Rendezvous With Rama
Written by Arthur C. Clarke
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”Rendezvous With Rama” is an American sci-fi novel published in 1973. It´s set in the years after 2130 and is the story of an alien craft that enters our solar system. It is first mistaken for an asteroid then discovered to by a cylindrical craft 50km long with a radius of 10km. This is considered one of Arthur C. Clarke´s best works and it won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. It also won the British Science Fiction Association Award, Jupiter award, John W. Campbell Memorial award, Locus award and the Seiun Award. This is a sci-fi classic with a fantastic, unpredictable ending.

”Rendezvous With Rama” story begins when a meteorite hits northern Italy in 2077 which prompts Earth to set up an early warning system for any celestial bodies moving around our solar system. In the year 2131 a large asteroid is detected entering our solar system. It is called ”31/439” and eventually gets the name of the seventh avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, called Rama (since all the Greek and Egyptian gods from mythology were already taken). A manned exploration team is sent to explore the craft and they find an opening on the flat surface of the cylinder.

Inside Rama they find a complete ecosystem with plants, lakes, cliffs and cities. There are clouds, lighting and an breatheable atmosphere. At the ground of Rama is gravity close to that of Earth. There was a fear to drink the water though in case there were any pollutants, bacteria or viruses. They eventually found lifeforms they called ”biots” which were more of a robotic intelligence then organic and seemed only to take care of the craft. Biots basically recycled and kept things tidy.

The creatures that built the craft or those who were meant to live inside didn´t seem to be around. Where were they? One of the exploration team suggested that maybe the creatures meant to live in Rama were to be built by Rama. Who built Rama and why remains a mystery to both Earth and Mercury societies. This leaves for a wealth of speculation.

This story is interesting in so many ways. The technology of this future Earth and Mercury, although a little outdated, is believable. The human race still use missles and hasn´t been able to expand into the cosmos beyond the solar system. We also only see the fusion of organic and mechanical technologies on Rama. So that technology doesn´t exist yet in this future world the author has created. Needless to say, the world building of the novel is fantastic and even timeless. That is why I feel this novel will always be a sci-fi classic.

So what are some of the questions this story raises? Questions like: where does Rama come from and where is it headed? Who built Rama and where are they and why did they build it? And last but not least: Since the builders of Rama are clearly an advanced civilization then we have to wonder if they are belligerent or peaceful?

Firstly, The world inside Rama seems well suited for humanoid life or something similar. I mean there are ladders from the center of the north face all the way 10 km down to the inside surface of Rama. Secondly, there are cities, cliffs and bodies of water, even if we don´t know whether that water is drinkable. So Rama seems to be a huge empty craft, save for the biots, that is heading from one point to another and passing through the solar system as it does. It gets dangerously close to our Sun in order to charge up its energy reserves and uses the gravity from our Sun to slingshot itself on.

That much we do know. Now for some speculation. Is it possible that Rama was built at a point A and then sent to a point B where its owners are. So the beings at point A possibly build these crafts and send them out to their new owners at different locations. That is one hypothesis.

Or is Rama a kind of transport for an advanced race of beings that seed different parts of the universe with these ships? Is it a life boat for civilizations in danger of extinction or just a means of cargo travel? If you consider the creatures that will dwell in Rama as cargo. Rama poses some disturbing questions about our origin as a species. Of course questions lead to answers and more questions. So is the story of Rama a little like finding out who Santa Claus really is? Could the human race have been seeded by a Rama type of craft? Such a ship probably had primitive villages and cites. Who knows?

I can´t say enough how good this book was. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend to all.

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