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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I am continually fascinated by Clarke's ability to have a very technologically oriented story line that is still full of very human characters. Rama is an incredible invention; I was disappointed that we didn't learn more of the beings who created the ship(?) and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I was so moved by the bittersweet ending; the only fault I can find with the plot is that I think Nicole would not have embraced the decision to stay on Rama and given up so easily on getting back to her teenage daughter on Earth. But that's me speaking as the mother of a young child. ACC, a male scientist who neither married nor had children of his own would naturally have seen it differently.
Mixed feelings about this, while it's lacking ACC's straightforward no-nonsense hard sci-fi style, there's much more character development, intrigue, drama, religious commentary (baptism?!), and some very dated concepts (albeit, understandably given the time this novel was produced). On the other hand - a strong, athletic, highly intelligent biracial doctor and single mom as the lead protagonist, supported by a sensitive Shakespeare-loving introverted nerdy engineer is rather refreshing and bold for it's time.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-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
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm not usually one to complain about this sort of thing, but the characters in this novel are extremely flawed. The mission to explore the spacecraft is incompetent and undisciplined to the point where it's difficult to believe. This is a far cry from the first Rama book.
This is an unexpectedly strong sequel to Clarke's 1972 tour de force "Rendezvous with Rama." "Rama II" is really more of a reboot than a sequel: while it neither ignores nor contradicts the first novel in the series, it tends to gloss over much of it in favor of a storyline which focuses much more on intrigue and character conflict. I should note that I approached this work with great skepticism, particularly because it was co-authored by Gentry Lee. "Rama II" is the second book by the Clarke/Lee partnership, but the first (1982's wretched "Cradle") is among Clarke's weakest works of fiction. Thus, my expectations for "Rama II" were not particularly high. I was very pleasantly surprised.
Although much Raman technology was already described in "Rendezvous with Rama," the characters here are afforded the opportunity to explore a Raman vessel in considerably greater detail, so there are still many surprises in the "gizmo and gadget" department. But the real interest in this story derives from sharply conflicting personalities and agendas, with several of the characters developed to a high degree in order to sharpen the clashing and clanging between them.
As with most sequels, "Rama II" is not quite as compelling as the first book in the series, but it's not far off the mark either (think "2010"). In particular, some (but not all) elements of the ending were predictable, and the ending is weakened by dint of setting up a sequel. Thus, many plot points remain unresolved at the close of the book. These, however, are minor detractions, and readers who were fascinated by "Rendezvous with Rama" may want to track this down.
Although much Raman technology was already described in "Rendezvous with Rama," the characters here are afforded the opportunity to explore a Raman vessel in considerably greater detail, so there are still many surprises in the "gizmo and gadget" department. But the real interest in this story derives from sharply conflicting personalities and agendas, with several of the characters developed to a high degree in order to sharpen the clashing and clanging between them.
As with most sequels, "Rama II" is not quite as compelling as the first book in the series, but it's not far off the mark either (think "2010"). In particular, some (but not all) elements of the ending were predictable, and the ending is weakened by dint of setting up a sequel. Thus, many plot points remain unresolved at the close of the book. These, however, are minor detractions, and readers who were fascinated by "Rendezvous with Rama" may want to track this down.
Ugh!
So maybe 1 star is a bit kneejerk, but I wanted to convey just how much of a drop-off this book is from the first. Like headfirst over Niagara Falls level of drop-off.
Rendezvous With Rama is a book that I have only recently read. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, I was blown away with how well (for the most part) it has held up as a science fiction novel in the 50+ years since it's release. That's a pretty incredible feat within the hard Sci-Fi genre.
It was everything I wanted in a sci fi tale. Slow paced, thoughtful, intriguing and with a cast of characters that seemed realistic to the scenario. You'd expect scientists and explorer types on a mission such as that to be stoic, ultra professional and maybe a bit wooden. It adds to the realism.
Rama 2, however, throws all of this out of the window.
Instead of a team of ultra-professional astronauts, scientists and engineers, we get a collection of egotistical sociopaths and racial caricatures. From the Japanese guy who is always going on about 'honour' while constantly apologising and bowing, to the American who spends his time slamming his fist on every table he comes across whilst shouting "This is outrageous! Wait until command heard about this."
We get this entire section spelling out the fact that these people are to have in-depth medical and psychologial evaluations before setting out. Meaning that these characters are supposed to be the crème-de-la-crème of humanity, only for them to start plotting, scheming and petty arguments with each other the very second they get into space.
I've heard someone on here describing this book as "An episode of Dallas in Space"
Personally, with the sheer amount of unlikeable, backbiting, self-centered sociopaths this book is filled with, it feels more like Gentry Lee took ACC's amazing story and filled with with the cast of an episode of 'The Apprentice'
Read the original and avoid this train-wreck at all costs.
So maybe 1 star is a bit kneejerk, but I wanted to convey just how much of a drop-off this book is from the first. Like headfirst over Niagara Falls level of drop-off.
Rendezvous With Rama is a book that I have only recently read. Like 2001: A Space Odyssey, I was blown away with how well (for the most part) it has held up as a science fiction novel in the 50+ years since it's release. That's a pretty incredible feat within the hard Sci-Fi genre.
It was everything I wanted in a sci fi tale. Slow paced, thoughtful, intriguing and with a cast of characters that seemed realistic to the scenario. You'd expect scientists and explorer types on a mission such as that to be stoic, ultra professional and maybe a bit wooden. It adds to the realism.
Rama 2, however, throws all of this out of the window.
Instead of a team of ultra-professional astronauts, scientists and engineers, we get a collection of egotistical sociopaths and racial caricatures. From the Japanese guy who is always going on about 'honour' while constantly apologising and bowing, to the American who spends his time slamming his fist on every table he comes across whilst shouting "This is outrageous! Wait until command heard about this."
We get this entire section spelling out the fact that these people are to have in-depth medical and psychologial evaluations before setting out. Meaning that these characters are supposed to be the crème-de-la-crème of humanity, only for them to start plotting, scheming and petty arguments with each other the very second they get into space.
I've heard someone on here describing this book as "An episode of Dallas in Space"
Personally, with the sheer amount of unlikeable, backbiting, self-centered sociopaths this book is filled with, it feels more like Gentry Lee took ACC's amazing story and filled with with the cast of an episode of 'The Apprentice'
Read the original and avoid this train-wreck at all costs.
As the name suggests, this book expands on the "Rendezvous with Rama" narrative but with a different main author although Arthur C. Clarke was still involved. This time around, Rama takes a backseat to the characters exploring it. This makes for a slow start which at first was a bit of a shock considering how fast you were thrown in the midst of everything in the first book. The story picks up the pace about half way through and has a strong finish.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Racism
Rendezvous With Rama isn't without its faults. But its strengths penetrate Clarke's somewhat pedestrian prose and interchangeable characters and deposit it on the top shelf of 20th century sci-fi. Visions of the enigmatic, fascinating Rama remain with you forever. Thus we approach Rama II with great anticipation, eager to learn answers to the tantalising mysteries of the first book.
Well, I suppose we learn a teensy bit more about Rama. But we learn a whole lot more - a WHOLE lot more - about a bunch of one-dimensional, hackneyed, stereotyped walking cliches. Excruciating detail. Useless detail. Unless they're the Russian scientist or the Japanese crew members. They lurk around like useless shadows. And everybody communicates in stilted, clumsy dialogue. And they have perfunctory, pointless sex. The prose is awful. Like, how many times is Francesca referred to as the "Italian journalist"? Aarrgh. There are strange gaps in the narrative, something I thought was down to my own deteriorating memory until I confirmed them with my son, who'd read the book just before me. To describe them would be too much detail in a review such as this, but read the book and you will see what I mean. You'll have the odd "what the...?" or "how did...? moment as the story proceeds. Entirely missed by all the friends and colleagues who supposedly gave their feedback on the manuscript...
Inexplicably, the big technological and scientific concepts are glossed over. The mechanics of the Newton craft, the helicopters, the drones and even Rama itself are barely touched upon or entirely neglected. But we know all about Nicole ordering an airline meal from her seat and buying a bus ticket or something, whilst learning nothing about the plane she's on. And apparently she was able to load the text of five (yes, FIVE!) books into the discretionary memory in her personal computer. C'mon! You could already fit five books on a floppy disc in 1989! Surely by 2200 we'd squeeze a few more into a personal computer? And what's with Francesca shooting on FILM? The digital still camera had been around since the mid-70s - was it so hard to imagine a digital video camera by 2200?
I think it's clear from the available evidence that Gentry Lee had a lot more to do with this book than Arthur C. Clarke, despite the billing on the cover. So it's Gentry at whom the raspberries and brickbats should be aimed. There was enormous promise in the prospect of a Rama sequel, none of it realised. In this turgid tome Gentry has greatly amplified Clarke's weaknesses as a writer, and entirely buried his strengths. Clarke never needed to collaborate, and in doing so his legacy was damaged.
Well, I suppose we learn a teensy bit more about Rama. But we learn a whole lot more - a WHOLE lot more - about a bunch of one-dimensional, hackneyed, stereotyped walking cliches. Excruciating detail. Useless detail. Unless they're the Russian scientist or the Japanese crew members. They lurk around like useless shadows. And everybody communicates in stilted, clumsy dialogue. And they have perfunctory, pointless sex. The prose is awful. Like, how many times is Francesca referred to as the "Italian journalist"? Aarrgh. There are strange gaps in the narrative, something I thought was down to my own deteriorating memory until I confirmed them with my son, who'd read the book just before me. To describe them would be too much detail in a review such as this, but read the book and you will see what I mean. You'll have the odd "what the...?" or "how did...? moment as the story proceeds. Entirely missed by all the friends and colleagues who supposedly gave their feedback on the manuscript...
Inexplicably, the big technological and scientific concepts are glossed over. The mechanics of the Newton craft, the helicopters, the drones and even Rama itself are barely touched upon or entirely neglected. But we know all about Nicole ordering an airline meal from her seat and buying a bus ticket or something, whilst learning nothing about the plane she's on. And apparently she was able to load the text of five (yes, FIVE!) books into the discretionary memory in her personal computer. C'mon! You could already fit five books on a floppy disc in 1989! Surely by 2200 we'd squeeze a few more into a personal computer? And what's with Francesca shooting on FILM? The digital still camera had been around since the mid-70s - was it so hard to imagine a digital video camera by 2200?
I think it's clear from the available evidence that Gentry Lee had a lot more to do with this book than Arthur C. Clarke, despite the billing on the cover. So it's Gentry at whom the raspberries and brickbats should be aimed. There was enormous promise in the prospect of a Rama sequel, none of it realised. In this turgid tome Gentry has greatly amplified Clarke's weaknesses as a writer, and entirely buried his strengths. Clarke never needed to collaborate, and in doing so his legacy was damaged.