2010: Odyssey Two: A Novel (Space Odyssey)

by Arthur C. Clarke

“A daring romp through the solar system and a worthy successor to 2001.”—Carl Sagan

Nine years after the disastrous Discovery mission to Jupiter in 2001, a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition sets out to rendezvous with the derelict spacecraft—to search the memory banks of the mutinous computer HAL 9000 for clues to what went wrong…and what became of Commander Dave Bowman.

Without warning, a Chinese expedition targets the same objective, turning the recovery mission into a frenzied race for the precious information Discovery may hold about the enigmatic monolith that orbits Jupiter.

Meanwhile, the being that was once Dave Bowman—the only human to unlock the mystery of the monolith—streaks toward Earth on a vital mission of its own . . . 

“Clarke deftly blends discovery, philosophy, and a newly acquired sense of play.”—Time

“2010 is easily Clarke’s best book in over a decade.”—The San Diego Tribune

• ISBN10: 0345413970
• ISBN13: 9780345413970
• Publish Date: 25 February 1997 (first published 12 January 1984)
• Publish Status: Inactive
• Out of Print: 22 January 2025
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Del Rey Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345413970

Reviews

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

2.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews

Summary:

After David Bowman disappeared into a mysterious monolith, Heywood Floyd and others have set out to investigate what happened. At the same time, unbeknownst to them, Bowman has returned, as a mysterious and powerful being revisiting old haunts.

Review:

Arthur C. Clarke said for a long time that he’d not write a sequel to 2001. Sometimes, it’s best to stick with the original intent. This sequel was decidedly underwhelming.

For one thing, Clarke has chosen to follow the film version of 2001 rather than his own book version. That means that instead of taking place around Saturn, the action is based around Jupiter. I suppose that he was acknowledging that the film reached more people, but even aware of the decision, I found it confusing, and had to keep reminding myself that this was a sequel to the film (which I haven’t seen for decades) and not to the book I read last month.

Equally troubling, there’s little real purpose to the book. It’s an unfortunate exemplar of a bridge sequel, in that very little happens other than to lay the groundwork for another book. The sequence of events is at times asynchronous, and there are occasional long, jarring and – I’m sorry to say it – dull asides that add very little. There’s a lack of clarity at one point about whether a scene is a flashback or just badly set up. And, to top things off, there are many and long quotes – retreads – from the previous book.

It all adds up to a nicely written, poorly constructed, and ultimately purposeless book that confirms Clarke’s original plan to leave well enough alone.