Customer Reviews
The greatest mystery 
2008-04-18
Briefly; a very large cylinder appears in our solar system and an expedition is sent out to investigate what obviously is an extraterrestrial object. They are able to enter the cylinder and watch it slowly "wake up" from the inside. The alien technology they encounter is highly advanced and awe inspiring but still possible to understand.
The story develops in a fairly slow pace, but it is full of suspense and mystery. The discoveries that the astronauts make are so fantastic and described with such lucid imagination that all I could feel while reading this book was anticipation and awe. Furthermore, the more the astronauts explore and discover the deeper the mysteries seem to grow. One thing I really like about Arthur C. Clarke is that his descriptions are scientifically plausible and still very imaginative. I highly recommend this Sci-Fi novel.
Arthur C. Clarke is my favorite Science Fiction author and Rendezvous with Rama is one of my favorites. It was a collection of short stories that included my all time favorite short story "The wall of darkness" that originally got me hooked on Arthur C. Clarke (review coming). Arthur C. Clarke will never be forgotten.
Arthur C. Clark--Travelogues of the Mind 
2008-04-17
I don't know that I would classify Clark as a creator of great fiction; as mentioned in other reviews, the "human equation" in his works is largely missing. Clark excels and creating vivid descriptions of technology and alien grandeur, but his books are a bit lifeless at they have almost no character developement or interesting dialog.
I've read most of his books, and find he is a great alternative in those times I would find myself reaching for an atlas or a National Geographic. Honestly, I think AC Clarke is one of those sacred cow authors--praised by those who think it raises their intellectual profile, and read mainly when bored by those who can see that the emperor, while not entirely naked, could do with more than a loincloth.
A Decent Read 
2008-03-23
Just finished this book. I liked it, its a small read, doesn't seem very long, so no great time investment.
For the length it certainly brings up a lot of ideas, and will make you think.
There's a lot of mystery in it, and a real sense of wanting to know more. I think this book will probably play on my mind a lot over the next few years. As far as it goes, I don't find the concept of an 'Ark' somewhere out in space hard to believe, and could easily imagine, something similiar happening.
For its age it doesn't seem overly dated, but there's the odd minor thing to do with character, but very minor.
I definitly recomend this book. Its a quick read so you've got nothing to lose, its entertaining and it does open your mind.
I think the old fella died in the last couple of days. Its the only book by him that I've read, I doubt in would be the last.
Cheers
One of the ten best science fiction novels of all time 2007-12-01
In this book, Arthur Clarke set the bar for the unknown alien probe story very high. The setting is that humans have settled Mercury, Luna, Mars, some asteroids, and some Jovian and Saturnian moons. Each group sends an Ambassador to the United Planets, which meets on Earth's moon. Suddenly, an enormous cylindrical space ship enters the solar system and appears completely passive; it is named Rama as that is the next name in the nomenclature sequence.
Commander Norton commands the only space ship capable of docking with Rama, so he is ordered to investigate. What he finds is amazing, yet puzzling. He encounters an alien technology that is baffling, yet they find it fairly easy to understand some of what it does. The crewmembers explore Rama, finding their greatest problem to be coping with the sheer size of the vessel.
While the description of the alien probe is fascinating, nobody does the scientific details better than Clarke, the best aspects of the book are the descriptions of the interplanetary political situation and the general human reaction to the appearance of an alien artifact. While Clarke's descriptions of the political tensions between the various human political groups are disquieting, they are also clearly realistic. Humans find significant differences developing when groups live in different areas of Earth, it is clear that those differences will be even greater when groups live on different planets. Furthermore, conclusive proof that extraterrestrial intelligence exists will have a dramatic effect on how humans view the universe.
Like many of Clarke's other stories, the ending is ambiguous, which is why I consider him the thinking person's science fiction writer. This is clearly one of the ten best science fiction novels of all time.
One of the ten best science fiction novels of all time 2007-12-01
In this book, Arthur Clarke set the bar for the unknown alien probe story very high. The setting is that humans have settled Mercury, Luna, Mars, some asteroids, and some Jovian and Saturnian moons. Each group sends an Ambassador to the United Planets, which meets on Earth's moon. Suddenly, an enormous cylindrical space ship enters the solar system and appears completely passive; it is named Rama as that is the next name in the nomenclature sequence.
Commander Norton commands the only space ship capable of docking with Rama, so he is ordered to investigate. What he finds is amazing, yet puzzling. He encounters an alien technology that is baffling, yet they find it fairly easy to understand some of what it does. The crewmembers explore Rama, finding their greatest problem to be coping with the sheer size of the vessel.
While the description of the alien probe is fascinating, nobody does the scientific details better than Clarke, the best aspects of the book are the descriptions of the interplanetary political situation and the general human reaction to the appearance of an alien artifact. While Clarke's descriptions of the political tensions between the various human political groups are disquieting, they are also clearly realistic. Humans find significant differences developing when groups live in different areas of Earth, it is clear that those differences will be even greater when groups live on different planets. Furthermore, conclusive proof that extraterrestrial intelligence exists will have a dramatic effect on how humans view the universe.
Like many of Clarke's other stories, the ending is ambiguous, which is why I consider him the thinking person's science fiction writer. This is clearly one of the ten best science fiction novels of all time.
Awesome for 1970s, but not that great today 2008-07-04
PROS: Original concept, eye opening ideas, and clear writing. The ending is outstanding.
CONS: I'm sure the pace of the novel was exciting and swift for the 1970s, but today it feels sluggish and slow. I found myself skimming parts in anticipation of the point of the scene.
CONCLUSION: This book won the Hugo and the Nebula award for good reason. For its time, it was the best scifi book around. Today it's still a good read, but there are more entertaining books out there.
What could it be? 2008-06-08
This is an enjoyable & quick read. I don't read a lot of science fiction but I thought I would try something different. This is a classic of scifi & I can see why. I think this would make a great movie. I don't want to give away any of the plot but I will say it starts off with a strange object heading into our solar system - something that has been traveling for millions of years - page by page some of the mysteries are slowly revealed.
Even though this book is now 35 years old I found Arthur C Clarke's writing exciting & easy to read. I was also amazed that after 35 years it still seems as if it could have been written yesterday. Now to find some more great science fiction.
It would make a great movie! 2008-05-19
Others have said just about everything about this novel, so I'll just add that it would make a wonderful movie. Now that digital technology is up to re-creating the worlds of Tolkien and CS Lewis, just imagine what a great job they could do with this scenario: a team of explorers discovering a huge, mysterious artificial world... experiencing its oceans in the sky, giant electrical lightning makers, hurricanes, weird landscapes beyond comprehension.... why, it would be FANTASTIC!!
Screen writers might even want to tack on a satisfying ending, something that Clarke left out: answering the question "who made Rama and what is it for?"
A Little Disappointing 2008-05-17
I'm not a hardcore sci-fi reader, but I do enjoy the genre. I'm currently making an effort to read some of the older sci-fi classics that I probably should have read when I was much younger. RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA is one of those novels, and I must admit some disappointment with this book.
As another reviewer pointed out, Clarke is not particularly interested in plot or characterization. Instead, he is interested in describing (in a rather detailed, grandiose manner) an alien world that humanity has recently discovered. Much of this is certainly interesting, but doesn't get really compelling until perhaps the final thirty pages or so. None of the characters are particularly memorable, which makes it hard to care about them during the novel's repetitive action scenes. The ending is deliberately anti-climactic, which I found something of a letdown.
Still, RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA is an intelligent novel filled with big ideas, and is widely considered a classic (it has also spawned multiple sequels). It's a short read, and I don't regret spending the time on it. As with a lot of science fiction, however, it lacks an emotional element that made my reading experience a somewhat sterile one.
A fun book 2008-05-08
Okay, so after a long affair with fantasy lit, I decided to branch out into SF. Since I'd read the Foundation series and Starship Troopers back in the day, I decided to introduce myself to the one member of the holy trinity of Science Fiction I hadn't read yet, Clarke. Based on reviews here I thought Rama might be my speed so I ordered the cheapest used copy and prepared myself for.... I don't know.... a genius who would overwhelm me with his vastly superior intelligence? I guess I'd read so much about how Great the man was that I had this expectation that he'd be, well, Impressive and Deep.
Silly me. I guess I really didn't expect it to be fun. Short, bite-sized chapters that were easy to rip thru and a story that quietly drew me in and kept me fascinated from one discovery to the next. I guess I owe one to Mr. Clarke. A genius who's fun too. I'd almost forgotten those two could go together.
