Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Spectra (1990), Mass Market Paperback, 288 pages
Description
An enormous cylindrical object appears in Earth's solar system, hurtling toward the sun. A ship is sent to explore the mysterious craft-which the denizens of the solar system name Rama-and what they find is intriguing evidence of a civilization far more advanced than ours. They find an interior stretching over 50 kilometers; a forbidding cylindrical sea; mysterious and inaccessible buildings; and strange machine-animal hybrids, or "biots," that inhabit the ship. But what they don't find is an alien presence. So who-and where-are the Ramans? Often listed as one of Clarke's finest novels, Rendezvous With Rama has won both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards. A fast-paced and compelling story of an enigmatic encounter with alien technology, Rendezvous With Rama offers both answers and unsolved mysteries that continue to fascinate readers decades after its first publication.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bardsfingertips
I could read Arthur C Clark all day, which I have, which is why I finished this so quickly.
The reason I say that is because Clark has this way of making the most mundane feat so fascinating and the most unimaginable event seem downright matter-of-fact. His writing is hypnotic in the sense one is
Rendezvous with Rama just flows so nicely. At the end of each chapter, I could not help but want to read the next – not because each ends as a cliffhanger, but I am ever curious as to what is going to happen next? What detail of physics will be precisely and artfully described? It all makes you want to fall asleep after reading the book and explore the world that is described so acutely within this book.
My only issue might be character development. Each person within the novel is a professional with a professional sense of self-preservation. I experienced this in 2001. There are no main characters who are average Joes; only professional people doing skilled jobs. Of course, this is the audience Clark is writing to – and the audience normally neglected in speculative fiction. Hence, why the genre of Arthur C Clark is called Hard Science Fiction.
But, please, do not let “Hard Science Fiction” throw you off. He is a story teller above all else, he just knows his physics and other disciplines very well.
There were times, while reading, when he would describe something where I ended up pondering to myself, “Oh…yeah, of course! Why didn’t I think of that?”
This book is highly recommended it, and, of course, I can hardly wait to get my hands on the sequels.
The reason I say that is because Clark has this way of making the most mundane feat so fascinating and the most unimaginable event seem downright matter-of-fact. His writing is hypnotic in the sense one is
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aware of each detail presented and doesn’t feel burdened at all by the technical details.Rendezvous with Rama just flows so nicely. At the end of each chapter, I could not help but want to read the next – not because each ends as a cliffhanger, but I am ever curious as to what is going to happen next? What detail of physics will be precisely and artfully described? It all makes you want to fall asleep after reading the book and explore the world that is described so acutely within this book.
My only issue might be character development. Each person within the novel is a professional with a professional sense of self-preservation. I experienced this in 2001. There are no main characters who are average Joes; only professional people doing skilled jobs. Of course, this is the audience Clark is writing to – and the audience normally neglected in speculative fiction. Hence, why the genre of Arthur C Clark is called Hard Science Fiction.
But, please, do not let “Hard Science Fiction” throw you off. He is a story teller above all else, he just knows his physics and other disciplines very well.
There were times, while reading, when he would describe something where I ended up pondering to myself, “Oh…yeah, of course! Why didn’t I think of that?”
This book is highly recommended it, and, of course, I can hardly wait to get my hands on the sequels.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
Is Rendezvous with Rama the greatest science fiction novel ever written? It is certainly the best one that I have read, and its impact remains undiminished after several re-readings. Clarke's supremacy as a writer of science fiction lies in his ability to describe fantastic events, scenarios and
Rendezvous with Rama is set in 2130, and opens with the discovery of what appears to be a new asteroid trundling through the outer reaches of the solar system. This is, in itself, of little moment until astronomers notice that it appears to be perfectly symmetrical, and moving abnormally quickly. As every available resource is directed to studying this celestial visitor it becomes apparent that it is not a natural object at all but a huge cylinder, fifty kilometres long and thirty kilometres across. The human race has to come to terms with the fact that it is, at long last, bout to encounter another civilisation.
The manned solar survey vessel Endeavour, under Commander Bill Norton, is sent to study Rama, as it is the only ship close enough to do so during the brief period that Rama will spend in our solar system. Endeavour manages to rendezvous with Rama one month after the space ship first comes to Earth's attention, by which time the alien ship is already inside Venus' orbit. Norton and his crew find it surprisingly easy to gain entry to Rama through one of a series of triple airlocks. They soon come to realise that everything in Rama is done in threes.
Once inside they are faced with a vast internal landscape laid out across the internal surface of the cylinder, including a band around the centre of the craft which they soon recognise as ice. This is dubbed the Cylindrical Sea. One bonus is that the atmosphere within Rama is breathable, which facilitates wider exploration. Their time in Rama is limited as there is no way that the Endeavour could survive going too close to the sun, and will have to depart within about a month of landing there.
The nature and purpose of Rama, and the identity and home of its creators remain enigmatic throughout the book. Inside Rama, the atmosphere is discovered to be breathable. The astronauts discover several features, including "cities" (odd blocky shapes that look like buildings, and streets with shallow trenches in them, looking like trolley car tracks) that actually served as factories and seven massive cones at the southern end of Rama – believed to form part of the propulsion system.
Clarke maintains the reader's sense of awe throughout the book, partially because it is matched by that of the characters themselves as they continually discover new aspects of the wonders of Rama. Clarke also investigates the political and religious impact of this sudden manifestation of other civilised life elsewhere in the universe, with the colonies on Mercury, the Moon and Mars all having different responses to the presence of Rama. He even manages to throw in a fair amount of humour, and captures it all in just two hundred and fifty pages. An excellent novel, that is as compelling now as when I firt read it about thirty-five years ago.
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phenomena in clear, accessible prose that enables even the scientific layman (such as myself) to appreciate the marvels he describes. He also has a gift for mingling the magical with the almost mundane, which always lends that extra verisimilitude to his books.Rendezvous with Rama is set in 2130, and opens with the discovery of what appears to be a new asteroid trundling through the outer reaches of the solar system. This is, in itself, of little moment until astronomers notice that it appears to be perfectly symmetrical, and moving abnormally quickly. As every available resource is directed to studying this celestial visitor it becomes apparent that it is not a natural object at all but a huge cylinder, fifty kilometres long and thirty kilometres across. The human race has to come to terms with the fact that it is, at long last, bout to encounter another civilisation.
The manned solar survey vessel Endeavour, under Commander Bill Norton, is sent to study Rama, as it is the only ship close enough to do so during the brief period that Rama will spend in our solar system. Endeavour manages to rendezvous with Rama one month after the space ship first comes to Earth's attention, by which time the alien ship is already inside Venus' orbit. Norton and his crew find it surprisingly easy to gain entry to Rama through one of a series of triple airlocks. They soon come to realise that everything in Rama is done in threes.
Once inside they are faced with a vast internal landscape laid out across the internal surface of the cylinder, including a band around the centre of the craft which they soon recognise as ice. This is dubbed the Cylindrical Sea. One bonus is that the atmosphere within Rama is breathable, which facilitates wider exploration. Their time in Rama is limited as there is no way that the Endeavour could survive going too close to the sun, and will have to depart within about a month of landing there.
The nature and purpose of Rama, and the identity and home of its creators remain enigmatic throughout the book. Inside Rama, the atmosphere is discovered to be breathable. The astronauts discover several features, including "cities" (odd blocky shapes that look like buildings, and streets with shallow trenches in them, looking like trolley car tracks) that actually served as factories and seven massive cones at the southern end of Rama – believed to form part of the propulsion system.
Clarke maintains the reader's sense of awe throughout the book, partially because it is matched by that of the characters themselves as they continually discover new aspects of the wonders of Rama. Clarke also investigates the political and religious impact of this sudden manifestation of other civilised life elsewhere in the universe, with the colonies on Mercury, the Moon and Mars all having different responses to the presence of Rama. He even manages to throw in a fair amount of humour, and captures it all in just two hundred and fifty pages. An excellent novel, that is as compelling now as when I firt read it about thirty-five years ago.
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LibraryThing member swynn
I've known about this book for what seems like ever, as a canonical "big dumb object" book, but have only just read it for the first time. My what I've missed.
The plot is simple: a mysterious cylindrical object appears in nearby space. Humans go to investigate. They see many mysterious things, but
First, the date. I had thought this was from the 1950s, contemporary with Asimov's Foundation and early robot stories, early 1960's at the latest. But 1973 means it appeared post-New Wave; it was written in a context where other writers were looking to be more literary: experimenting with prose, writing complicated characters, and making social and political commentary. Heck, this book is younger than I am.
Which makes the next surprise all the more surprising: how completely unconcerned Clarke is with trickeries of style, character development, or social awareness. Not that his characters are uninteresting. On the contrary, they represent multiple social groups with competing political or religious agendas. But Clarke doesn't seem to be commenting on current events so much as he is creating a world in which events have moved on from current preoccupations. Even forty-four years later it does not feel dated.
Another surprise: I knew that questions would be unanswered. What I didn't know was that *every* question would be unanswered. Things got curiouser and curiouser until it was just over. And yet I never felt that Clarke was being coy. Whatever the mystery, physics still applies, so despite a lack of answers it always *feels* like the answers are there. They taunt like one of those simple-to-state-difficult-to-prove problems in number theory: you always feel the result would be obvious if only you could find the right approach. I can see why this book attracts such strong devotion.
Last surprise: I knew that a sequel (Rama II) came years & years later in response to persistent requests from fans. What I didn't know was how strongly Rendezvous With Rama seems to promise a sequel, or how badly I'd want one too. I hear it's disappointing. I'm reading it anyway.
The plot is simple: a mysterious cylindrical object appears in nearby space. Humans go to investigate. They see many mysterious things, but
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many questions remain unanswered at the book's closing. That's what I knew, and it's a pretty fair description so the story didn't surprise me. Here are things that did.First, the date. I had thought this was from the 1950s, contemporary with Asimov's Foundation and early robot stories, early 1960's at the latest. But 1973 means it appeared post-New Wave; it was written in a context where other writers were looking to be more literary: experimenting with prose, writing complicated characters, and making social and political commentary. Heck, this book is younger than I am.
Which makes the next surprise all the more surprising: how completely unconcerned Clarke is with trickeries of style, character development, or social awareness. Not that his characters are uninteresting. On the contrary, they represent multiple social groups with competing political or religious agendas. But Clarke doesn't seem to be commenting on current events so much as he is creating a world in which events have moved on from current preoccupations. Even forty-four years later it does not feel dated.
Another surprise: I knew that questions would be unanswered. What I didn't know was that *every* question would be unanswered. Things got curiouser and curiouser until it was just over. And yet I never felt that Clarke was being coy. Whatever the mystery, physics still applies, so despite a lack of answers it always *feels* like the answers are there. They taunt like one of those simple-to-state-difficult-to-prove problems in number theory: you always feel the result would be obvious if only you could find the right approach. I can see why this book attracts such strong devotion.
Last surprise: I knew that a sequel (Rama II) came years & years later in response to persistent requests from fans. What I didn't know was how strongly Rendezvous With Rama seems to promise a sequel, or how badly I'd want one too. I hear it's disappointing. I'm reading it anyway.
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LibraryThing member bookwyrmm
I know Clarke is one of the best sci-fi writers and this book has won many awards, but it was just so boring. The whole book was exploring Rama and theorizing about what it was with very little action.
LibraryThing member antao
Ah, yes. Rama. I actually read this with a torch under the blankets in an intense all-nighter back in the day. What I like about this book in retrospect is its complete lack of compromise as a work of SF. Characters? Who the frack needs 'em. Themes? Bah, pointless! All SF needs to be is an
In any genre of literature, you definitely have some people whose names tower above everyone else, and their influence could not be denied. However, people who like literature don't just read the so-called greats. Clarke certainly wrote some seminal works of SF, but he probably read many obscure works too, some of which may have influenced him. Readers don't just read the big name writers, but have a much bigger interest in the genre. A writer’s work only makes sense within a tradition and how it is situated along other people's work. It is all interlinked and some of the smaller voices may be bigger than critics acknowledge. For instance Clarke's influences aren't as well-known but what he learned from them is part of his work, so the voices remain powerful, and readers equally value preceding works. That doesn't mean that the big name writers don't deserve their place in history, but as fan of literature, I think sometimes, the bigger contributions are made by lesser known writers. I disagree with the assessment that Clarke left questions unanswered; world-building can get boring at the micro, non-plot-related level. This book was "sensawunda" in triplicate -- for the Ramans always did everything in threes. How about those tripodal cleansing things that whirled about? I'm not disappointed that Clarke had no sequel; when you look at 2001 on the screen, then read Clarke's rejected worlds, you realise that Kubrick was right to end with the “Star Child”. There must be mystery and open-endedness along with “sensawunda” to develop and explore. One writer cannot be credited with the continuity of ideas within a literary genre. I also enjoy reading it for the lack of artificial tension - there isn't a saboteur on board, the characters all seem decent and likeable (and sensible - no one behaves like an idiot for the sake of the plot), and only the fiery Martians stir things up a little. All the tension emerges naturally from their being on an alien artefact. It's as enjoyable and fascinating as watching the Edwardian Farm in space... And it's almost impossible to imagine a modern dramatisation without someone ruining it with loads of artificial, clichéd conflict. (Christ, even the remake of Hawaii 5-O has to start off with them all resenting each other and grudgingly gaining each other's respect. Yawn.)
I find Arthur C. Clarke to be a writer whose prose is pretty workmanlike, but where Clarke excels when he's at his best (he often wasn't) is in dramatic structure and for a novel which is all about a good idea it's that knowledge of how to explain an idea which holds it together. Enough is explained for it to make sense, but not enough as to require any utterly pointless sequels. A writer without the knack of explaining a grand idea without deep characterization would have fluffed it.
Not sure which SF I'd recommend to non-SF fans, because as well as the formula issue there's also the fact that the books tend not to take place in the world we see around us which raises a barrier of understanding for the casual reader. Anything by Lem might fit the bill though and of course some Phil Dick. "The Big Sleep” helped created the hardboiled genre. It did not adhere to a formula. When to comes to brass-tacks, I'd recommend it not just to any crime genre fan but to those who aren't fans of the genre as well. And for me “Rendezvous with Rama” is an example of still readable SF, being also an example that remains within the formula and so is one I'd recommend to any genre fan but not to anyone not into the genre.
In the Big Dumb Object competition I'll still take “Ringworld” by Niven, but there was some serious skull sweat involved with “Rendezvous with Rama”. It shows and it deserves respect for it. I also prefer Clarke's “Fountains of Paradise”. The story is a bit better and the engineering involved is somewhat mind blowing. There have been attempts to make it as a film, but they keep running into funding problems. It would be a huge undertaking, and really needs something with a breadth of imagination to create real, or virtual, sets which would need to rival the LOTR films in order to be convincing. Many of the ideas have been used elsewhere, though; for example, in Blake's 7, the concept of Xen insisting that the crew find out things for themselves has some echoes of “Rendezvous with Rama”.
NB1: What about the bicycle? The junior crewmember could've said something earlier, but he had smuggled the device on board and wasn't supposed to have it. Yes, even then the explanation is a bit weak, but the human spaceship isn't supposed to have any devices on it that can manoeuvre in an atmosphere because it doesn't have a mission that would require it (the ship is pressed into service when Rama is detected). But yes, I did wonder where their "Scotty" was, the bluff Scotsman who would rig together something--Clarke missed a chance to have a bit of fun with that. One thing that marked both Clarke and Asimov was their earnestness, and that serious tone of Awe at Marvels sometimes took away a bit of the fun. But I suppose they wanted SF taken seriously, after so many years of being relegated to laughable "monsters from outer space" clichés.
NB2: This novel always reminds me of J. G. Ballard's "Report on an Unidentified Space Station." Not sure why. Any ideas?
SF = Speculative Fiction.
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unbroken, brilliantly done description of an alien environment. I'm glad things have moved on since, but I'd still happily sit and read a book so single-mindedly in its purpose like this one.In any genre of literature, you definitely have some people whose names tower above everyone else, and their influence could not be denied. However, people who like literature don't just read the so-called greats. Clarke certainly wrote some seminal works of SF, but he probably read many obscure works too, some of which may have influenced him. Readers don't just read the big name writers, but have a much bigger interest in the genre. A writer’s work only makes sense within a tradition and how it is situated along other people's work. It is all interlinked and some of the smaller voices may be bigger than critics acknowledge. For instance Clarke's influences aren't as well-known but what he learned from them is part of his work, so the voices remain powerful, and readers equally value preceding works. That doesn't mean that the big name writers don't deserve their place in history, but as fan of literature, I think sometimes, the bigger contributions are made by lesser known writers. I disagree with the assessment that Clarke left questions unanswered; world-building can get boring at the micro, non-plot-related level. This book was "sensawunda" in triplicate -- for the Ramans always did everything in threes. How about those tripodal cleansing things that whirled about? I'm not disappointed that Clarke had no sequel; when you look at 2001 on the screen, then read Clarke's rejected worlds, you realise that Kubrick was right to end with the “Star Child”. There must be mystery and open-endedness along with “sensawunda” to develop and explore. One writer cannot be credited with the continuity of ideas within a literary genre. I also enjoy reading it for the lack of artificial tension - there isn't a saboteur on board, the characters all seem decent and likeable (and sensible - no one behaves like an idiot for the sake of the plot), and only the fiery Martians stir things up a little. All the tension emerges naturally from their being on an alien artefact. It's as enjoyable and fascinating as watching the Edwardian Farm in space... And it's almost impossible to imagine a modern dramatisation without someone ruining it with loads of artificial, clichéd conflict. (Christ, even the remake of Hawaii 5-O has to start off with them all resenting each other and grudgingly gaining each other's respect. Yawn.)
I find Arthur C. Clarke to be a writer whose prose is pretty workmanlike, but where Clarke excels when he's at his best (he often wasn't) is in dramatic structure and for a novel which is all about a good idea it's that knowledge of how to explain an idea which holds it together. Enough is explained for it to make sense, but not enough as to require any utterly pointless sequels. A writer without the knack of explaining a grand idea without deep characterization would have fluffed it.
Not sure which SF I'd recommend to non-SF fans, because as well as the formula issue there's also the fact that the books tend not to take place in the world we see around us which raises a barrier of understanding for the casual reader. Anything by Lem might fit the bill though and of course some Phil Dick. "The Big Sleep” helped created the hardboiled genre. It did not adhere to a formula. When to comes to brass-tacks, I'd recommend it not just to any crime genre fan but to those who aren't fans of the genre as well. And for me “Rendezvous with Rama” is an example of still readable SF, being also an example that remains within the formula and so is one I'd recommend to any genre fan but not to anyone not into the genre.
In the Big Dumb Object competition I'll still take “Ringworld” by Niven, but there was some serious skull sweat involved with “Rendezvous with Rama”. It shows and it deserves respect for it. I also prefer Clarke's “Fountains of Paradise”. The story is a bit better and the engineering involved is somewhat mind blowing. There have been attempts to make it as a film, but they keep running into funding problems. It would be a huge undertaking, and really needs something with a breadth of imagination to create real, or virtual, sets which would need to rival the LOTR films in order to be convincing. Many of the ideas have been used elsewhere, though; for example, in Blake's 7, the concept of Xen insisting that the crew find out things for themselves has some echoes of “Rendezvous with Rama”.
NB1: What about the bicycle? The junior crewmember could've said something earlier, but he had smuggled the device on board and wasn't supposed to have it. Yes, even then the explanation is a bit weak, but the human spaceship isn't supposed to have any devices on it that can manoeuvre in an atmosphere because it doesn't have a mission that would require it (the ship is pressed into service when Rama is detected). But yes, I did wonder where their "Scotty" was, the bluff Scotsman who would rig together something--Clarke missed a chance to have a bit of fun with that. One thing that marked both Clarke and Asimov was their earnestness, and that serious tone of Awe at Marvels sometimes took away a bit of the fun. But I suppose they wanted SF taken seriously, after so many years of being relegated to laughable "monsters from outer space" clichés.
NB2: This novel always reminds me of J. G. Ballard's "Report on an Unidentified Space Station." Not sure why. Any ideas?
SF = Speculative Fiction.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
Is Rendezvous with Rama the greatest science fiction novel ever written?
It is certainly the best one that I have read, and its impact remains undiminished after several re-readings. Arthur C Clarke's supremacy as a writer of science fiction lies, to my mind, in his ability to describe fantastic
Clarke also had a gift for mingling the magical with the almost mundane, which always lends that extra verisimilitude to his books. Rendezvous with Rama is set in 2130, and opens with the discovery of what appears to be a new asteroid trundling through the outer reaches of the solar system. This is, in itself, of little moment until astronomers notice that it appears to be perfectly symmetrical, and moving abnormally quickly. As every available resource is directed to studying this celestial visitor it becomes apparent that it is not a natural object at all but a huge cylinder, fifty kilometres long and thirty kilometres across. The human race finally has to come to terms with the fact that it is, at long last, about to encounter another civilisation.
The manned solar survey vessel Endeavour, under Commander Bill Norton, is sent to study Rama, as it is the only ship close enough to do so during the brief period that Rama will spend in our solar system. Endeavour manages to rendezvous with Rama one month after the spaceship first comes to Earth's attention, by which time the alien ship is already within the orbit of Venus. Norton and his crew find it surprisingly easy to gain entry to Rama through one of a series of triple airlocks. Indeed, they soon come to realise that everything in Rama is done in threes.
Once inside, they are faced with a vast internal landscape laid out across the internal surface of the cylinder, including a band around the centre of the craft which they soon recognise as ice. This is dubbed the Cylindrical Sea. One bonus is that the atmosphere within Rama is breathable, which facilitates wider exploration. Their time in Rama is limited as there is no way that the Endeavour could survive going too close to the sun, and will have to depart within about a month of landing there.
The nature and purpose of Rama, and the identity and home of its creators remain enigmatic throughout the book. The astronauts discover several features, including "cities" (odd blocky shapes that look like buildings, and streets with shallow trenches in them, looking like trolley car tracks) that actually served as factories and seven massive cones at the southern end of Rama – believed to form part of the propulsion system.
Clarke maintains the reader's sense of awe throughout the book, partially because it is matched by that of the characters themselves as they continually discover new aspects of the wonders of Rama. Clarke also investigates the political and religious impact of this sudden manifestation of other civilised life elsewhere in the universe, with the colonies on Mercury, the Moon and Mars all having different responses to the presence of Rama. He even manages to throw in a fair amount of humour, and captures it all in just two hundred and fifty pages. An excellent novel, that was as compelling now as when I first read it mor than forty years ago.
It is certainly the best one that I have read, and its impact remains undiminished after several re-readings. Arthur C Clarke's supremacy as a writer of science fiction lies, to my mind, in his ability to describe fantastic
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events, scenarios and phenomena in clear, accessible prose that enables even the scientific layman (such as myself) to appreciate the marvels he describes. Clarke also had a gift for mingling the magical with the almost mundane, which always lends that extra verisimilitude to his books. Rendezvous with Rama is set in 2130, and opens with the discovery of what appears to be a new asteroid trundling through the outer reaches of the solar system. This is, in itself, of little moment until astronomers notice that it appears to be perfectly symmetrical, and moving abnormally quickly. As every available resource is directed to studying this celestial visitor it becomes apparent that it is not a natural object at all but a huge cylinder, fifty kilometres long and thirty kilometres across. The human race finally has to come to terms with the fact that it is, at long last, about to encounter another civilisation.
The manned solar survey vessel Endeavour, under Commander Bill Norton, is sent to study Rama, as it is the only ship close enough to do so during the brief period that Rama will spend in our solar system. Endeavour manages to rendezvous with Rama one month after the spaceship first comes to Earth's attention, by which time the alien ship is already within the orbit of Venus. Norton and his crew find it surprisingly easy to gain entry to Rama through one of a series of triple airlocks. Indeed, they soon come to realise that everything in Rama is done in threes.
Once inside, they are faced with a vast internal landscape laid out across the internal surface of the cylinder, including a band around the centre of the craft which they soon recognise as ice. This is dubbed the Cylindrical Sea. One bonus is that the atmosphere within Rama is breathable, which facilitates wider exploration. Their time in Rama is limited as there is no way that the Endeavour could survive going too close to the sun, and will have to depart within about a month of landing there.
The nature and purpose of Rama, and the identity and home of its creators remain enigmatic throughout the book. The astronauts discover several features, including "cities" (odd blocky shapes that look like buildings, and streets with shallow trenches in them, looking like trolley car tracks) that actually served as factories and seven massive cones at the southern end of Rama – believed to form part of the propulsion system.
Clarke maintains the reader's sense of awe throughout the book, partially because it is matched by that of the characters themselves as they continually discover new aspects of the wonders of Rama. Clarke also investigates the political and religious impact of this sudden manifestation of other civilised life elsewhere in the universe, with the colonies on Mercury, the Moon and Mars all having different responses to the presence of Rama. He even manages to throw in a fair amount of humour, and captures it all in just two hundred and fifty pages. An excellent novel, that was as compelling now as when I first read it mor than forty years ago.
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LibraryThing member JudithProctor
I'd almost forgotten what 'hard' SF was really like until I read Rendezvous with Rama. It was wonderful to have a story where physics is integral to everything, where speed of light limitations are woven into the story, where the alien artefact has a design that takes physics into account (I'm
And how can I fail to love a story that actually takes Coriolis force into account?
The strong grounding in reality makes the whole story feel so much more real. You believe in the characters and in the dangers they encounter, because you know that no 'magic' will be used to rescue them if they get into a tight corner.
Clarke can't write in depth characters, but they work reasonably well in this book, and the setting of Rama itself makes the story live.
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still pleased that I managed to predict one minor plot element by recalling one of the physical properties of water.And how can I fail to love a story that actually takes Coriolis force into account?
The strong grounding in reality makes the whole story feel so much more real. You believe in the characters and in the dangers they encounter, because you know that no 'magic' will be used to rescue them if they get into a tight corner.
Clarke can't write in depth characters, but they work reasonably well in this book, and the setting of Rama itself makes the story live.
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LibraryThing member sf_addict
Another excellent one from Clarke,this time concerning the arrival into the solar system of a strange object, at first believed to be an asteroid but it is soon apparent it is not a natural object.
The first Rama book, and the best.
The first Rama book, and the best.
LibraryThing member maravedi
One of the most suspenseful, tense and heart-pounding works of science fiction ever written. Clarke's first Rama book continues to be my favorite in the series and one of my favorite works, period. The sheer wonder and bafflement of the first human explorers to venture into Rama is contagious. If
If you're terrified of the unknown, this book with give you a serious case of the creeps. If you love grand, operatic sci-fi, it will blow your mind and leave you hungry for answers.
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you're at all like me, you'll be squirming with nervous tension at every new encounter, every time something strange and inexplicable happens.If you're terrified of the unknown, this book with give you a serious case of the creeps. If you love grand, operatic sci-fi, it will blow your mind and leave you hungry for answers.
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LibraryThing member FicusFan
This was a RL book group read for me. Unlike many in the group it wasn't a re-read. I never read this when I was younger. The book was first published in 1973. It is an old fashioned novel that has few women, and finds sexist remarks, and bigamy OK.
The premise is that in the future there is a large
Humanity has spread out into the solar system and has a functioning space force. The representatives of humanity decide to send the closest ship to investigate. The cylinder is on track to pass close to the sun, and then pass out of the system. The human space ship has limited time to explore before it gets too close to the sun and too far too get back.
The story focuses on the human ship and the people who go and explore the object they have named Rama. It is interwoven with story of the human council who represent their home plants/habitats and are trying to decide what to do.
The story should have conflict, and tension and mystery - but it is actually pretty boring. Even when the space ship gets there and inside, it is pointless for quite a while. Nothing happens inside the ship. It is cold, dark, empty.
Meanwhile there is conflict on the council and it too is very tame and lacking in any drama or tension. The planet Mercury becomes anxious because the cylinder will pass very close to them, and they feel threatened. They take action that has consequences for the human ship exploring Rama.
Towards the end things do happen in Rama, and there are spills and what looks like a life or death incident. Still it is very low key, and problems are easily overcome. There is only minimal information/activity from Rama itself and really nothing from or about its creators.
The book can't seem to decide where to focus: on the humans in terms of their politics and social structure or on the alien artifact. It tires to do both, and it is superficial. The characterizations are pretty flat and the story is not constructed well enough to carry the book with the right amount of drama, tension, suspense, and mystery.
I have read [Titan] by John Varley and [Ringworld] by Larry Niven. Both are about exploring big alien objects. Frankly neither of the other 2 come close to [Ringworld].
The writing is smooth, and coherent. It was a quick read with little in the way of info-dumps.
The premise is that in the future there is a large
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object seen entering the solar system. It is assumed to be a asteroid, but it turns out to be a giant manufactured hollow cylinder. Humanity has spread out into the solar system and has a functioning space force. The representatives of humanity decide to send the closest ship to investigate. The cylinder is on track to pass close to the sun, and then pass out of the system. The human space ship has limited time to explore before it gets too close to the sun and too far too get back.
The story focuses on the human ship and the people who go and explore the object they have named Rama. It is interwoven with story of the human council who represent their home plants/habitats and are trying to decide what to do.
The story should have conflict, and tension and mystery - but it is actually pretty boring. Even when the space ship gets there and inside, it is pointless for quite a while. Nothing happens inside the ship. It is cold, dark, empty.
Meanwhile there is conflict on the council and it too is very tame and lacking in any drama or tension. The planet Mercury becomes anxious because the cylinder will pass very close to them, and they feel threatened. They take action that has consequences for the human ship exploring Rama.
Towards the end things do happen in Rama, and there are spills and what looks like a life or death incident. Still it is very low key, and problems are easily overcome. There is only minimal information/activity from Rama itself and really nothing from or about its creators.
The book can't seem to decide where to focus: on the humans in terms of their politics and social structure or on the alien artifact. It tires to do both, and it is superficial. The characterizations are pretty flat and the story is not constructed well enough to carry the book with the right amount of drama, tension, suspense, and mystery.
I have read [Titan] by John Varley and [Ringworld] by Larry Niven. Both are about exploring big alien objects. Frankly neither of the other 2 come close to [Ringworld].
The writing is smooth, and coherent. It was a quick read with little in the way of info-dumps.
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LibraryThing member ksmyth
This is my first exploration into the vision of Arthur C. Clarke, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable voyage of discovery.
Rama is an enormous space ship from a distant world that intrudes into our solar system in the 22nd century. Threatened by its mysterious purpose, the leaders of our system send
Clarke's prose is a masterpiece of hard science fiction, applying science fact to what amounts to a work of observation. Commander Norton's mission to explore the enormous interior of Rama, and learn the secrets of its makers is not unlike Lewis and Clark's journey to the Pacific. No shoot 'em up here, the joy is in the journey of discovery.
Rama is an enormous space ship from a distant world that intrudes into our solar system in the 22nd century. Threatened by its mysterious purpose, the leaders of our system send
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a mission of their own to investigate the foreign probe and determine its objectives as it seems to hurtle toward our sun and destruction. Clarke's prose is a masterpiece of hard science fiction, applying science fact to what amounts to a work of observation. Commander Norton's mission to explore the enormous interior of Rama, and learn the secrets of its makers is not unlike Lewis and Clark's journey to the Pacific. No shoot 'em up here, the joy is in the journey of discovery.
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LibraryThing member SebastianHagelstein
This is a really interesting concept for a story, partly because the other life out in space comes to humans rather than the other way around. Also there's not an invasion like you might expect. A satisfying story despite the lack of conflict.
LibraryThing member clong
Rendezvous with Rama is an interesting book, and a fairly quick read, but frankly it didn't live up to my expectations. It features a lot more description of puzzling alien structures than plot. Don't expect much in terms of brilliant dialogue or finely drawn characterization. I found the early
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scenes of exploration to be quite compelling, but some of the later discoveries and developments seemed pointless. And I thought the "paranoid-colonists-from-Mercury" subplot added nothing to the book. Clarke leaves many unanswered questions, but I suppose that's a good reason to read the sequels. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
An amazing novel that still seems as fresh today as when it was published nearly forty years ago. It chronicles the arrival in the twenty-second century of a huge spaceship created by the dwellers of a distant galaxy. Cruising through space it gradually comes into the solar system where it is
As the huge spaceship nears the sun the temperature rises and this sets in motion a whole eco system.
A fantastic tour de force of Clarke's imagination.
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initially mis-diagnosed as a massive asteroid. Closer inspection shows that it has clearly been created by external agency. A space cruiser is diverted to liaise with the object. Upon lading on the vehicle itself Commander Norton and his men are able to gain access to the inside where they find a miniature world.As the huge spaceship nears the sun the temperature rises and this sets in motion a whole eco system.
A fantastic tour de force of Clarke's imagination.
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LibraryThing member buffalogr
It's odd to think that this book was published 40 years ago. the concepts, ideas and themes surrounding this archetypal work of science fiction have been a huge influence on works in this genre. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship. Great read.
LibraryThing member Phrim
Rendezvous with Rama is a near-future story about humanity encountering a seemingly derelict alien spaceship entering the solar system. While the diction is very straightforward and the conflict between characters is minimal, Clarke does a fantastic job of keeping the reader on the edge of his seat
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by slowly but methodically revealing the mysteries of the spacecraft dubbed "Rama". It's a lot of fun as a reader trying to, along with the characters, reverse engineer the oddities found within Rama to divine their functions--and everything seems to have a specific function. By the time the novel closes and Rama whisks itself out of the solar system, the reader has a lot of answers but also twice as many questions, but more importantly is left with a sense of wonder and awe. Show Less
LibraryThing member trantjd
This book is very cool. It has such a realistic approach to how we'd react if we came across such an immense alien artifact. This is, in my opinion, by far the best book in this series. It is Arthur C Clarke from front to back and all of the ideas are clearly worthy of him. This book showed such an
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amazing idea and I think that a great series could have been created from it, if its original ideas had been adhered to. Despite the shortcomings of the rest of the series however, you should definitely give this book a shot! Show Less
LibraryThing member cbradley
Clarke wrote some great books and this one ranks towards the top, right along with Childhood’s End. Only Clarke could write a book with so much emphasis on exploration and so little an emphasis on action. I loved this book from the first to last page and found the Raman’s to be intriguing. I
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only wish that the rest of the series would have played out the same as this story had evolved. Unfortunately nothing could quite live up to the wonder and joy I experienced in this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member gilroy
I decided to grab this classic, because I had slacked on reading this big name in Science Fiction
Listening to the description of Rama, I'm thinking of the reports of the long piece of space debris that flowed through the solar system recently. Rama isn't as disfigured as the piece we saw on the
This to me is a very dry read. It's a recitation of actions, with little to no emotion behind it. Yes, you get thoughts, but the characters all seem so ... stiff. RAMA is described, but it feels dead, overall, even as biots begin to appear. Even the RAMA committee, which you'd think would be more hot headed and grumbly, feels very low key, if not lacking any emotion. I'm wondering how much of my feelings of lacking emotion has to do with the dry reading that the narrators of the audio book are doing.
This felt very meh when it comes to plot. Yes, the world was as much a character as the humans exploring, but the entire thing was a recitation of what happened. Plodding along, lacking depth. No real climax to speak of, and it just kinda ended. For such a big name book... I'm disappointed.
Listening to the description of Rama, I'm thinking of the reports of the long piece of space debris that flowed through the solar system recently. Rama isn't as disfigured as the piece we saw on the
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reports, however.This to me is a very dry read. It's a recitation of actions, with little to no emotion behind it. Yes, you get thoughts, but the characters all seem so ... stiff. RAMA is described, but it feels dead, overall, even as
This felt very meh when it comes to plot. Yes, the world was as much a character as the humans exploring, but the entire thing was a recitation of what happened. Plodding along, lacking depth. No real climax to speak of, and it just kinda ended. For such a big name book... I'm disappointed.
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LibraryThing member bodachliath
An enjoyable tale of humans exploring an apparently lifeless spacecraft from outer space - Clarke draws many analogies with archaeology, and his vision of the potential of humanity and the inevitability of progress seems (sadly) a little dated now, but his imagination is undoubtedly impressive.
LibraryThing member RobertDay
When I first read RWR, I was struck by a sense of relief. This was his first novel since "2001", and I got the distinct impression that this was the first contact novel Clarke WANTED to write instead of producing "2001" under the pressing need to come up with something for Kubrick. Not that there's
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anything wrong with "2001"; but I just got a sense of Clarke letting his imagination run riot. Show Less
LibraryThing member Vvolodymyr
As it was for me, I suspect it is a great introduction into the "Big Object" exploration sub-genre for anyone out there.
Although I read it few decades after the book was written, it did manage to captivate my attention; where every step, every little mystery, every indecision described, simply
I read many scifi works written in 2000's and 2010's before giving this book a try, and was skeptical at first, but the solidity of the plot and literary skill of Arthur C. Clarke changed my mind and provided me with days of quality entertainment.
Although I read it few decades after the book was written, it did manage to captivate my attention; where every step, every little mystery, every indecision described, simply
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egged me on to go ahead and find out what happened next.I read many scifi works written in 2000's and 2010's before giving this book a try, and was skeptical at first, but the solidity of the plot and literary skill of Arthur C. Clarke changed my mind and provided me with days of quality entertainment.
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LibraryThing member AsYouKnow_Bob
I surprise myself by finding this book to be TOO dispassionate. It seems like it should be exactly what I look for in science fiction, but somehow I found this one to be disappointing.
LibraryThing member ashishg
An unputdownable science fiction book detailing exploration of alien spaceship by humans during 22nd century. {SPOILER} Book finishes very abruptly with all mysteries unsolved, and hence very disappointing to me, though until then it is quite exciting as reader continues to anticipate solution to
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mysteries, which never come! Show Less
LibraryThing member jcopenha
I had to reread this in remembrance of Arthur C. Clarke. I found it just as compelling and exciting as the first time I read it. I love the hard science, the mystery, and the fact that it leaves more questions than it answers. I've read the rest of the series also but they are in a different class
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of sci-fi. Show Less
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1974)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 1973)
Locus Award (Finalist — Novel — 1974)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (Winner — 1974)
British Science Fiction Association Award (Shortlist — 1973)
Seiun Award (Nominee — 1980)
Jupiter Award (1974)
Locus All-Time Best (Science Fiction Novel — 25 — 1987)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1973)
Language
Original publication date
1973
Physical description
288 p.; 4.25 x 0.78 inches
ISBN
0553287893 / 9780553287899