Hardcover, 303 pages
English language
Published Aug. 13, 1973 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
In his best novel since the classic Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke has made something quite new and wholly engrossing out of a familiar, eternally irresistible theme, mankind's first encounter with a visitant from unimaginably remote deeps of space and time.
The new celestial body that appears in the outer reaches of our solar system in 2130, believed at first to be an asteroid, and named Rama bu earthlings, soon proves not to be a natural object. It is a vast cylinder—about thirty-one miles long and twelve and a half across, with a mass of at least ten trillion tons—that is moving steadily closer to the Sun. The five-thousand-ton spaceship Endeavor lands on Rama, and when Commander Bill Norton and his crew make their way into its hollow interior they find a whole self-contained world—a world that has been cruising through space for at least 200,000 years and perhaps …
In his best novel since the classic Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke has made something quite new and wholly engrossing out of a familiar, eternally irresistible theme, mankind's first encounter with a visitant from unimaginably remote deeps of space and time.
The new celestial body that appears in the outer reaches of our solar system in 2130, believed at first to be an asteroid, and named Rama bu earthlings, soon proves not to be a natural object. It is a vast cylinder—about thirty-one miles long and twelve and a half across, with a mass of at least ten trillion tons—that is moving steadily closer to the Sun. The five-thousand-ton spaceship Endeavor lands on Rama, and when Commander Bill Norton and his crew make their way into its hollow interior they find a whole self-contained world—a world that has been cruising through space for at least 200,000 years and perhaps for more than a million. They have, at most, three weeks to explore Rama: a dead world, as it seems at first, though not without its perils, and with intensifying perils when it proves to be, in its own astonishing way, very much alive. Yet in the end it is Homo sapiens who poses the greatest menace, and whose exploits bring a continuously absorbing narrative to its highest pitch of excitement.
Solidly based in science made lucid for the layman, audaciously imaginative, at once visionary and subtly ironical in its final impact, Rendezvous with Rama is Arthur c. Clarke at the dazzling top of his form.
... that is, it's 50% description of a docking maneuver, and 50% setup for an exciting book.
I guess that makes it one of those books you should read once, but I didn't manage to enjoy it much.
the characters were a bit no-nonsense and technical, but the setting was immensely good
One of the first sf novels I read as a kid. 2018 reread in honor of ʻOumuamua. Much like The Martian, each chapter deals with a new mystery or problem. Scant character development but loads of hard science fiction - no wormholes or instant communication here.
Unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, the hard SF aspect put the story in reach of us - this is the sort of space exploration we were likely to see in our lifetime. The crew is not hand-picked, the exploration ship is not designed for this - but that only adds to the urgency of this tale. Each new puzzle or problem keeps the pages turning right to the end.
This novel won the Nebula, Campbell, Hugo, BSFA and Locus in it's day, and has been added to every list of influential or top rated books since. From Alien to Interstellar, its impact can …
One of the first sf novels I read as a kid. 2018 reread in honor of ʻOumuamua. Much like The Martian, each chapter deals with a new mystery or problem. Scant character development but loads of hard science fiction - no wormholes or instant communication here.
Unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, the hard SF aspect put the story in reach of us - this is the sort of space exploration we were likely to see in our lifetime. The crew is not hand-picked, the exploration ship is not designed for this - but that only adds to the urgency of this tale. Each new puzzle or problem keeps the pages turning right to the end.
This novel won the Nebula, Campbell, Hugo, BSFA and Locus in it's day, and has been added to every list of influential or top rated books since. From Alien to Interstellar, its impact can be felt on Hollywood science fiction as well. 45 years after initial publication, it doesn't feel at all dated. Highly recommended!
