Rendezvous with Rama

Arthur C. Clarke

Nov 2012 · RosettaBooks

About this ebook

Astronauts explore an alien spacecraft hurtling toward the sun in this Hugo and Nebula Award–winning novel—“a stone-cold classic” of hard sci-fi (The Guardian).
 
An enormous cylindrical object has entered Earth’s solar system on a collision course with the sun. A team of astronauts are sent to explore the mysterious craft, which the denizens of the solar system name Rama. What they find is astonishing evidence of a civilization far more advanced than ours. They find an interior stretching over fifty 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 won numerous awards, including the Hugo, the Nebula, the Jupiter, and the British Science Fiction Awards. A fast-paced and compelling story of an enigmatic encounter with alien technology, Rendezvous with Rama offers both answers and unsolved mysteries that will continue to fascinate readers for generations.
 
“Mr. Clarke is splendid . . . We experience that chilling touch of the alien, the not-quite-knowable, that distinguishes SF at its most technically imaginative.” —The New York Times

Ratings and reviews

It's a very interesting story. I would recommend it to any Sci-Fi reader. The changes in society over the years since this was written definitely show. The changes of modern writing certainly come through as well.

A Must read book for sci-fy readers. The atmosphere of suspense and exploration is always mantained . Although the human characters are at best scketches the real protagonist is this huge cylindrical ship with is unique conception of an inner world and countless mysteries to be solved. The sequels were written mostly by Gentry Lee (he should have stayed an aerospace engineer) and lack the genius of Clarke. Skip them

A hard sci-fi treat that feels like it was written in the 50's. Rama defies the cliches set by so many books in the genre., but this was also the reason for periods of frustration with the story at points. Definitely worth the read, though.

About the author

Clarke is widely revered as one of the most influential science fiction writers of the 20th century, esteemed alongside Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein, a trio known informally as the “Big Three.” Before his death in 2008, he authored more than 100 novels, novellas, and short story collections and laid the groundwork for science fiction as we know it today. Combining scientific knowledge and visionary literary aptitude, Clarke’s work explored the implications of major scientific discoveries in astonishingly inventive and mystical settings. Clarke’s short stories and novels have won numerous Hugo and Nebula Awards, have been translated into more than 30 languages, and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Several of his books, including 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: Odyssey II, have been adapted into films that still stand as classic examples of the genre. Without a doubt, Arthur C. Clarke is one of the most important voices in contemporary science fiction literature.