Rendezvous with Rama

Rendezvous with Rama (1973) is the first in a series of science fiction novels by British author Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008). The novel was awarded both the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards for science fiction and fantasy, as well as the British Science Fiction Association Award in 1973. Clarke’s collective works have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide. The book was initially intended to be a stand-alone novel but when, following its release, it was met with commercial success and critical acclaim, Clarke teamed up with writer and engineer Gentry Lee to co-author three sequels. Independently, Lee would go on to pen two other novels set in the Rama universe. The story details the exploration of a mysterious alien vessel, called “Rama” by the earthlings, that appears in Earth’s solar system in the year 2131.

Following the disastrous landing of an asteroid in Northeast Italy in the year 2077, Earth’s government sets up a system called Spaceguard for the early detection of objects within the solar system that could potentially hit Earth (a real Spaceguard system of the same name has been in development by NASA, with Clarke’s blessing, since 1992). In the year 2131, astronomers monitoring the system detect what they initially believe is a large asteroid outside of Jupiter’s orbit that appears to have originated in interstellar space. They name the object “Rama,” after the deity from the Smriti religious text, the Ramayana. An unmanned probe is sent to take photographs of the object—the probe is named “Sita,” after Rama’s wife in the story. The photographs reveal that the object is not an asteroid but an alien spaceship, the first humankind has ever encountered. In the pictures, Rama appears to be a perfect, featureless cylinder about thirty-four miles long.

The Endeavor, a manned survey vessel captained by Commander Bill Norton, is sent to explore Rama while it is still within Earth’s solar system. The ship reaches Rama, now inside Venus’s orbit, a month after the ship is first discovered by astronomers on Earth. Within the ship, surveyors discover a kind of separate world with a breathable atmosphere, complete with what appear to be cities and streets. The so-called “Cylindrical Sea” covers the entire circumference of the ship and enormous metal cones stand at the south end of the vessel. The creators of the ship and its purpose remain a matter of speculation throughout the book. In order to cross the Cylindrical Sea and explore the otherwise inaccessible cones to the south, crewmember Jimmy Pak uses a low-gravity skybike he smuggled aboard the Endeavor. Electricity coming off the cones results in a lightning strike that damages the skybike, marooning Jimmy on the south end of the spacecraft. While he waits for the rescue team, Jimmy notices a crablike creature dismantling the skybike and tossing it into the sea. The creature does not engage with Jimmy at all as he further explores the area, taking an alien flower for further study later.



The crew, having received Jimmy’s request for assistance via radio, builds a boat that can traverse the Cylindrical Sea and comes to his rescue. Jimmy jumps off of a cliff, using his shirt as a parachute and, due to the low gravity on board the ship, lands safely in the boat. Upon the crew’s return to their base, they find a variety of odd creatures similar to the one Jimmy saw on the southern end of the ship. They locate one that appears lifeless and bring it to Surgeon-Commander Laura Ernst for further inspection. She determines that the creature is a biological-robot hybrid—dubbed a biot—and the crew speculates that these objects are drones created by whoever built Rama to conduct maintenance of the ship. Throughout this process, the crew’s exploration has been monitored by the Rama committee and the United Planets from their base on the moon. Colonists from Mercury independently determine that Rama poses a threat and send a nuclear bomb to destroy it. However, a lieutenant, Boris Rodrigo, diffuses the bomb during the eight-second transmission delay.

As Rama orbits the sun, the crew makes a final expedition to the city closest to their base, which they have been calling London, to cut open one of the buildings and explore its contents. Inside they discover what appear to be holograms of different objects (including a uniform which indicates the size and shape of the Raman beings) that could possibly be used as templates for the development of various artifacts. As the ship approaches the closest point to the sun in its orbit (the perihelion) the crew notices the biots returning to the sea where they are recycled by their aquatic counterpoints (called “sharks” by the explorers) and also that the lights have begun to dim. The crew reboards the Endeavor and begins their return trip. From a distance, they watch as Rama reaches its perihelion and slingshots out of the sun’s orbit and out of the Earth’s solar system towards the Large Magellanic Cloud. Back on Earth, a Dr. Carlisle Perrara wakes up with a mysterious thought, “The Ramans do everything in threes.”

Rendezvous with Rama is considered one of Clarke’s finest works. While critics note the lack of character development and the commitment to realism, perhaps to the detriment of plot, the New York Times still praised the book, writing, “Mr. Clarke is splendid…[in Rama] we experience that chilling touch of the alien, the not-quite-knowable, that distinguishes SF at its most technically imaginative.” Rama has been adapted for radio and as a video game. Actor Morgan Freeman has expressed a desire to produce and star in a film adaptation of the novel since the early 2000s. Clarke also co-authored the screenplay to 2001: A Space Odyssey, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, and is the only science-fiction writer to ever be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.