Rating: 
Summary: Rama what ?
Review: Allow me to be a little retrospective . The first book was a gem. Not often are there books which concentrate purely on the technological side and get away with little or no character development . The second was pleasing only towards the end although I found the need to explain life stories of characters profoundly irritating and often irrelevant . Who cares if Francesca is a slut ? I was hoping for a redemption of sorts in this third book but nope , didn't find it . If this book were set in an urban 20th century environment , it would be a mid-day soap opera with sex and drugs thrown in . As a science fiction novel , it somehow manages to discard most science . Maybe it was Lee's influence , maybe I just lost patience with the black and white characters . This book could have done with better characterisation , less politics , less pointless sex , less Shakespearen quotes and finally , a helluva lot more science fiction . Ultimately I was disappointed since I started reading this series with much enthusiasm and ended up flicking chapters just to see who would cark it next.
Rating: 
Summary: I liked it, but it is ridiculous at times
Review: I want to give it a 7 but I must be fair. It is a decentbook. I love Clarke and I really love the Rama concept,but I think he is slipping a little bit in his later years. He trys to be too fair to all religions. His view of the future is a little bit too politically correct for me. The main character, Nicole Des Jardins, is one of the most unbelievable characters I have ever read in a book. Clarke tries way too hard to make her into this superhuman woman that can handle all things at once and wrap everyones life into a comfortable blanket. Nevertheless if you are willing to skip a few of the more boring parts of it, it is worthwhile. There are some great descriptions of the Raman Spacestation called the Node and the life in the vessel is handled very well I think. Over all it is a good book if you are a Clarke fan and a Raman fan.
Rating: 
Summary: exception to everyone else
Review: I guess I am the exception to the rule, as I absolutely loved all 4 of the Rama books. I was so caught up in what had happened and would happen with Nicole and her family that I could hardly wait 'til the next book in the series was published! To let you know how much I was affected by the series: at the end of Rama Revealed, I was moved to tears at the death of Nicole and the realization that this was IT. But, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed in what was and was not reavealed.
Rating:
Summary: Continuing the downward spiral
Review: Ever so gently this series is starting to drift. GET BACK ON FOCUS!!! Much of the writing was about mundane people doing mundane things, petty conflicts, a lot of wondering and wandering and not much continuity. Once again, as he has done in the past over and over, Clarke comes up with a superlative idea but his literary talents - or lack thereof - are not up to the task. Only rarely does he succeed with character development and this is not an uncommon occurrence among scifi writers. I found myself staring into space several times and even peeking ahead. The best parts were all the creatures in the Garden. It is an axiom that the really memorable science fiction stories do not center on the unworldly aspect but on unforgettable people - Contact, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dune. This series could have been really remarkable but it has been dithered away. What a waste of time and energy.
Rating:
Summary: What a disappointment!!!
Review: What a let-down!!! This is an unbelivably poor, hashed-together, novel with a few points of interest (hence 2 stars, instead of 1) but mostly pathetic and unbelivable. The first section of the book, containing extracts of "journal entries" from Nicole's journal (it's obvious now that Nicole is going to be the main character from here on out) which serve to send forward the plot about 13 years (and entangle the characters in some cloyingly obvious sexual "misunderstandings"). The remainder of the book is a description of the "colony" from Earth chosen to inhabit Rama, and the disastrous choices made by nearly everyone -- from the politicians on Earth, to most of the colonists. To paraphrase B.B. King, "The Thrill of Rama is Gone". I'll give "Rama Revealed" a chance, just because so many loose ends are left hanging. A real disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: I liked it, but it is ridiculous at times
Review: I want to give it a 7 but I must be fair. It is a decent
book. I love Clarke and I really love the Rama concept,
but I think he is slipping a little bit in his later years.
He trys to be too fair to all religions. His view of the future is a little bit too politically correct for me. The main character, Nicole Des Jardins, is one of the most unbelievable characters I have ever read in a book. Clarke tries way too hard to make her into this superhuman woman that can handle all things at once and wrap everyones life into a comfortable blanket. Nevertheless if you are willing to skip a few of the more boring parts of it, it is worthwhile. There are some great descriptions of the Raman Spacestation called the Node and the life in the vessel is handled very well I think. Over all it is a good book if you are a Clarke fan and a Raman fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Please, oh please don't waste your time with this garbage!
Review: With only one or two exceptions, everybody seems to agree that this follow-up series is the biggest waste of time of our lives! Like another reviewer wrote: What I wouldn't do to get the time back! If the setting were entirely different (ie. NOT a sci-fi novel, let alone a sequel to the original Rama by Clarke) then some of the characters and situations MIGHT be interesting. Certainly not, however, when we're expecting sci-fi on the same level as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Rendezvous with Rama.
Rating:
Summary: Wreck/Dreck of Rama
Review: If Rama II disappointed, avoid this one. The entire plot line is silly (as Nicole and Co. go back and forth between star systems, mostly asleep but aging) and at the end the reader is no where -- third-rate 'cliff-hanger' to get you to buy the next book. It will take another 400 pages in Rama Revealed to get to the so-called revelation. Fans of ACC will not recognize any of his ideas in this volume which basically assumes humans have learned nothing over the years: just plain ignorant, easily manipulated by political leaders, guided by superstition, and usually kill anything in sight. Most of the lead actors are mere caricatures, no personalities or redeeming features and you'll probably despise the heroine, Nicole, who is portrayed as perfect. You're more likely to be entertained by an old B-film from American International than this sludge.
Rating:
Summary: Suds in Space
Review: In this, the 2nd sequel to the fine SF novel, "Rendevous with Rama," our herione, Nicole (from "Rama II") flys around the Milky Way having babies, then she leaves her oldest (14 yo) daughter to marry an old geezer at some triangle-shaped parking lot near another star because it would reduce inbreeding, then this eagle-headed biot dude wants to send the rest of them back to our Solar System so Nicole goes to sleep for 19 years (I about fell asleep, too) in order to find another 2000 losers from Earth to join this pathetic venture. (Remember, things are pretty sorry on Earth by then, after the great Chaos/depression, so it won't take much.) Oh yeah, her younger daughter learns how to masturbate while they enter orbit around Mars. If it sounds stupid, it is. I fought to preserve my memory of the beauty of the original story. But hey, its your time to waste.
Rating:
Summary: Typical thought provoking Clarke work
Review: I read this book several years ago and am now getting ready to read it's precursors. I must admit I'm a bit biased being a fan of Arthur C. Clarke, but only because I enjoy his thought provoking works.
To date Garden of Rama is my favorite book from Arthur C. Clarke. It is imaginitive and alien as it should be. I was disappointed to see others didn't feel the same. I found it quite enjoyable to read the tale about how these few humans would have the desire to explore and learn, no matter the consequences. Then the heart of the book about the birth of the universe and it's outcome and research provide the thought provoking stimulus I expect from Clarke. A wonderful book in typical Clarke fashion.
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