Customer Reviews

Rendezvous With Rama (Macmillan Readers)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an abridged, re-worded, and re-phrased version of the Arthur C. Clarke novel as retold by Elizabeth Walker. This book is intended for consumption by an Elementary School audience and to that end fulfills a need. This is not what was represented in Amazon's advertising. I ordered a classic novel and got the the Classic Comic book or Cliff's notes version. The illustrations look like comic book art. Not what I expected and was very disappointed as I had to wait a month to get the book. If I'd known, I'd canceled and just have gone to our public library.

I haven't read this - I don't know how good it is. All I know is that this is not the original novel. It is an abridged version for children. I feel stupid having wasted money on it. They should really make it clear in the product description exactly what this is.

I wish I had noticed that this was a Macmillan Reader. It is excellent for young readers but I wanted the version written by Arthur C. Clarke so, to a degree, I was disappointed.

This book is what science fiction is all about. No space wars or light sabers or evil aliens, just the excitement of exploration and discovery, and the sense the the universe is filled with fascinating things. The story is simple: an alien spaceship is passing through the solar system, and we humans have just one chance to have a look inside. What's really great is that Clarke doesn't answer even some of the questions about the aliens who built the thing, which means that when you finish the book you are left with the same sense of wonder that you had when you started. This is why I haven't read any of the sequels and have no plans to. It's pretty clear to me that this novel was intended to stand on its own, and it does so brilliantly.

In a stunning science fiction book set a hundred years in the future when a huge monolith shoots through the solar system. A committee decides to send a team of astronauts to the body which has been christened Rama. The scientists learn as much of the space traveler and as Rama moves closer to the sun, it wakes up from an intergalactic sleep and comes alive.

In a thrilling, page-turning sci-fi thriller, Arthur Clarke creates and entertains the idea of other intelligence in this universe. Along with his other great sci-fi books, Arthur C. Clarke make relatable characters and you can tag along with their thoughts as the explore the futuristic world of Rama. But remember: the Raman's do everything in three's.

I, too, didn't realize that this in not the novel. Guess I'll try again and find the actual book. I didn't read the reviews as I had bought this novel a long time ago and had no idea that this kind of product even existed.

This is the ultimate example of a technology-driven science-fiction story where the scientific idea is everything and all other literary elements -- plot, charactization, conflict -- are ignored. An alien craft comes into the solar system a couple of centuries from now, and some astronauts explore it, and all the interest is in what they find. Interestingly, Clarke deliberately avoids any wild technology. The ship spins instead of using artificial gravity. Instead of inventing a limitless energy source, Clarke has the aliens keep their ship in deep-freeze until they pass near a star and are able to use its energy. Only at the end is there a hint of some sort of warp drive.

On the human side, the scholarly captain, Norton, was probably the model for Picard in NEXT-GENERATION, and the fundamentalist crewman is interesting, but otherwise you get the impression that Clarke was bored trying to create a crew. Even the notions that polygamy is legal in the future, or that "superchimps" have been bred to carry out the mundane tasks, come out dull.

The only conflict comes in one chapter where the heavy, the Ambassador from Mercury, launches an atomic missile and the fundamentalist crewman heroicly dearms it. The only extended story line is when another crewman explores a separate part of the alien ship and has trouble getting back.

But it's useless to criticize Clarke for things he wasn't trying to do. The idea was First Contact, and Clarke handled it beautifully.

This was a very quick read. I was worried that it would be outdated. But neither the language nor the science created any barriers to enjoyment.

Chapters are short. Book is short. Science is low-tech. Sentence structure is simple. Point is, this book can be read by anyone. If you read two or three chapters, you'll read the whole book.

In summary, I see this as a Star Trek I or 2001 Space Odyssey type book. Lots of scenery with very little plot. But the scenery is good enough to keep your interest.

Now the bad part. The author does a good job of getting you to read one more page. You really can't wait to see what happens next. But. Nothing really ever happens. Those who want a good ending should avoid this read. You never really find much out. The book just kind of ends. I didn't mind it. But I know a few friends to whom I won't recommend this (including my wife), just because the ending (or lack of) will just piss them off.

I give it a B+, which in my book is a 4 star.

For anyone looking to buy this - this copy is NOT the original book!!! This is a "retelling" of Arthur C. Clarke's classic Rendezvous with Rama, intended for beginning readers! It includes a forward that lists all of the planets of the solar system, and includes an illustration of what an asteroid looks like. Repeat - if you are looking to read Arthur C. Clarke's book, DO NOT BUY THIS VERSION!!