About this title: An investigative team goes into space to investigate a mysterious asteroid-like object hurtling toward the center of the solar system that proves to be a manufactured craft. Winner of the 1974 Hugo and the 1973 Nebula Awards.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 1974
ISBN-13:9780345241757ISBN:0345241754
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Light edge and corner wear. Small ding on bottom of back cover. No marks. Tight, square book. Tanned pages. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Spectra Books
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780553287899ISBN:0553287893
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Very light edge and corner wear. No marks. Tight, square book. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 288 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Del Rey
Date Published: 1987-06-12
ISBN-13:9780345350565ISBN:0345350561
Description: Fair. Mass market paperback. Moderate general wear with tear to spine edge taped. A lot of cover scuff and some edge wear. Page tanning. Otherwise clean, tight, straight, unmarked. read more
Edition: Reprint.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Ballantine Del Rey Books, New York
Date Published: 1988
ISBN-13:9780345350565ISBN:0345350561
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. 1988 Ballantine Del Rey paperback. NOT EX LIB! Bright, clean pages with little reading wear, spine is not creased, very light edgewear. Great shape! 274 p. Glued binding. read more
Description: Good. Spine is well creased. Covers show wear at the edges and corners. Good Grade C average reading copy. Binding is Mass Market Paperback. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Description: Ballantine 31560 1975 1st special printing paperback, cover art by Stanislaw Fernandes, CONDITION: GOOD, inside covers quite toned, pages a little toned, general cover wear, sound reading condition. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Date Published: 1974
ISBN-13:9780345241757ISBN:0345241754
Description: Good. An average used book that has all pages intact. Could have some creasing on the spine or covers. Our ultimate goal is to provide you with a satisfying customer experience. read more
Binding: MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Date Published: 1976
ISBN-13:9780345252883ISBN:0345252888
Description: Very Good. 0345252888 100% guaranteed. Good condition overall. Clean pages. Yellowing pages. Tight Spine. Creased spine. Creased cover. Light shelf wear. We work hard to make you happy. read more
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Good Condition, Binding tight, pages clean, no writing, some wear on edges, 276 p. Audience: General/trade. Good Condition, Binding tight, pages clean, no writing, some wear on edges. Rendezvous with Rama. Ballantine paperback-#24175. 1975-4th printing. English fiction; Fiction; General; Rama (Imaginary space vehicle); Science Fiction. ships quickly read more
"Because of Kubrick, Arthur C. Clark will forever be remembered as the author of 2001. Though there has been talk of tackling Rama on the big screen, so far no one has taken it on and I think I like it that way. As with 2001, Clarke's subject is humanity's first encounter with alien intelligence, this time in the form of an enormous vessel that has made it's way into our solar system. Character schmaracter. There is one star in this book and it's Rama; and it's enough. Rama is a wondrous invention, revealed ever so slowly, and with such clarity that I felt I was there. If you are looking for action, this book isn't for you. But there is always suspense. All the way through, I couldn't wait to discover what would happen next. And though individual people are interchangeable, how they collectively react to Rama and what they expect from it reveals, in Clarke's mind, a great deal about who we are."
"One of the greatest questions a science fiction writer can ask is: are we alone? That question is answered in the book Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. In its pages lies the fantastic story of a gigantic cylindrical spaceship miles across and the odyssey of the crew of the spaceship Endeavour sent up to investigate it. This book is very well written, Mr. Clarke outdid himself with the description of Rama. I could almost feel like I was there near the top of the hub looking down on the inside. The story also drew me in. I was constantly guessing how the story would play out, and when a plot detail went in a different direction then I had predicted, I actually wondered what would happen next. I also liked the high science fiction concepts the book had. Ever since I was a kid I've always been facinated by starship drives and mobile planets, so this book really took me back to when I was a kid dreaming up spaceships and things like that. My favorite part of the book is the ending where Rama uses fuel from the Sun to jump back out into space, it was extremely descriptive. My only real problem with the book is that it ends on a cliffhanger. There are other sequels to this book, sure. But they've been co-written with Gentry Lee and I don't really know if they'd be any good. Aside from that minor problem, Rendezvous with Rama is one of the must read books of science fiction."
"I used to be a huge sci-fi fan year ago and now I've almost forgotten how much fun these books were. Luckily, a reading challenge encouraged me to revisit this genre.
"Rendezvous with Rama" is one of the most well known and critically acclaimed Clarke's novels, and rightfully so. The story takes place in a not so distant future, when a strange cylindrical object, later christened Rama, enters the solar system and travels directly towards our sun. Very soon it is discovered that this object is definitely artificial and a space craft is sent to investigate what exactly it is: is it a weapon sent to destroy the sun or inhabitants of the solar system, is it a modern day Noah's Ark, is it a miniature alien micro-planet? Clarke takes us on a journey to explore the mysteries of this fascinating object of alien intelligence.
While the story lacks a little in character development (all of players are created only to help explore Rama's secrets), the story itself is an intriguing one. The alien world is richly developed and scientifically believable. I am actually quite amazed how real this creation of Clarke's seems. I am not up to date with developments in sci-fi genre and don't know how good or bad "Rendezvous" is compared to the latest books, but I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by this book. After finishing this novel, I am definitely inspired to check out more books written by Clarke.
"This is the first "classic" Arthur C. Clarke that I read carefully, though I sort of skimmed The City and the Stars during early high school when I wasn't making my mind up to read books all the way through. This book seemed to be getting of to a rather slow start with not particularly memorable characters, but at some point I realized that suspense was building up quickly and that the book isn't about characters - it's about Rama. Rama is an alien artifact with dimensions in the tens of kilometers that has traveled hundreds of thousands of years to reach the twenty-second century solar system. Its builders are not in evidence, but as humans explore its interior they are increasingly convinced that it is still in perfect condition to carry out some purpose. The question is, what is the purpose?"
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