Well, it had to end.

One of (if not THE) greatest scifi novel series of all time, Arthur C. Clark's 2001: The Space Odyssey, has come to it's inevitible conclusion with 3001: The Final Odyssey. Yes - the human race fails to annihilate itself, after 1000 years, and yes - those funky monoliths are still hanging about. But after three novels, many questions remained unanswered, and so Mr. Clark gives us - his faithful fans of the series for over 30 years - some closure.

If a novel of what humanity might be like in 1000 years isn't enough, how about recovering and restoring the body and life of Dave Bowman's co-pilot, Frank Poole? It's through his eyes, we see and feel the overwhelming future of mankind. And beyond unraveling the mystery of the monoliths, this is far the most interesting aspect of the book. I would have easily read this meager 200-page novel in one sitting had it not been for contemplative pauses at these suggestive technological wonders the author poses to his reader. After all, wasn't it Arthur C. Clark's own article that led to the invention of the technology that gave us satellites? Well, you ain't seen nuthin', yet.

It's 3001, and we've brought a thousand year old space-frozen corpse to life. We still have two suns (including ex-planet Jupiter), three ominous monoliths, and a moon-turned-planet Europa mysteriously evolving it's own wonderous life. Frank Poole could have easily been satisfied simply taking in 1000 years of human development, but no ... he is drawn to solve the mystery that both caused his death, and his re-birth. What happened to Dave Bowman - and, of course, HAL? Inevitably, he must once again make the journey to the large monolith, and the forbidden planet Europa, to face his demons ... once and for all.

If I had a complaint regarding this amazing novel, it would be that it was all too short. The amazing possibilities based on science fact, as typical of Clark, sent my mind reeling: I wanted to learn more, I needed to know more. But alas, this is science fiction - and not all things could nor should be fully explained. The rest is left to the reader.

Just as every lover of fantasy should read the entire trilogy ofJ.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings - these four Odyssey novels of Arthur C. Clark must be read by every fan of scifi.