Rating: 
Summary: Simple and interestingly quick read
Review: The world of "Rama" is not necessarily a wholly new concept (see Dyson Spheres, circa 1959), but it is a nice take on it. Note that, yes, I called this book "nice". Because that's basically what it is. A loosely detailed description of men discovering a new world, encapsuled inside of a 20 by 50 kilometer cylinder. The short chapters makes the reading easy, and Clarke's style is fairly simple, making this a very quick read. Though the story doesn't come to a very firm conclusion, it is worth the atmospheric emjoyment of imagining yourself there with the characters exploring this new world. The minor discussion of the political implications of this first contact is overshadowed by the greatness of Rama, and though detailed in description, it is a fairly light story, with no definite earthshattering epiphany. I give it a 4 of 5 for it's take on a first contact (of a sort) and delving into the archeology of an unknown alien culture, though it seemed as if Clarke really didn't have an idea of how to end the book, and it was a bit rushed.
Rating: 
Summary: A book that proves why Arthur C. Clarke is still a Master!
Review: This book, even today, is as fresh and fascinating as it was when it was first published several years ago. And it masterfully handles the characterization of the astronauts sent out to enter and investigate the mysterious "Rama" with is interior bodies of water and a metallic island. The first in a great series! Definitely a must-have along with: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Puppet Masters", "2001", "2010", "Ringworld", all the "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" books, as well as books as new to the genre as "Advent of the Corps" and others.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute classic
Review: This is one of the absolute best science fiction novels ever written, and probably the best of Clarke's various works. It is certainly my favourite. It is also the only science fiction novel ever, so far, to take home all the major awards (it won the Campbell, the Hugo, the Jupiter, and the Nebula). It tells the story of a mysterious cylindrical object that has entered our solar system, where it is detected by Spaceguard (a detection system to give advance warning of asteroids and other near-earth objects on a potential collision course with our planet - an idea that Clarke developed further in The Hammer of God). It is soon determined that the object, christened Rama, is actually an artificial space vessel of some kind, and a United Planets spaceship (the Endeavour, captained by Commander Norton) is sent to investigate. The rest of the (fairly short) novel describes the wonders that the members of the crew of the spaceship encounter after they have managed to get inside Rama. There are also some trademark Clarke glimpses of future human society and technology (based strictly on real science, of course).
The book is written in the classic Clarke style, with very short chapters and very little in the way of "character development" (this latter is something that is always whined and complained about by people who don't understand what great writing really is). And in this case it all works tremendously well. It is always, in all of Clarke's writings, the ideas that are the main thing. In Rendezvous, nothing beats the sense of wonder and amazement you experience when the mysteries of Rama are gradually revealed, although, at the end of the book, Rama remains as much of an enigma as it was at the start. It all rings true, and it all feels realistic, although there is a slightly dated feel (since this book was written in the early 1970s), so that I sometimes got a feeling that I was reading about something that had happened in the past (especially when you take into account the sequels, of which Rama II is just as good as Rendezvous). There is also an uplifting optimism in the story, despite the fact that humanity is, as always in Clarke's stories, put squarely in its place at the conclusion of the book.
Rendezvous with Rama is highly recommended indeed, and required reading for just about everyone. You don't have to be a fan of Clarke or a fan of science fiction in general to enjoy this book. Everyone should read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs C.D.
Review: This was a novel that I had high expectations for, due to its being a "classic" in sci-fi, but ultimately felt letdown by. Great concept. Could be thought-provoking, if you're the type to get deep into an idea. But about what it lacked, let me quote another review:"The characters are a little bland I guess but it's such a short read and there's so much information to digest there was really no room for hardcore character development. Who cares anyway..." Well, I guess maybe I'm one of the few who do. There's really NO development at all. As the above-quoted reviewer states, Rama is the main character and the focus of the book. But I don't think it would have been impossible to sustain that same mood, while also making the human characters interesting. The United Planets council scenes were tiresome -- due to too many names and not enough page-time -- but were kept thankfully short. Commander Norton is boring. He's made to seem real simply by the fact that he has a role model in a historical figure -- Captain James Cook. Other people are given hobbies to bring them to life; sailing and participating in the Lunar Olympics are two. The other reviewer is right, this is not a character-driven novel. The fact that the most disappointing aspect of this book was never meant as its focus and that it was a fluid, quick read earned it three stars from me.
Rating:
Summary: When the science and the fiction are both strong...
Review: We've all read scifi by brilliant minds with great technical ideas that somehow fell short in the storytelling department. And we've all read page-turners that gripped us, but didn't engage our minds. But if we're lucky, we've also read Arthur C. Clarke. "Rendezvous with Rama" is Clarke in peak form, combining great science with the kind of mysterious story that really sticks with you. The blend is perfect, and the pace of the revelations -- both scientific and dramatic -- is flawless. In fact, the science and fiction in this science-fiction story are so amazingly good that the shallowness of the characters doesn't hurt the story. A cornerstone of scifi is looking at how people behave in situations that are out of the ordinary. Normally, that means that we need compelling characters with lots of development, layers, internal conflicts and bad hair days. The first time I read this novel, I was put off by the anonymity of the characters. Not only don't they have first names (perfectly reasonable, given that it's a military expedition), but there's very little about them that helps me identify with them. It wasn't until my second or third reading that I realized why that doesn't matter here: becuase the story and the science are so deep, I was *already* involved in the novel, and didn't need to get into a character's head to find my place in the story. Sequels would do wonders for character development (though they were further examples of the dirty-old-man method of writing female characters), but wouldn't touch the sense of mystery, drama and even suspense that "Rendezvous" gave me. This isn't a library book; it's one you'll want to keep coming back to.
Rating:
Summary: One of the very best.
Review: When I first read Rama many years ago, what stunned me was the sheer scale of imagination that it represented. In fact, Clarke's strength has always been his imagination. Even today, reading the book for the umpteenth time, I have the same feeling. The degree to which Clarke describes Rama and at the same time explains just how complex interstellar travel could be is truly amazing. His description of Rama's interior (the Cylindrical Sea, the layout, the stairways, the biots) are so vivid and clear that one can picture the craft. The sheer scale of the project fills the reader with a sense of awe and wonder that remains all through the book. The story is simple : in short, an asteroid watch spots Rama, an object hurtling towards the solar system and then realizes it is no rocky planetoid but an artificial object made by intelligent beings. A ship is launched to intercept and possibly explore Rama. Their experience and interaction with Rama is the heart of the book. The context is one frequently favored by Clarke - that of humanity as near-children, stumbling (almost by error and perhaps a bit of extra-terrestrial design) on matters far greater than they can comprehend (2001 A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End). Humanity comes in "contact" (so to speak) with an advanced alien intelligence which it can barely begin to comprehend. And while humanity fears that it may be subject to domination, even tyranny, the sublime ending designed by Clarke is if anything even more telling. Without giving away the plot, I can only say that the final realization of our sheer insignificance in the scale of the Universe is pretty humbling. As always, Clarke's writing style is top drawer, filled with subtle humor and sly digs at ourselves. A must-read.
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