Rating: 
Summary: anyone but clarke...
Review: For a science fiction novel it wasn't bad; for part of the Rama series, I was disappointed. The writing seemed elementary in some parts (in some cases, so did the characters), and boy do I hope that wasn't Clarke's doing because that suggests some pretty severe deterioration. I think any sequel, or series, would have a hard time living up to Rendezvous; what I liked the most about that novel was the uncertainty put into terms I could comprehend--who are, or were, the Ramans? It wasn't sensational, and much less Earthcentric that a lot of science fiction--not only did they not try to conquer Earth, or consider Earth a major threat, Earth was ignored altogether. I got a sense of space and how little we know about what was out there. That said, I couldn't put this one down. I haven't read anything with quite so much interest in a long time. It was worth the paper it was printed on.
Rating: 
Summary: Ignore this book...
Review: A good science fiction book should have you wanting to read it. You would not want to put it down, waiting to know what would happen next. This book seemed to drag on. Everything that I found interesting in the first book was not there. Instead there was nothing but a small but slightly interesting shell of a story wrapped up in a soap opera like atmosphere. It also has an obsession with sex that I can not explain. (but it gets A LOT worse in the third book) The series goes downhill geometricly after this one so dont bother.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost there
Review: I've read the original Rama many years ago, perhaps even when it was released in 1990, but still the story was fresh, deep in my mind, enough to keep me under Rama's spell. Still, this #2 sequel was quite dissimilar, unbalanced, despite being so interesting you can't keep your eyes off off it. There was this character developing concern, but if it offers you at least one or two plausible human beings on one side to the other you have two or three that could never be aboard the military spaceship or even be my neighbours!... Too many flashbacks of the 12th/13th or whatever centuries (! ) and that religious issue that somewhat unfocused our attention off God's marvellous creation: Rama! Looks like half of a book, half a story... needed more and more Rama, but still it's a very catchy tune overall. Onward to The Garden of Rama!
Rating: 
Summary: Hack sci-fi at best, a pathetic attempt to cash in on Rama I
Review: I agree with Eric below. Unlike Rendezvous, which was a suspenseful, almost magical exploration of an eery, elusive world, the Rama in Rama II is merely a backdrop to transparent, squabbling characters. In addition to Clarke's shallow portrayal of his characters, the unbelievable premise that pits them against one another just adds insult to the injury already inflicted on my strained imagination. Clarke should have stuck to a proven strategy - like in Rama I, keep the characters one dimensional so that they serve as vehicles to reveal the dark secrets of this unfathomable alien world. Rama I was so fascinating because all the engineering and scientific know-how was gathered and singularly applied to this giant, metallic cylinder. As for the characters in Rama II, the intrigue and conflict among them so consumes them that Rama kind of fades into the distance as an afterthought. And anytime the characters' thoughts actually turn to Rama, they usual take some sloppy form of "What are you Rama?" Really a bad book. Please do not read.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent!
Review: The Characterization made it very believable, and the creativity is amazing!
Rating:
Summary: A balanced review at last
Review: After all these personal reviews (it seems that some people find it hard to regard ACC as a regular human being), it's time to neutrally point out the flaws and interesting parts of this book. I am not a regular science fiction-reader, so I'm not really in for the purely technical details. I claim that the plot is far more important than the 'tech stuff', as one reviewer so eloquently described it. The problem with this book is that the authors make too hard an effort to build a mini-world out of the characters in the expedition. I am left utterly unconvinced by them. Whoever would select such a painfully obviously unqualified staff for such an important mission? That being said, a few interesting topics are elaborated, however superficially. Too bad that the issues are handled in a much too non-subtle way. You have to be severely dense not to grasp what the authors are hinting at. In addition, none of it is too controversial. It's not as if you marvel at the creativity displayed here... I find it impossible not to compare this book with its predecessor. The most obvious difference to me is the way moral issues are raised. In the first book, the Rama environment forced human cooperation/interaction. The focus was initially on Rama, but tended to shift to the crew exploring it. Contrary to this, in the second book, the intrigues between the crew are elaborated in a painstakingly 'common' way for what seems an eternity before they even enter Rama. Too borderline to crime/romance/soap, in my opinion. To sum up, stay away if you're looking for interesting visonary fiction (as in the first book).
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding next step in the Rama saga...
Review: I just finished this one a couple of days ago -- soon to start on "Garden of Rama". I suppose it is Gentry Lee's contribution to have all of the additional character development in this story, as opposed to "Rendezvous..." Most of it works well, but there were some big conflicts that were created and never really resolved in my opinion. I still loved the book start to finish and I find myself trying to visualize the size of Rama until I give up because we just don't have any frame of reference to use to picture it. This time, the crew of the "Norton" (named for the Captain of the ship that visited the original Rama) encounters new biots with different behaviors and finds details slightly different than on the first Rama ship. These differences kept the story that much more interesting. If you loved "Rendezvous With Rama", then you really should read "Rama II".
Rating:
Summary: Substandard Clarke. An exercise in mediocrity.
Review: Rama II will most likely be disappointing to the majority of readers who enjoyed Rendezvous With Rama. This isn't the worst thing I've read, but it is certainly a letdown after Rendezvous. My time could have been spent on a better novel -- though, I am, unfortunately, doomed to finish up this series due to a bothersome sense of duty.Clarke (or Lee -- who knows who wrote the majority of the novel?) takes a lot of the focus off the engineering marvels of Rama in order to follow poorly developed character histories. I am not opposed to good characterization in science fiction -- it's great when an author can manage a successful marriage between hard sci-fi and compelling character development. Clarke/Lee, however, in his attempt to pull off such a marriage, instead causes both aspects to suffer. I found the religious aspects of this novel irritating -- but that's probably due to the fact that I'm an agnostic (leaning in a heavily atheistic direction) with little fondness for organized religion. My own beliefs aside, I thought the religious aspects of the novel were clumsily handled and offered little insight. I'm curious to see how the series ends, though from the reviews I've read, I fear I must expect more of the same mediocrity I found in Rama II.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: That all I have to said about this book and despite the fact that I read this book before the first novel. At first you will said that I ruin the novel, but I have I didn't because this book is self-contain and you get the gist of what the frist novel was all about. The people in the story or real, and what they come from are also real things.
Rating:
Summary: Whatever happened to "Rendezvous with Rama"?
Review: The Rama sequels were a major disappointment for me after reading a masterwork such as "Rendesvouz with Rama". Their crawling pace is unforgivable, and it is due to the various lenghthy irrelevant personal dramas which take valueble space in the story. When one is eagerly waiting to find out the truth about mysterious aliens, it is a torment to be confronted with hundreds of wasted pages. I believe the three Rama sequels should be edited, with whole chapters being wiped out. The odds are, nobody would miss them.
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