Rendezvous with Rama

By: Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: Peter Ganim, Robert J. Sawyer - introduction

Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredibly, an interstellar spacecraft.

Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams...and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits - just behind a Raman airlock door.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by Hugo Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer, who explains why Rendezvous with Rama will make the listener "feel both humbled and exhilarated at the same time".

©1973 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

Hugo Award, Best Novel, 1974
Nebula Award, Best Novel, 1973
John W. Campbell Memorial Award, Best Novel, 1974

"A frighteningly logical, believable, and grimly prophetic tale...Clarke is a master." (Los Angeles Times)
"A first-rate tour de force." (The New York Times)

Please press zero for better narration.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Peter Ganim and Robert J. Sawyer (Introduction) ?

Anyone. The narrator sounded exactly like a recorded menu on any automated phone menu. I found his narration so slow and lifeless that it would just become a kind of hum in my ears and I'd realize I had drifted off in my thoughts and hadn't been listening for the last several minutes. I did discover about half way through the book that if I adjusted my iPod to double speed that it was easier to listen too.

A Visionary Story of Exploration

I've heard much about the writings of Arthur C. Clarke and now I know why. What an imagination! If I didn't know better, I would say Sir Arthur had been aboard Rama itself, a real one. The scale of Rama is nothing less than titanic! I don't feel that the word does it justice. Like Cmdr. Norton, we work with what we have. The absolute mystery of the Raman technology and its purpose is what drives this story. The intuition of the crew is enjoyable as well. The transformation that occurs near the conclusion is perfectly timed.This story is a standard-bearer for science fiction, and rightly so.

Imagine Siri reading you a book

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Imagine Siri reading you a book. Terrible for car rides. Excellent for going to sleep. In fact during an extended camping trip I would actually use this book to put me to sleep. Not because it isn't a very interesting story (it is!) but because the monotone/metronome voice of the reader was so amazingly hypnotic. I was out within 2-5 minutes.

Loved the story after reading it. Never got to the end listening.

great story

Story was incredible. Narrator sucked. Boring as hell. Hard to get into because of that.

Wish there were more hard science

This book needs updating. Terms like “memory banks” and “circuits” as well as “television cameras” remind the reader of the age of the book. There were also too many interpersonal exchanges that wastes the reader’s time if you are looking for interesting ideas or hard science information.

Terrible Narration but Good Sci-fi

I found this book to be well-plotted. I was always wanting to listen to more to hear what would happen next. There is so much mystery as to what Rama is and where it is intending to go and what exactly is inside it. The characters are classic vintage sci-fi in that they are badly developed, cliche, and hokey. But you can't really expect more than that out of this period. I did have a double-take moment with some comments on breasts in micro-gravity and multiple wives and thought - am I reading Heinlein? That said, otherwise it isn't painfully sexist (unlike Heinlein). Clark always does great with the science and that is present here. He plays a bit with some planet politics but it's baby version compared to something like Dune or Expanse. Still, it adds some depth. I definitely recommend this book!

The audiobook is terrible because the narrator reads so badly. Literally the worst I've heard. I set the speed to 1.35 to endure

Great story, great performance

Really couldn't "put this book down." One of the best I've listened to on Audible.

My favourite sci-fi book so far

No wonder this book is a classic. They should definitely make it a movie. Narration was a little too slow and stilted, but he did a good job with the accents.

Love Arthur C Clarke

What did you love best about Rendezvous with Rama?

The book kept my attention all the way through, just like the paperback.

Any additional comments?

It was disappointing to discover when I went to download the next book in the series to discover Audible doesn't carry the rest of the series. I wish there had been a warning on the Rendezvous with Rama page that the rest of the series was unavailable instead of labeling it as book 1 in a series. :( I wouldn't have bothered to download it.

the reader sounds like a bot

he only sounds good when doing the character voices , but there is very little dialog