Rendezvous With Rama - Softcover

Clarke, Arthur C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1857231589 ISBN 13: 9781857231588

Publisher: Orbit, 1991

Synopsis

The astonishing and groundbreaking Rama series begins. Rama - a metallic cylinder approaching the sun at a tremendous velocity Rama - first product of an alien civilization to be encountered by man Rama - a world of technological marvels and artificial ecology What is its purpose in this year 2131? Who is inside it? And why? Look out for more information on this book and others on the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

About this title

Review:

An all-time science fiction classic, Rendezvous with Rama is also one of Clarke's best novels--it won the Campbell, Hugo, Jupiter, and Nebula Awards. A huge, mysterious, cylindrical object appears in space, swooping in toward the sun. The citizens of the solar system send a ship to investigate before the enigmatic craft, called Rama, disappears. The astronauts given the task of exploring the hollow cylindrical ship are able to decipher some, but definitely not all, of the extraterrestrial vehicle's puzzles. From the ubiquitous trilateral symmetry of its structures to its cylindrical sea and machine-island, Rama's secrets are strange evidence of an advanced civilization. But who, and where, are the Ramans, and what do they want with humans? Perhaps the answer lies with the busily working biots, or the sealed-off buildings, or the inaccessible "southern" half of the enormous cylinder. Rama's unsolved mysteries are tantalizing indeed. Rendezvous with Rama is fast moving, fascinating, and a must-read for science fiction fans. Clarke collaborated with Gentry Lee in writing several Rama sequels, beginning with Rama II.

From the Publisher:

At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredible, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams... and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits -- just behind a Raman airlock door.

"Mr. Clarke is splendid...We experience that chilling touch of the alien, the not-quite-knowable, that distinguishes SF at its most technically imaginative." -- The New York Times

About this edition

• Publisher: Orbit
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 1857231589
• ISBN 13: 9781857231588
• Binding: Paperback