The sequel to the magnificent 2001 and the excellent 2010, the third instalment in Arthur C Clarke’s series was a comparatively disappointing read. I’ve read it twice, just to be certain, before banishing the book from my shelf. The story returns to some of the same characters and explores the implications of the events from the previous books. I remember the plot was a little complicated but not particularly exciting. The blurb was misleading, suggesting that the return of Dave Bowman and HAL was a central point of the story when actually it isn’t. Published in 1987, the book has never been adapted for the screen. I’m not saying the book isn’t worth reading, but I’m content never to read it again. The same goes for the next sequel, 3001: The Final Odyssey.

Catch up with some previous time-travelling posts: The Parasites, Junk, Wuthering Heights, Mutant 59: The Plastic Eater.