The true mastery of an author shows when a sequel turns out to be as good if not better than part-I... 2010 lives up to the standards set by Clarkes’ earlier works. A succesful bestseller this story was later made into an hit movie of the same name. the story picks up from where it ended in 2001...
Dave Bowman’s last message sets bells ringing at mission control on the earth and they launch a second mission this time jointly with the russian (soviet) space agency to investigate the fate of Dave Bowman and Discovery the spacecraft. the cooperation with the soviets is a result of the urgency of the situation as Discovery’s orbit had started decaying rapidly and as soon as it shifts from the Lagrangian point between jupiter and Io it could be lost for ever. Lagrangian point (for those un initiated) is the point in space where the gravitational pulls from two nearby celestial bodies balance out and no net gravitational pull acts on an object parked there. What follows is race against time, as the second mission tries to reach Discovery to unlock the secrets hidden therein. Secrets hidden in the Jovian systems and Odyssey are revealed... the crew of discovery are unaware that a mysterious entity with its own mission is watching them. This entity resident inside the monolith is preparing for what would be the biggest spectacle since the creation of the solar system... the surprise hits you almost without warning towards the end of the story.
The most amazing thing about the story is the way it unveils as a series of surprises and awe-inspiring possibilities... it also makes you think of the wonders that remain yet unveiled and the possibilities that are contained within the small but significant corner of the universe that is our solar system...