2061: Odyssey Three

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2061: Odyssey Three (1987) is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, and is the third book in the Space Odyssey series.

Origins

Because the Odyssey series is closely concerned with Jupiter and its moons, Clarke had originally intended to delay writing a third book until the Galileo mission to the planet had returned its findings. However, the probe's launch was delayed in the aftermath of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster so that it would not arrive at Jupiter until 1995. Deciding not to wait, Clarke instead took his inspiration from the approach of Comet Halley in 1986 and focused his sequel on the comet's future return, in 2061.

Synopsis

In the previous novel, 2010: Odyssey Two, a warning was sent to Earth not to land on Europa. In 2061, however, a ship is hijacked and forced to land on the newly-warmed Europa orbiting the new sun Lucifer. On Europa, sophisticated life has begun to evolve - but the greatest attraction to the South African hijackers is the gigantic mountain of pure diamond, dubbed Mount Zeus.

David Bowman and HAL 9000, now part of the Monolith system, appear to Heywood Floyd's grandson, who is a pilot of the downed ship, telling him that the Europans are safe. They discover a gigantic version of the Monolith, lying on its side, sheltering a village of the Europans, like a windbreak.