A review by ianbanks
2061: Odyssey Three by Arthur C. Clarke

3.0

I enjoyed this book a lot but only as a continuation of a great story rather than for itself. It relies on sidetracks, infodumps and a lot of goodwill from the reader to succeed. There's a lot to love in it, but there's also a lot that feels like retreads of overly familiar themes that Sir Arthur had already written for books that he didn't finish.

It lacks the grandeur that both its predecessors had. It feels a slightly more literary novel, with a lot of interesting characters but there aren't many who contribute a lot to the plot: you could take out nearly half of the characters and still have roughly the same novel.

But it reads well and feels great so you barely notice the lack of soul.