Rendezvous with Rama
By Alberto L., Los Angeles, CA
Rendezvous with Rama is probablyone of the most interesting and suspenseful science-fiction booksyou’ll ever read. Arthur C. Clarke is considered one of the threegrandmasters of science fiction, along with Heinlein and Asimov. And inRama, you’ll discover why.
In the 22nd century, anearly-warning system set up to protect Earth from devastating meteorstrikes detects a large object approaching at great speed. Closeexamination shows the object may be artificial. Could alien life becoming to visit?
Named Rama, the object is a massive cylinderrotating rapidly on its axis. An expedition is sent to investigate theamazing object, since it is apparent it will actually pass the earthinstead of smashing into it. Our astronauts manage to go inside, anddiscover that Rama is some sort of space ark whose rotation providesgravity along the inner surface as well as a breathable atmosphere! Thevast inner surfaces seem to house cities, whose odd buildings no oneseems to be able to enter, and even a frozen sea.
Rendezvous withRama is different from most science-fiction books. While most want, likescience itself, to explain things, this one presents us with thecompletely inexplicable and the utterly alien. While this may befrustrating, here it serves to put the reader into the shoes of theexplorers. There is no omniscient, god-like narrator showing useverything. What the explorers hear, see, feel and understand is what weexperience, too.
Clarke really outdoes himself in this one. Whatother books have you read or heard about that bring suspense and mysteryin the way that Clarke does? The utter emptiness and vastness theexplorers find and the mystery of what happened to the Ramans will keepyou on the edge of your chair. Every answer they uncover brings evenmore questions. The book’s ending leaves many unanswered questionsthat will keep you pondering, but this is only the first in atetraology, so you can always read more in Rama II, The Garden of Ramaand Rama Revealed!
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