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302 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1987
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