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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Front loaded with characterization that winds up being mostly a waste of time, but once it gets going it's very engaging.
Having re-read Rendezvous w / Rama last year on a cross country plane flight, this seemed the logical book for this year's cross country flight (and funnily enough, the man in front of me was reading Rendezvous)
When the second Rama craft shows up, Earth is better prepared. Assembling a crew to study the ship, the science is jeopardized when corporate interests are added to the mix and intrigue and murder join the crew aboard the craft. Nicole DesJardin struggles to solve the mysteries of the crew, as well as discover the key to her strange visions and prophecy of destiny with the ship.
This is a much heftier tome than the first, but I appreciate the added viewpoints and characterization that come with the addition of Gentry Lee to the writing. The Clarke books I have read recently are great, and while I never thought of them as lacking depth, Clarke does move very quickly. Lee's slower pace suits the book well and I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.
When the second Rama craft shows up, Earth is better prepared. Assembling a crew to study the ship, the science is jeopardized when corporate interests are added to the mix and intrigue and murder join the crew aboard the craft. Nicole DesJardin struggles to solve the mysteries of the crew, as well as discover the key to her strange visions and prophecy of destiny with the ship.
This is a much heftier tome than the first, but I appreciate the added viewpoints and characterization that come with the addition of Gentry Lee to the writing. The Clarke books I have read recently are great, and while I never thought of them as lacking depth, Clarke does move very quickly. Lee's slower pace suits the book well and I am looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Alas, bloated and wordy.
Alas because I purchased the next in the series.
Alas because I purchased the next in the series.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This needed a whole lot less of melodrama from the annoying characters and a lot more of RAMA. Now I know how I wasn't able to finish this series before.
Sad day. The first book was one of my faves.
Sad day. The first book was one of my faves.
2.5 stars, since it took me almost all of the book to get used to the combined writing styles of Clarke & Lee. I can't get over characters who are constantly referred to by both first/last names (or worse, as Cosmonaut So and So). Lee obviously tried to boost up the characterization effort -- though I'm not sure why they opted to have a scientist focus on the people aspect -- and it ends poorly and awkwardly. Again, Rama itself is incredible- hooking me for yet another book- and I really enjoy the hard sci-fi aspect of these books. Without the clunky writing, I could have even gotten into the characters. Nicole is bland, but at least pseudo-independent- Francesca and Michael could have been fascinating if they hadn't been totally one-sided. Onward and upward, hopefully?
I picked up this book wanting to learn more about the world set up in the original novel, Rendezvous with Rama. It is not the right book for that.
The first in this series, Rendezvous with Rama, is a wonderful book which stands up well to re-reading, probably one of my all-time favourites. I picked up Rama II because I wanted more of the same: space exploration, interesting questions about science, technology and the universe, all being uncovered by good people doing their best.
Unfortunately, this sequel is very different from the original. It tells us very little more about the Rama that we met in the first book. What it does show us is only explained at a surface level, and IMO not totally consistent with the expectations set by the first book. Taking a different direction would be fine if something was made of it, but most of the writers' effort seems to have gone elsewhere.
Instead, we have some sort of plot amongst an odd group of celebrities who seem to be the astronauts on the next mission. As a mystery/romance story it was OK, and I did manage to get through it, but I spent the entire time feeling disappointed because I had hoped for so much more.
The first in this series, Rendezvous with Rama, is a wonderful book which stands up well to re-reading, probably one of my all-time favourites. I picked up Rama II because I wanted more of the same: space exploration, interesting questions about science, technology and the universe, all being uncovered by good people doing their best.
Unfortunately, this sequel is very different from the original. It tells us very little more about the Rama that we met in the first book. What it does show us is only explained at a surface level, and IMO not totally consistent with the expectations set by the first book. Taking a different direction would be fine if something was made of it, but most of the writers' effort seems to have gone elsewhere.
Instead, we have some sort of plot amongst an odd group of celebrities who seem to be the astronauts on the next mission. As a mystery/romance story it was OK, and I did manage to get through it, but I spent the entire time feeling disappointed because I had hoped for so much more.
Someone once told me that this series "didn't stand the test of time very well". I did not understand until I read this book. Not only is the science and technology outdated, but so is the prose.
At first I assumed it was Clarke and Lee's inability to write a subplot containing characters that had any sort of complexity, but maybe I can chalk it up to the book being written before certain things became predictable and cliche.
Either way, I am committed into this 4 part series and will be continuing. Despite all my misgivings I still REALLY want to know how this whole thing ends!
The story itself is an interesting one. Exploring the different ways in which humans react to anonymous intelligent life outside our own, strategies to communicate, religious reactions among the turmoil and the conceptual ideas of another life form is quite fascinating.
At first I assumed it was Clarke and Lee's inability to write a subplot containing characters that had any sort of complexity, but maybe I can chalk it up to the book being written before certain things became predictable and cliche.
Either way, I am committed into this 4 part series and will be continuing. Despite all my misgivings I still REALLY want to know how this whole thing ends!
The story itself is an interesting one. Exploring the different ways in which humans react to anonymous intelligent life outside our own, strategies to communicate, religious reactions among the turmoil and the conceptual ideas of another life form is quite fascinating.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
rly rly enjoyed, well-paced & interesting interpersonal dynamics
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"It's a shame that we humans are never able to pull in the same direction, not even when confronted by infinity."
Clarke's follow-up to Rendezvous with Rama. It has been 70 odd years since the Rama craft passed through the solar system awhile some things on earth changed most stayed the same. But now a second craft is coming, and second chance to understand our place in the universe compared to the Ramans. Will questions get answered or will newer ones arise.
Clarke spends the first quarter of the book establishing the fallout on earth post the first Rama, from a massive financial boom and bust to mistrust in space agencies, to an expansion of Christianity trying to bring the Ramans into their view. When humanity spots the new craft they are excited but a bit hesitant to visit again. We meet the crew a cast from various countries tasked to explore the spacecraft with the knowledge from the first flyby. They are all geniuses in their fields but some have alternative motives such as fame, money, power, for going.
Once at the craft things are going similar to the first until the lights come on early and the craft makes a course correction putting onto a path with earth. Crew members start to die or go missing and the reminder is tasked with blowing up the craft before it gets to earth. At least until one of the members with the nuclear codes has a moral dilemma and sets off the race to save the craft.
While the first was very hard scifi about first encounters, this book was more humanity's response to that encounter. People plotting on how to best use or make use out of the encounter. It did have the philosophical questions you typically see in scifi, things like just because it is advanced and we don't understand it and its motives should we destroy it. It also had a bit of a horror vibe with crew members dying or going missing.
Overall a decent follow up to the first. And heck with a shout out from playboy on the cover who can argue?
Clarke's follow-up to Rendezvous with Rama. It has been 70 odd years since the Rama craft passed through the solar system awhile some things on earth changed most stayed the same. But now a second craft is coming, and second chance to understand our place in the universe compared to the Ramans. Will questions get answered or will newer ones arise.
Clarke spends the first quarter of the book establishing the fallout on earth post the first Rama, from a massive financial boom and bust to mistrust in space agencies, to an expansion of Christianity trying to bring the Ramans into their view. When humanity spots the new craft they are excited but a bit hesitant to visit again. We meet the crew a cast from various countries tasked to explore the spacecraft with the knowledge from the first flyby. They are all geniuses in their fields but some have alternative motives such as fame, money, power, for going.
Once at the craft things are going similar to the first until the lights come on early and the craft makes a course correction putting onto a path with earth. Crew members start to die or go missing and the reminder is tasked with blowing up the craft before it gets to earth. At least until one of the members with the nuclear codes has a moral dilemma and sets off the race to save the craft.
While the first was very hard scifi about first encounters, this book was more humanity's response to that encounter. People plotting on how to best use or make use out of the encounter. It did have the philosophical questions you typically see in scifi, things like just because it is advanced and we don't understand it and its motives should we destroy it. It also had a bit of a horror vibe with crew members dying or going missing.
Overall a decent follow up to the first. And heck with a shout out from playboy on the cover who can argue?