Second Time Around

Several days ago I reviewed 2001: A Space Odyssey, when I had actually already finished 2010: Odyssey Two. I always find Clarke’s choice of simplistic titles interesting. Anyway I’m going to keep this review shorter than the last one.

2010 was published in 1982, a full 14 years after 2001. Clarke does something interesting here too. He decides to make this book the sequel to the screenplay rather than the first book. It’s an interesting choice, and probably a necessary one for the plot he wrote. Jupiter just offered too many options. This book also seems to develop the characters a little better. Clarke also delves into interpersonal relationships more, sexual relationships specifically. It’s a sign of how the times had changed from when the first book was written. May of Clarke’s stories since then devote a fair amount of page space to things of a sexual nature.

Overall this is a fitting sequel to the first book about which Clarke said he never intended to write a sequel. I was surprised at how quick a read it was. Plus it’s funny reading about the dates that things happened in the book’s alternate history.