Rendezvous with RAMA by Arthur C. Clarke

A starship the size of a large asteroid arrives in Earth's solar system, they call it RAMA . . .

Sir Arthur C. Clarke, a British author and one of the grand masters of science fiction, first published Rendezvous with Rama in 1972.  It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards.


Rendezvous with Rama

The first in the RAMA universe, Rendezvous is set in 22^nd century.  An alien ship, with a thirty-one mile long cylindrical shape, enters Earth’s solar system.  A group of human explorers intercept and board the ship, a scientific creation that dwarfs anything humans have created, then relate the story to those on Earth.  A genre classic, written in the hard science fiction style.  


Fantastic visions of a superior intelligence lure the humans into the mystery of the starship that seems to be waiting for something.  Perhaps a sampling of the human race?  I preferred this book authored by Clarke alone, to the three follow-up novels authored by Gentry.  I recommend reading Rendezvous with Rama, but be aware that the three subsequent novels do not have the same appeal or science edge as the original novel by Clarke.  The co-authored books did not receive the same awards or recognition as the original book. 

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The following youtube, Rendezvous with RAMA, shows a quick interior of the starship.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY2Yt1ATm4c

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Clarke joined with Gentry Lee to write the remainder of the series.  Lee did the actual writing, while Clarke read and made editing suggestions. 


Rama II - 1989
Garden of Rama - 1991
Rama Revealed - 1993

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Interesting Notes:

Clarke invented the space study program "Project Spaceguard", to identify NEOs - near Earth objects - on Earth impact paths.  This is the program that detects Rama in the story, Rendezvous with Rama.

In 1992, a real project Spaceguard was initiated and named after Clarke's fictional device.  After a series of asteroid strike films generated interest, NASA was given authorization and funding to support this program.

In July 1994, the impact of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 to Jupiter increased the perception of importance of tracking NEOs.  Maybe those people who worried about Earth being impacted weren't paranoid alarmists after all.

Other well-known titles by Clarke:  2001-A Space Odyssey, 2010-Odyssey II, The Hammer of God.  The bibliography link below lists novellas and short stories.

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Did you know A. C. Clarke worked closely with NASA? Have you read any of Arthur C. Clarke’s books? Childhood's End was the first I read.  Would you like to explore an empty alien ship?  Please share in the comments.


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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceguard - Spaceguard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke - Arthur, the Author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke_bibliography - Bibliography, A. C. Clarke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama Rendezvous with Rama; photo of cover with artists' representation of the starship.

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Rainforest Reviews #9 - SCIFI: The BACKWORLDS

They're Out There, on the Edge. . . waiting


The Backworlds
Book 1

M.Pax's latest, The Backworlds (prop.MPax)

This story is about a young Verkinn, Craze, who gets booted from his comfortable home and easy life.  He's given no choice, his fate already decided by others.  Duped by his own father and the town council, he's pronounced an outcast and forcibly harassed until he boards a starship leaving the planet Siegna.   He's determined to prove his fellow Verkinn wrong.  His adventure begins.


Craze has observed his father's business skills in the family tavern and knows how to negotiate.  On his way to his first stop, he meets two fellow travelers who become friends, then crew-partners of a 'revived' spaceship that takes them to the Backworlds.  Through his innate cunning and his ability to recognize an opportunity, Craze begins to collect some new friends.  A deal is made, one that could change his future if he stays alive.  It could also write his epitaph, if he makes a mistake.

As he runs from one close encounter to another, Craze learns the value of trust and how to circumvent trouble.  He also learns something his father never taught him, that one's friends sometimes have to be repaid for their kindness and loyalty.  Money and fear are two important tools used for trade and coercion in the Backworlds.  A last minute passenger who joins the crew is adept at using these tools.

MPax has subtle touches of tech mixed in the narrative, just enough to round out the setting details and enhance the world building.  A personal observation: I'm reminded of R. Silverberg's Majipoor series, with it's variety of otherworld beings.

A nice surprise :  The excerpt from Stopover at Backworlds' Edge, Book 2 in this series, was enticing and the wait won't be long.  It's coming July 23rd; details on this book and other works at M. Pax's blog, Wistful Nebulae. 

MPax, Author bio:

"Science fiction writer. Ebooks, short stories and more. Amateur astronomer giving star tours at Pine Mountain Observatory. I'm also obsessed with Jane Austen."

Drop by her site and see what's new in the Pacific Northwest region.


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Do you follow MPax's blog? If not, check it out at the links below.  Have you read The Backworlds or any other titles by M.Pax?  If not, what SciFi/Fantasy author do you remember?  Please share in the comments.


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References:

http://mpaxauthor.com/the-backworlds-series/backworlds-the/ The Backworlds Series and other books.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/14096697282530998519  Profile for MPax


http://mpaxauthor.com/blog/  Wistful Nebulae


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Silverberg Wikipedia Info on R. Silverberg



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