though, Dr. Heywood Floyd at a “young� 103 years old, is part of the cast on board ). In 2001: A Space Odyssey, we feel a sense of question and wonder as we follow the crew on their mission, however 2061 is fairly devoid of all the wonder, amazement, and intrigue into the unknown and the far beyond. Instead, we have a group of “celebrity� scientists with flat character exchanges and dialogue, a lukewarm plot and premise, and a fairly pedestrian and anticlimactic finish and conclusion.

So, even though there are “some� moments of intrigue at points and “some� glimpses of the unknown, this was sort of a flat, uninspiring entry into this series. The “completionist� in me wants to read the final book 3001: The Final Odyssey, but it seems that the way things are heading in the Odyssey series, I might want to leave well enough alone.
Profile Image for Inga.
184 reviews15 followers
March 28, 2018
Viduvēji. Šķiet šī būs vājākā sērijas daļa, iesāku jau ceturto un tā pagaidām ļoti patīk.
Šoreiz stāsts ir taka sadalīts divās daļās - par diviem kosmosa ceļojumiem, kas beigās apvienojas vienā.
Bet tas kas bija domāts kā lielais pārsteigums par Eiropas planētas kalnu, galīgi nenostrādāja, jo iepriekšējā grāmatā tā kā garāmejot tas jau bija pieminēts, un varēju uzminēt kas tas ir jau grāmatas sākumā. Sabojāts pārsteigums.

Profile Image for Tudor Mihai Ursachi.
85 reviews6 followers
December 27, 2022
2061: a treia odisee, reia povestea de unde ne-a lăsat precedenta carte, reușind să surprindă prin afișarea unor noi elemente astronomice menite să inducă cititorului starea de explorator al spațiului. Reușim să ajungem pe Europa, satelitul interzis al lui Jupiter, unde dăm peste o specie nouă de creaturi ce par a face parte dintr-un lanț trofic mai mare decât omul. Rămâne de văzut cum se va incheia epopeea.
Profile Image for Bren.
965 reviews146 followers
October 8, 2018
Cada libro ha resultado mejor que el anterior, este tercer libro me ha gustado mucho, pero mucho más que los dos anteriores.

En esta ocasión nos reencontramos con el Dr. Heywood Floyd ¡Si, sigue vivo! y es que resulta que su estancia en el espacio lo ha hecho seguir vivito y coleando y además activo, ha sido invitado en un viaje de la Nave Universe para reconocer al cometa Halley que pasará cerca de la tierra, pero cuando se encuentran en medio de la misión reciben una alerta de emergencia de la nave Universe que por razones desconocidas ha tenido que aterrizar en "Europa", un lugar prohibido desde hace más de 50 años.

En la nave Universe también va el nieto de Heywood y lo que sucede en la nave para que tengan que aterrizar en Europa no se los voy a contar, tendrán que leer el libro, pero todo esto resulta en que nos volvemos a encontrar con David Bowman y HAL

Es una delicia, no se que mas puedo decir de este libro, es maravilloso, una historia interespacial tan increíble como emocionante y lo que comienza con el desarrollo de la raza humana en el libro uno, nos lleva a un viaje de crecimiento de la humanidad, de la creación de un nuevo sol llamado "Lucifer" de vida inteligente que no es para nada ni cerca de lo que se maneja en otro tipo de libros de este género y ahora, con Europa la que fuera otrora luna de Júpiter, ahora es un planeta, con más vida de la que cabe esperarse, llena también de misterios por resolver, un lugar muy peligroso y en la que nos espera mucha acción en el siguiente libro.

No puedo esperar para terminar esta serie, Arthur C. Clarke escribió una serie de libros que son para mi gusto indispensables para quienes amamos este género además de una aventura de viajes en el espacio tan emocionante como prodigioso.
Profile Image for Tomislav.
1,129 reviews87 followers
June 29, 2017
third read - 29 September 2010 - This is a choppy story set on two different spaceships in the Space Odyssey universe. It came out about the time of the return of Halley's comet in 1986, and is set at the time of the comet's next expected visit to the inner solar system in 2061. One spaceship brings a very elderly Heywood Floyd along on a visit to the comet itself, and Clarke's descriptions are, as usual, quite vivid. Then the other spaceship is hijacked and crashes onto Europa, giving some members of the crew a chance to uncover the mystery of Mt. Zeus. This book just doesn't really add anything to the themes or concepts introduced in the earlier books, is probably the weakest link in the series.

second read - February 1995 - Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey was made into a movie. The sequel 2010: Odyssey Two is also a movie. However, the next sequel exists only in book form. This is it. If you remember, Jupiter has been started up as the second sun of our solar system in 2010. This is the story of the next expedition to the moons of Jupiter after that.

first read - February 1988
Profile Image for Andreas.
Author1 book29 followers
April 8, 2011
This series started as a one-off book released in conjunction with the Stanley Kubrick movie of the same name. The series consists of:

* 2001: A Space Odyssey
* 2010: Odyssey Two. (Also made into a film)
* 2061 Odyssey Three
* 3001: The Final Odyssey

The first and second books are enthralling. 2061 is more of the same, and thus decent but somewhat pointless as part of the arc. 3001 is an attempt at closing up all the loose threads, and does so in a satisfying way.

For a long time, these books frustrated me because I just didn’t get them. On the surface, they are hard SciFi, but there is quite a bit of existential pondering about the nature of life. When I finally just relaxed and accepted the fact that there are mystical things going on, I realized that this is the whole point. The reader is supposed to be in awe, and there are some things that mankind is not meant to know (yet). Just remember to accept the mystery and embrace the sense of wonder.

Profile Image for Jeff.
39 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2009
A colossal disappointment. Very little character development in support of an insubstantial plot. Because of the poor writing, I never felt that anybody in the crashed vessel was in jeopardy. Let's hope "3001" makes up for this one.
Profile Image for Велислав Върбанов.
788 reviews118 followers
October 3, 2022
В „Одисе� трета� действието в тази научнофантастична поредица се развива около половин век след събитията от предната част, като в Слънчевата система вече съществува новото слънце Луцифер. Човечеството е получило възможности за развитие, но не му е разрешено да посещава спътника Европа. Д-р Хейуд Флойд и екипаж от учени предприемат пътешествие с космически кораб до Халеевата комета. Друг кораб с учени пък изненадващо се приземява на забранената за хората Европа... Отново се появява загадъчният черен монолит...




„Ученит� бяха нетърпеливи да открият отговора, но широката общественост показваше недвусмислени признаци на нервност по въпроса.�


„То� съзнателно предпазваше ума си от директна конфронтация със своите страхове, като се надяваше да се промъкне до тях изневиделица, чрез някакъв обърнат умствен образ.�


„Единствен� Времето е универсално; Нощта и Денят са просто старомодни местни обичаи на онези планети, чиито сили на прилива и отлива все още не са ги лишили от тяхното въртене. Но колкото и да се отдалечават от своя роден свят, човешките същества никога не могат да се освободят от всекидневния ритъм, наложен преди много векове от цикъла на светлината и мрака.�
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