3001: The Final Odyssey
In this fourth and final book in a 30-year publishing odyssey (following 2001, 2010, and 2061), 2001 astronaut Frank Poole, presumed dead and adrift in deep space near Jupiter, is recovered alive in the year 3001. Intent on saving humanity, he returns to Jupiter's satellite, Europa, to contact partner Dave Bowman, whose mind has become absorbed by a third monolith. Unfortunately, Clarke uses this book as a vehicle to showcase scientific ideas and breakthroughs at the expense of the story, spending too much time catching up Poole on what he's missed in the last 1000 years while failing to develop fully the current situation and rushing the conclusion. Recommended only to complete the quartet.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.