Well, at least it wasn't as bad as the third book.

It really is such a shame that this series has such an anticlimactic book to end on, even if there are some fun aspects that make it a FAR more enjoyable read than 2061. I wasn't bored, so its rating is squeaking by with a three rather than a two.

Don't let the cover fool you. It may look all epic with that looming monolith, but you won't see much of them here. Most of the time in the book is spent exploring what's gone down on Earth for the past thousand years and how we've evolved. Some of Clarke's ideas for the future are pretty neat, while others just seem like ideas that he thought would be REALLY cool at the time but just fell REALLY flat (the raptor gardeners are a perfect example of this. What the hell was up with that?)

I think the biggest disappointment for me was that there was so little Dave and HAL to be had here. They're more of a cameo than a supporting cast, and for a finale of a series that initially seemed to revolve entirely around them that's a real letdown.

I will say that it was a genuinely nice surprise to see Frank Poole acting as protagonist here. I didn't see that coming, and I was happy to see him return from the first book.