2001: A Space Odyssey (Arthur C Clarke)

The next two sequels I remember being better. Though 3001 was a dud to my teenage mind

As Marc says, this lives in the shadow of the film and never really gets out from behind it. Still excellent but I would be hard pressed to recommend it over the film, though it is worth it to get a slightly more comprehensible version of the ending.

An undoubted classic. The book is nowhere near as good as the film, however. Arthur C Clarke's endless diversions into his "Prophet of the future" persona jar annoyingly with the plot.