Rating: 
Summary: Good for dedicated 2001 fans
Review: The book is farily easy reading, not a lot of technical jargon . Definately not action-packed (no sex, violence, or high speed chases), it does clarify things from the previous Odyssies and is a must for those of us who have been with 2001 from the beginnings in the '60s. Finding and reviving Frank Poole after 1000 years, Clarke did a fair job of taking modern problems and concerns and relating them and their possible solutions to the future. I thought the ending was anticlimatic, but it did leave the door open for another sequel
Rating: 
Summary: A bit slow moving; for die-hard fans only.
Review: Astronaut Frank Poole (remember? HAL booted him off into space in 2001) lives again. His frozen corpse is retrieved from beyond Neptune's orbit and he is revived to become a "national treasure" of the third millenium, at least until he finds a more interesting calling as potentially the only person with whom Dave Bowman & HAL (now existing in some form inside the monolith watching over Europa) may communicate and share insights concerning an impending threat to humanity. Most of the book plods along steadily, but without much effect. Entirely plausible, if unexciting, descriptions of the living environments and technologies of the third millenium are intertwined with minimal plot development. The climax of the story is, unfortunately, greatly diminished in impact by its (apparently) entirely coincidental commonalities with ID4. And, despite the book's title, the door seems to remain ajar just a bit (4001?). Overall: happy ending, no sex, no violence, easy reading, good footnotes. This one is probably mostly for die-hard 2001 and Arthur C. Clarke fans
Rating: 
Summary: Ugggggggghhhh!
Review: 3001 attempts to explain much of what has happened since 2001, a book whos' lack of explantation made it so popular to me.
Mankind finds superior intellect in the universe and in this book we attempt to understand "its'" purpose. This is the last of a four book set, preceded by 2010 & 2061, books that shouldn't have been written. Over four books you finally reach a pinnacle, that does nothing more than disappoint. The ending is similar to Independence Day (the movie). Computer virus wins over are ancestral guides? Ughhh!
It earns one star because it set up a great premise, but could not deliver.
Rating:
Summary: did he really write Childhood's End and 2001?
Review: It's hard to believe this is the same author that wrote those two masterpieces! In 3001, there is hardly any plot. Basically, they find Frank Poole in space and revive him - leading to the first half of the book (if not more) as an introduction to Clarke's predictions of new technologies and the progress of society. His view of religion is fairly typical of an atheist in some places, greatly misinformed in others, and extremely offensive at the worst. He basically calls any religious person insane (most atheists tend to think of the religious more as ignorant - the reverse of which is probably true as well - but instead Clarke goes one offensive step further). I'm sure he would be shocked to hear that I would consider him one of those religious fanatics he blames everything on, just that his religion is atheism! Clarke really doesn't make any strong cases for his thoughts on religion, the criminal justice system, or any other flaws he sees in the 20th century. His argues are weak and pseudo-philosophical, sometimes being little more than saying "Religion is dumb - what were they thinking?" His character development is weak, if it exists at all. All of the characters are extremely bland, and there are hardly any differences between them. Instead of an eclectic society, everyone has basically the same ideas about life - which are probably the same as Clarke's. Most of the book is a superficial look at what might be the future - which is what I find to be the worst kind of science fiction. It's not until the end that any kind of plot development seems to occur, and here it is much weaker than in any of the previous three.
Rating:
Summary: hard to believe he wrote 2001 and Childhood's End
Review: First of all, there is hardly any plot. This would be fine with my if the philosophically aspects were intriguing... but they're not. The plot is basically that they find Frank Poole in space and revive him, and then more than the first half of the book is just introducing him to all of the new technologies and societal developments. I don't find future predictions all that interesting as a whole, but I find it even more disconcerning that his future seems to be mostly a world where everyone has progressed along the same lines that Clarke himself would have, which is quite narcissistic, even if not intentional. His view of religion is fairly typical of an atheist, and in many places he doesn't seem to act like he cares about empathy, or recognize Christians that are pacifistic, compassionate, and intelligent, such as his colleague Lewis (such as basically maintaining that all religious people are insane and in self-denial). Uninformed, at best. I'm sure Clarke would be shocked to hear that I would consider him a religious fanatic himself - just that his religion is atheism. His character development is weak, if even that. All of the characters are extremely bland, and there are hardly any differences between them. I would guess that they are all people of a like mind to Clarke. They are all incredibly bland scientist types, and Clarke would have you believe the whole human society has basically the same ideas. The ending is somewhat compelling, but no where near the same level as 2001. The whole novel simply seems inconsequential. I really find it hard to believe that this same man wrote 2001 and Childhood's End. Back to Philip K. Dick and Asimov for me!
Rating:
Summary: Long on future talk. Short on plot
Review: I will admit, I haven't read the books 2001 or 2010, but with the release of 3001, I decided I would give Arthur Clarke a try. On the plus side, just watching the movies is enough for you to know what's going on. It's also a facinating view on how far (or how little) we'll have come in 1,000 years. And you do get an explanation behind what the Monoliths are really there for. But once I got past the "golly-gee, so this is what the future could be like" moment, I realized there wasn't much plot going on. Most time was spent explaining things like a ring constructed around the planet or on efforts to terraform other planets. When it came down to the actual plot of the book, it seemed like a passing thought. The ending especially seemed tacked on, and devoid of any imagination. It was as if Clarke had finished talking about the future, wanted to be done with the project, and just threw in a rather cheap, hardly explained, and a bit difficult to believe resolution, and called it a day.If you're looking for one man's view on mankind in 1,000 years (and recall that he was a tad optimistic on where we'd be in 2001), then this is a pretty good book. If you're looking for an exciting sci-fi adventure, you should really keep looking.
Rating:
Summary: Conclusion of a Space Odyssey
Review: I recently finished Arthur C. Clarke's 3001: THE FINAL ODYSSEY. Like all of Clarke's later books, 3001 was very entertaining and also thought-provoking. This volume completes Clarke's speculative series. Each book stands alone in its time line but are related by common themes. They are really four versions of one story each told from a different point in the story. For instance, in 2010, Jupiter becomes a sun that burns for thousands of years. In 2061, the Jupiter-Sun burns out. In 3001 the Jupiter-Sun is still burning brightly. Frank Poole's body has been found drifting in space and then revived. The last thing Poole remembers is being on a mission to Jupiter. Now he finds himself in a world a thousand years later. The ban keeping humanity away from Europa is still in effect. Because of Poole's relationship with Bowman, it is suggested that he might be able to land on Europa. Poole tries and is successful. He is contacted by what was Bowman. Later, in another contact Bowman brings distressing news. The nearest center of the intelligence that created the Monoliths is about 450 light-years away. That means that the events of 2001 have made it there, a decision has been reached and the answer is almost here. Bowman also knows of a link between the Monolith makers and a nova that has been puzzling scientists. It appears that a planet exploded and that triggered the nova. A similar fate might be in store for humanity. The forces of Earth, aided buy Halman (Bowman and HAL), put together a plan to survive. The most destructive computer viruses ever devised will be fed into the Monolith by Halman. The plan proves to be successful. 3001 is billed at the final Odyssey but it really opens up more questions than it answers. Now that Earth and Humanity have the attention of the Monolith builders how can we expect them to ignore us? I don't think they would but Clarke is done writing in this series. Maybe Gentry Lee will pick up the torch and continue the run. Another amusing aspect is the continual references to Star Trek. Clarke has also taken the opportunity to update some of the technology and history that Frank Poole should be familiar with. All in all it was another fine effort from possibly the greatest science fiction writer still writing. The book also contains an extensive afterword detailing scientific research, history and plot similarities with other projects. If you have read any of the other Odyssey books I recommend reading this one as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusual and excellent sequel!
Review: A very unusual book for a sequel. 3001 is a very quick read and has some Arthur C. Clarke touch of 2001. Plus, the same character barely mentioned in the original is completely developed here, constructing him into the central character. In my opinion, this is the most underrated book of all time. There is no reason for the many negative ratings it has received. The very best new edition of this has recently been released, coming out as a well made but cheap paperback edition.
The story chronicles Frank Poole's revival and exploration of the new technology in the year 3001. After visiting the technology of the ship he is rescued by, he attempts to contact David Bowman by landing on Europa. I will not tell you anything that happens from here, as the rest is the most exciting part of the book. Pick this up AFTER you read 2001 and 2010.
Rating: 
Summary: A let down
Review: Between the time I read 2061, and 3001, I was excited to see how Clarke would sum everything up. Unfortunatly Clarke did a poor job in 3001. The first half of the book was simply about the technology of 3001. The part of the book, that was advertised, was that the Monoliths would be explained. They were explained very quickly. There was very little suspence, like in the 2001, and 2010. It was a real let down.
Rating:
Summary: Clarke's 3001--a blind prophecy
Review: I and a lot of other science fiction readers have gotten used to the idea that Clarke was a true prophet. In the 1940s and 50s he made a number of predictions, such as satellite communications using synchronous orbits, which have come true. He had a rash of other ideas which I will not explore. 3001 showcases some of them, but it also reveals another side of Clarke--his blindness.
3001 is full of libels against religion in general and Christianity in particular. One wild idea is that a future pope (Pius XX) will renounce his faith due to the "space monoliths," release the records of the Inquisition and thereby cause the collapse of Christianity. This idea is possibly a sign of a mental hardening of the arteries. No way, Mr. Clarke. The Inquisition is old hat. No one today gives a damn about it except a few historians. And a lot of people think it was a hoot--thanks to Monty Python.
More disturbing yet is the peculiar Professor Theodore Khan of Ganymede whose field of interest is the "psychopathology known as religion." His--and obviously Clarke's--ravings against religion and reveal a profound ignorance of religious feeling. He describes some of the cruelties perpetrated in the name of relgion, failing to mention many of the worst. But, he completely ignores the murders of atheism. Let's see--Lenin and Stalin, 40-50 million, Adolph Hitler, 20 million, Mao Zedong, 100-120 million, Pol Pot, a trivial 3 million. Just counting these we a have a total of 173-193 miilion people. That is far more than fell to all the Inquisitions, Crusades, and Jihads combined. Millions slaughtered to produce a world free of God.
I would rather not live in Clarke's 3001. A world without God is a world without hope, full of cruelty and human depravity. I suggest that Clarke read Paul's Letter to the Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 18-23 and Orwell's "Animal Farm" before writing diatribes against relgion. There are worse things than religion. If you attach any value to religious belief do not read 3001.
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