2061: Odyssey Three

I read 2061, and it was pretty good. Dave Bowman isn't really part of the crew this time. By this point he's become some kind of intelligence tied to the monolith builders, watching from a distance instead of acting directly. Heywood Floyd even tries radioing him at one point, and later dreams of a small monolith at the foot of his bed.

The main story follows the ship Galaxy getting hijacked and crash-landing into Europa's ocean. The stranded crew finds the ocean full of life and settles on an island they call Haven. I liked how the rescue tied back into the warning at the end of 2010, since Europa was the one place they'd been told to stay away from.

The ending was the best part. I got goosebumps reading that last sentence. Because of that ending, I kept hoping they'd make a movie out of it. Years went by after the 1984 release of the 2010 movie, and eventually I gave up on that hope.

Part of me feels like 2061 should have been the final book in the series, letting my imagination run wild with the ending forever. Five stars for this one. I loved how the story ends.