Wonderful and refreshing classic sci fi yarn. ( )

There was little to no character building, and everyone felt the same. I enjoyed the exploration of RAMA, but I could have done without the weird sex stuff. Did we really need to know that after every successful space mission the entire crew partakes in an "orbital orgy"? Eww. ( )

mmmmm Rama. I think this was the first sci-fi book I've ever read (and I've probably still only read a dozen or so). Rama is a great mystery of a novel. Arthur C. Clarke sets up a futuristic world born out of terrible global tragedies, and uses this political set-up to explore an alien ship that approaches the Earth at a breakneck pace.

I won't spoil anything here, but suffice it to say that nothing is as expected, and - while the book is marvellous as a kind of literary meditation on cultural differences, and timeless qualities of humanity - it most definitely leaves you wanting more. Surprisingly, Clarke hadn't really envisioned a sequel when he wrote it. Unsurprisingly, three would come to pass. Each of these would be a lesser novel than the one that came before, but they comprise a definite trilogy so I'd recommend either stopping after this book, or reading the whole series. ( )

A really good Clarke yarn, up there with 2001 for a sense of awe. The way it sets up inter-solar system rivalries presages later works like The Expanse, but interpersonal conflict is not Clarke's strong side. Nor are characters. He's preoccupied with ideas, and this novel has some good ones. Like the Odyssey series this also ends ambiguously and it'll be interesting to see if there's a definitive payoff in the sequels. ( )

What's there to say: proper, good, classic sci-fi.   As with Childhood's End, it is well deserving of it's place in the "SF Masterworks" series.

This time, instead of actual aliens coming to Earth and a prophecy of how humanity will eventually evolve, in Rendezvous With Rama we have a large alien vessel entering the solar system on a path that will take it inside the orbit of Mercury, around the Sun, and then, is anyone's guess.   Will it adjust it's trajectory, pull a breaking manouvre and find a stable orbit in the solar system, or will it use the Sun and sling shot elsewhere?   Where did it come from, who sent it, who or what is inside, what is it's purpose?

Set in a time when humans have colonised several planets and moons in the solar system and space flight is quite normal, we have one space ship -- the Endeavour, captained by a big fan of James Cook -- that is able to get some fuel and rendezvous with this vessel and investigate it.   However, once the vessel has passed inside the orbit of Mercury, the Mercurians decide to take matters into their own hands and ignore what the rest of humanity has to say on the matter.

As i say, this is a proper old school sci-fi first contact story at its best and well deserving of its place as a "SF Masterworks". ( )