Product Description

"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 Clarkes' best book in over a decade."

*The San Diego Tribune

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #299814 in Books
• Published on: 1997-02-25
• Released on: 1997-02-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From the Inside Flap
"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 Clarkes' best book in over a decade."

*The San Diego Tribune

Customer Reviews

The intelligent person's science fiction story, a worthy successor to "2001"
Even though it was difficult to understand, "2001: A Space Odyssey" was a superb movie. It introduced many unusual twists on space flight, extra-terrestrial intelligence and the relationship between humans and intelligent machines. This book is a worthy extension of that story, answering many of the questions raised in "2001", yet generating many more in the process.
In this sequel, it is determined that the orbit of Discovery is decaying rapidly and the planned U. S. mission to the spacecraft will not arrive at Jupiter until Discovery has already made contact with the planet. Therefore, a joint U. S./Russian crew is placed aboard the Russian craft Leonov and they depart for Jupiter. The crew is well trained and they believe they are prepared for all eventualities.
A Chinese mission blasts off and by using all of their fuel, manage to arrive at Jupiter ahead of the Leonov. They then land on Europa in an attempt to refuel by tapping into the liquids under the ice. However, they are destroyed by an indigenous creature that is just following its' mindless phototropism.
The crew establishes contact with Discovery and is able to restart HAL. His bout of digital insanity is explained and the crew explores the vicinity of Jupiter, including the monolith. They learn very little about it until David Bowman reappears and tells them they must leave. Using Discovery as a booster, they are able to blast out of orbit and enter a course back to Earth. Once they have left, changes take place and they understand some of what the makers of the monoliths planned.
No one writes about enigmatic aliens and their artifacts better than Arthur Clarke. His style of prose is almost completely scientifically accurate and he somehow always manages to weave a tale that is complete, yet leaves undetermined loose ends. This is a quality and intellectually challenging sequel to the original story of 2001.

Just as good as the first one.
Another great read. Couldn't put it down. There are some continuity inconsistencies (in the 2001 the Discovery was abandoned at Saturn, but in 2010 it is found orbiting among the moons of Jupiter) but Clarke maintained that each of the four odyssey books takes place in a parallel, yet slightly different, universe.

If you liked...
Years ago I read 2001 and recently decided to re-read it and follow up with the rest of the series. 2010 does not follow exactly from 2001. I am not going to give anything away, but if you are a purist and want utter consistency you will be perturbed. The book is an easy read, the character development is pretty good, but what keeps your interest is the plot. Even as we approach 2010 you can't help but think what if...