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)

Decent

I would give 4 stars, but I really didn't like the narration - as others have stated, it feels very choppy, almost a bit slow. It is to the point of being distracting, it made me wish I had just read the print book.

As for the story, it was interesting; not an action packed story, so if you're looking for a fast paced battle story, look elseware; however, it was neat to see how much this story has obviously influenced many other sci-fi stories/movies.

In a way it had a similar feel to 2001 a Space Odyssey.

Decent book, poor narration

The book is interesting, though I would say overrated. The narration is just about the worst I have heard - in the narrator's attempt at perfect enunciation, he has produced a very choppy, often monotone reading that is often difficult to listen to.

This is tough...book vs narrator

Of course, the book receives a five-star rating...how could it not? This has been one of my favorite hard sci-fi books. But OMG...how did this narrator get a job reading??? Most of the time, it sounds like a computer is reading. Bob...went...over...to...the...bridge..... I cannot believe this narrator was allowed to read one of the best sci-fi of all times. But I don't only blame him...there's also the director, producer and whoever else was responsible for letting the narrator get away with reading the way he did. Five stars for the book...negative zero stars for the narrator!

Narrator wasn't that bad

Everyone is complaining about the narrator. he isn't that bad . he is monotone and flat sometimes but when he does character voices he does a pretty good job.

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.

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.

Worst narration EVER!

I don't normally write reviews, but MY GOD!... I need some way to vent the frustration from this narration.

I'm still trying to get through this audio book, which I would love to be able to do! I find the literature captivating and endlessly fascinating, yet the slow uninspired delivery of the text continues to hit my ears like a blunt instrument, trying to force my disinterest.

I can't help but wonder if Peter Ganim was just phoning it in, or if he genuinely didn't understand what he was reading.

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.

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.