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{{Short description|1973 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox book| 
| name          = Rendezvous with Rama
| image         = Rama copy.jpg
| caption       = First UK edition<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1319|title=Bibliography: Rendezvous with Rama|work=isfdb.org}}</ref>
| author        = [[Arthur C. Clarke]]
| cover_artist  = [[Bruce Pennington]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?118321|title=Publication Listing|work=isfdb.org}}</ref>
| country       = United Kingdom
| language      = English
| series        = [[#Books in the series|Rama series]]
| genre         = [[Science fiction]]
| publisher     = [[Victor Gollancz Ltd|Gollancz]]
| release_date  = June 1973
| media_type    = Print (hardback & paperback)
| pages         = 256<br/>69,048 words<ref>{{cite web|title=Rendezvous with Rama Book Details|url=http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=34770&l=EN&slid=52893052|website=AR BookFinder|access-date=3 December 2016}}</ref>
|awards       = [[Hugo Award for Best Novel]], [[Nebula Award for Best Novel]], [[John W. Campbell Memorial Award]]
| isbn          = 0-575-01587-X
| followed_by   = [[Rama II (novel)|Rama II]]
}}

'''''Rendezvous with Rama''''' is a 1973 [[science fiction]] novel by British writer [[Arthur C. Clarke]]. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a {{convert|50|by|20|km|miles|adj=on}} [[McKendree cylinder|cylindrical]] alien [[starship]] that enters the [[Solar System]]. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries. The novel won both the [[Hugo Award|Hugo]] and [[Nebula Award|Nebula]] awards upon its release, and is regarded as one of the cornerstones in Clarke's bibliography. The concept was later extended with several sequels, written by Clarke and [[Gentry Lee]].

==Plot==
An asteroid strikes Italy in 2077, prompting the creation of the [[Spaceguard]] system to track [[potentially hazardous object]]s in space. In 2131, Spaceguard detects an [[interstellar object]] entering the Solar System, designating it "31/439" before naming it [[Rama]] after the [[Hindu god]]. A space probe reveals that Rama is a perfectly smooth cylinder {{convert|50|km|mi}} long and {{convert|20|km|mi}} in diameter, indicating that it was constructed by intelligent beings.

''Endeavour'' is sent to study Rama, being the only ship close enough to do so. The crew navigates through a triple [[airlock]] system and descends one of three identical staircases. Inside Rama, they discover two plains that stretch across the interior circumference, divided by a frozen body of water they name the Cylindrical Sea. They identify several city-sized clusters of geometric structures, which they name after major cities on Earth. The United Planets follows their progress closely, and scientists are assembled to form a Rama Committee that considers theories and advises Commander Norton.

As Rama drifts closer to the sun, the Cylindrical Sea melts, the temperature shift causes a storm, and three massive lights activate on each plain to illuminate the world. Boris Rodrigo, a crewman who adheres to a space-inspired sect of Christianity, suggests that Rama is a new [[Noah's Ark]] that will change course to begin orbiting the sun. The crew floats across the Cylindrical Sea on a raft to reach an island they name New York, and a sample of the water reveals the presence of microorganisms. The structures in New York are positioned in patterns of three, without any openings, and their purpose is unidentifiable.

The crewman Jimmy Pak approaches Norton to admit that he smuggled a [[human-powered aircraft|sky-bike]] onto their ship and offers to fly it above a cliff to reach the southern plain. He flies to the other end of Rama, which is defined by a large spike several kilometers in length and surrounded by smaller spikes. Pak realizes that a static field is building around the spikes, which then emits a concussion that knocks his sky-bike out of the air and destroys it, stranding him in the southern plain. As he recovers from the crash, a crab-like creature arrives to disassemble the sky-bike and dispose of its parts. Pak is unable to determine whether the creature is biological or robotic.

Pak explores the patchwork terrain of the southern plain while he waits for rescue. He finds a single alien flower, which he takes. A rescue crew arrives on the raft, and Pak jumps from the cliff into the Cylindrical Sea so they can pull him aboard. A course change by Rama triggers a series of large waves, but Sergeant Ruby Barnes navigates them to safety. They see a damaged starfish-like creature emerge from the sea, and shark-like creatures arrive to disassemble it.

After returning to their camp, a spider-like creature with three eyes and three legs studies all of their equipment. More arrive, and one falls from a higher platform to its destruction. Ernst takes the opportunity to dissect the creature and finds that it is both biological and robotic, so they conclude that the creatures were designed by the Ramans and begin referring to them as [[biorobot|biot]]s. The government of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]], having decided that Rama is too dangerous, launches a nuclear weapon to destroy it. Rodrigo intercepts the missile and disarms it, taking advantage of the 12-minute time lag for radio communication between it and Mercury.

The crew prepares to evacuate as Rama gets too close to the sun. For their final expedition, they visit a city with a laser and cut a hole into the side of a structure. Inside they find a collection of holograms that provide details on various Raman artefacts, including a suit designed for a three-legged humanoid. As they leave, the biots return to the sea to be disassembled and the lights begin to dim. The crew boards ''Endeavour'' and leaves Rama. Rama changes course to move directly toward the sun and moves alongside it to gather energy. It then activates a [[reactionless drive|space drive]] to propel itself out of the Solar System in the direction of the [[Large Magellanic Cloud]]. After Rama leaves, a member of the Rama Committee considers that the Ramans do everything in threes.

==Reception==
[[John Leonard (critic)|John Leonard]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'', while finding Clarke "benignly indifferent to the niceties of characterization", praised the novel for conveying "that chilling touch of the alien, the not-quite-knowable, that distinguishes sci-fi at its most technically imaginative".<ref>{{Cite news 
  |url = http://nyti.ms/1G42YbY
  |title = Books of the Times: Two Tales for the Future
  |access-date = 29 March 2015
  |author-link = John Leonard (critic)
  |last = Leonard
  |first = John
  |date = 22 August 1973
  |via= TimesMachine.NYTimes.com
  |newspaper= [[The New York Times]]
  |page = 35
}}</ref> Other reviewers have also commented on Clarke's lack of character development and overemphasis on realism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scifi.about.com/od/bookreviews/fr/Review-Arendezvous-With-Rama-By-Arthur-C-Clarke.htm |title=Review: 'Rendezvous with Rama' by Arthur C. Clarke |last=Wilson |first=Mark |website=About.com |access-date=19 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019200418/http://scifi.about.com/od/bookreviews/fr/Review-Arendezvous-With-Rama-By-Arthur-C-Clarke.htm |archive-date=19 October 2013 }}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
The novel received the following awards:
*[[Nebula Award for Best Novel]] in 1973<ref name="WWE-1973">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1973
| title = 1973 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| access-date=29 September 2009
}}</ref>
*[[British Science Fiction Association Award]] in 1973<ref name="WWE-1973"/>
*[[Hugo Award for Best Novel]] in 1974<ref name="WWE-1974">{{Cite web
| url = http://www.worldswithoutend.com/books_year_index.asp?year=1974
| title = 1974 Award Winners & Nominees
| work = Worlds Without End
| access-date=29 September 2009
}}</ref>
*[[Jupiter Award (science fiction award)|Jupiter Award]] for Best Novel in 1974<ref name="WWE-1974"/>
*[[John W. Campbell Memorial Award]] in 1974<ref name="WWE-1974"/>
*[[Locus Award]] for Best Novel in 1974<ref name="WWE-1974"/>
*[[Seiun Award]] for Best Foreign Language Novel in 1980

==Design and geography of Rama==

[[File:rama16wiki.jpg|thumb|An artist's impression of the interior of Rama]]

The interior of Rama is essentially a large cylindrical landscape, dubbed "The Central Plain" by the crew, 16 kilometres in diameter and nearly 50 long, with [[artificial gravity]] provided by its 0.25 rpm spin. It is split into the "northern" and "southern" plains, divided in the middle by a 10-km wide expanse of water the astronauts dub the "Cylindrical Sea". In the center of the Cylindrical Sea is an island of unknown purpose covered in tall, skyscraper-like structures, which the astronauts name "New York" due to an imagined similarity to [[Manhattan]]. At each end of the ship are North and South "Poles". The North Pole is effectively the [[Bow (ship)|bow]] and the South Pole the [[stern]], as Rama accelerates in the direction of the north pole and its drive system is at the South Pole.

The North Pole contains Rama's airlocks, and is where the ''Endeavour'' lands. The airlocks open into the hub of the massive bowl shaped cap at the North Pole, with three 8-kilometre long stair systems, called Alpha, Beta, and Gamma by the crew, leading to the plain.

The Northern plain contains several small "towns" interconnected by roads, dubbed London, Paris, Peking, Tokyo, Rome, and Moscow. The South Pole has a giant cone-shaped protrusion ("Big Horn") surrounded by six smaller ones ("Little Horns"), which are thought to be part of Rama's reactionless [[Reactionless drive|space drive]].

Both ends of Rama are lit by giant trenches (three in the northern plain and three in the south), equidistantly placed around the cylinder, effectively functioning as giant strip lighting.

==Books in the series==
Clarke paired up with [[Gentry Lee]] for the remainder of the series. Lee wrote while Clarke read and made editing suggestions.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zebrowski |first=George |date=June 30, 2008 |title=Arthur C. Clarke looks back on the lifetime of influences that led him to become a science-fiction Grand Master |url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw19051.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723051103/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw19051.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=23 July 2008 |access-date=24 July 2008 |website=Sci-Fi Issue 603}}</ref> The focus and style of the last three novels are quite different from those of the original with an increased emphasis on [[characterisation]] and clearly-portrayed heroes and villains, rather than Clarke's dedicated professionals. These later books did not receive the same critical acclaim and awards as the original.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

* ''Rendezvous with Rama'' (1973) ''{{ISBN|978-0-553-28789-9}}''
* ''[[Rama II (novel)|Rama II]]'' (1989) ''{{ISBN|978-0-553-28658-8}}''
* ''[[The Garden of Rama]]'' (1991) ''{{ISBN|978-0-553-29817-8}}''
* ''[[Rama Revealed]] '' (1993) ''{{ISBN|978-0-553-56947-6}}''

[[Gentry Lee]] also wrote two further novels set in the same ''Rama'' Universe.

*''Bright Messengers'' (1995)
*''Double Full Moon Night'' (1999)

==Adaptations==

===Video games===
A [[graphic adventure]] [[Rendezvous with Rama (video game)|computer game of the same name]] with a [[text parser]] based on the book was made in 1984 by [[Telarium|Trillium]] and ported to other systems such as the Apple II, Commodore 64. Despite its primitive graphics, it had highly detailed descriptions, and it followed the book very closely along with having puzzles to solve during the game.

In Spain there was an official adaptation for the 2nd generation [[MSX]] computers called ''Cita con Rama'' that took advantage of the MSX's ability to produce (at the time) high-quality graphics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://computeremuzone.com/ficha.php?id=969&sec=msx|title = Cita con Rama / Rendezvous with Rama (Telarium 1984) :: MSX Zone}}</ref> It was adapted from the Clarke novel in 1983 by Ron Martinez, who went on to design the massively multiplayer online game ''10Six'', also known as ''Project Visitor''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getgame=rama-alt2|title=Computer Game Museum Display Case – Rendezvous with Rama|website=mocagh.org}}</ref>

[[Sierra Entertainment]] created ''[[Rama (video game)|Rama]]'' in 1996 as a point and click adventure game in the style of ''[[Myst]]''. Along with highly detailed graphics, Arthur C. Clarke also appeared in the game as the guide for the player. This game featured characters from the sequel book ''Rama II''.

===Radio adaptation===

In 2009, [[BBC Radio 4]] produced a two-part radio adaptation of the book as part of a science-fiction season. It was adapted by [[Mike Walker (radio dramatist)|Mike Walker]], and was broadcast on 1 March 2009 (Part 1) and 8 March 2009 (Part 2).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00hs8tt|title=BBC Radio 4 – Classic Serial, Rendezvous with Rama|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

===Film===
In the early 2000s, actor [[Morgan Freeman]] expressed his desire to produce a film based on ''Rendezvous with Rama.'' The film has been stuck in "[[development hell]]" for many years. In 2003, after initial problems procuring funding, it appeared the project would go into production.<ref>{{Cite web
 |url         = http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-03/14/12.00.film
 |title       = Freeman Still Pushes ''Rama''
 |access-date  = 7 March 2009
 |date        = 14 March 2003
 |work        = Sci Fi Wire – The News Service of the Sci Fi Channel
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090117032453/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-03%2F14%2F12.00.film
 |archive-date = 17 January 2009
 |url-status     = dead
}}</ref> The film was to be produced by Freeman's production company, [[Revelations Entertainment]]. [[David Fincher]], touted on Revelations' ''Rama'' web page as far back as 2001,<ref>{{Cite web
 |url         = http://www.revelationsent.com/movie_page.php?movieId=12
 |title       = Rendezvous with Rama
 |access-date  = 7 March 2009
 |work        = Revelations Entertainment Web site
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081211164621/http://www.revelationsent.com/movie_page.php?movieId=12
 |archive-date = 11 December 2008
}}</ref> stated in a late 2007 interview that he was still attached to helm.<ref name="AICN1">{{Cite web |date=2008 |title=David Fincher and Quint talk about everything from A(lien3) to Z(odiac)!!! |url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/35179 |access-date=7 March 2009 |work=[[Ain't It Cool News|AICN]]}}</ref>

By late 2008, David Fincher stated the movie was unlikely to be made. "It looks like it's not going to happen. There's no script and as you know, Morgan Freeman's not in the best of health right now. We've been trying to do it but it's probably not going to happen."<ref>{{Cite web
|url = http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/13/david-finchers-rendezvous-with-rama-officially-dead/
|title = David Fincher's Rendezvous with Rama Officially Dead
| access-date = 7 March 2009
| last =Billington
| first =Alex 
| date = 13 October 2008
| publisher = firstshowing.net
}}</ref>

In 2010, Freeman stated in an interview that he was still planning to make the project but that it has been difficult to find the right script. He also stated that it should be made in [[3D film|3D]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/10/11/morgan-freeman-rendezvous-with-rama-david-fincher/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013012801/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/10/11/morgan-freeman-rendezvous-with-rama-david-fincher/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2010|title=Morgan Freeman, David Fincher Still Planning A 'Rendezvous With Rama'|publisher=[[MTV]]}}</ref> In January 2011, Fincher stated in an interview with [[MTV]] that he was still planning to make the film after he had completed work on his planned remake of ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas]]'' (which was scheduled to begin production in 2012 but has since been scrapped<ref>{{cite web|url=http://collider.com/david-finchers-20000-leagues-under-the-sea-is-dead-director-likely-off-girl-who-played-with-fire-despite-recent-rewrite/|title=20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA Is Dead; Fincher Like to Pass on THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE|work=Collider|date=17 July 2013}}</ref>). He also reiterated Freeman's concerns about the difficulty of finding the right script.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Terri |date=3 January 2011 |title=David Fincher Confirms '20,000 Leagues Under The Sea' In 3-D, Talks 'Dragon Tattoo' & 'Rendezvous With Rama' |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/n5xo8z/david-fincher-20000-leagues-under-the-sea-in-3-d-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-rendezvous-with-rama |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908131433/https://www.mtv.com/news/n5xo8z/david-fincher-20000-leagues-under-the-sea-in-3-d-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-rendezvous-with-rama |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 September 2022 |publisher=MTV}}</ref>

In an interview with [[Neil deGrasse Tyson]] in February 2012, Freeman indicated an interest in playing the role of Commander Norton for the film, stating that "my fantasy of commanding a starship is commanding Endeavour". Tyson then asked, "So is this a pitch to be ... that person if they ever make that movie?" to which Freeman reaffirmed, "We ''are'' going to make that movie." In response to a plea to "make that come out sooner rather than later", Freeman reiterated that difficulty in authoring a high quality script is the primary barrier for the film, stating "... the only task you have that's really really hard in making movies, harder than getting money, is getting a script ... a good script".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.startalkradio.net/?p=855|title=A Conversation with Morgan Freeman|publisher=[[StarTalk Radio]]|date=26 February 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305205413/http://www.startalkradio.net/?p=855|archive-date=5 March 2012}}</ref>

In December 2021, it was announced that the film was in development at [[Alcon Entertainment]] with [[Denis Villeneuve]] set to direct. Morgan Freeman and [[Lori McCreary]] are on the production team because their Revelations Entertainment previously owned the rights.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/12/rendezvous-with-rama-denis-villeneuve-is-returning-to-space.html|title=Rendezvous With Rama: Denis Villeneuve Is Returning to Space|first=Bethy|last=Squires|date=15 December 2021|website=Vulture}}</ref> Alcon co-CEOs [[Broderick Johnson]] and [[Andrew Kosove]] will produce.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |date=15 December 2021 |title=Denis Villeneuve Tackling Adaptation of Sci-Fi Classic 'Rendezvous with Rama' (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/denis-villeneuve-rendezvous-with-rama-movie-1235062337/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> As of February 2024, Villeneuve was in the process of writing the script.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://time.com/6589871/denis-villeneuve-dune-part-two-interview/|title=Denis Villeneuve Refuses to Let Hollywood Shrink Him Down to Size|publisher=Time|last=Zacharek|first=Stephanie|date=31 January 2024|access-date=3 February 2024|language=en}}</ref>

==Non-fictional aspects==

[[File:NEA by survey.png|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Number of [[near-Earth object|NEO]]s detected by various projects:
{| style="width: 100%; margin-bottom: 8px;"
|-
| valign=top width=50% |
{{legend2|#0000FF|border=1px solid #0000B3|[[Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research|LINEAR]]}}<br />
{{legend2|#FF9900|border=1px solid #B37400|[[Near Earth Asteroid Tracking|NEAT]]}}<br />
{{legend2|#FF0000|border=1px solid #800000|[[Spacewatch]]}}<br />
{{legend2|#FFFF00|border=1px solid #B3B300|[[LONEOS]]}}
| valign=top |
{{legend2|#009900|border=1px solid #003D00|[[Catalina Sky Survey|CSS]]}}<br />
{{legend2|#CC00CC|border=1px solid #390052|[[Pan-STARRS]]}}<br />
{{legend2|#00CCCC|border=1px solid #333|[[NEOWISE]]}}<br />
{{legend2|#993300|border=1px solid #333|other}}
|}]]
Clarke created the space study program which detects Rama, Project Spaceguard, as a method of identifying [[near-Earth objects]] on Earth-impact [[trajectories]]; in the novel it was initiated in 2077. A real project named [[Spaceguard]] was initiated in 1992, named after Clarke's fictional project and "with the permission and encouragement of Clarke".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Morrison|first1=David|author-link=David Morrison (astrophysicist)|title=Interstellar Visitor: The Strange Asteroid from a Faraway System|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|date=2018|volume=42|issue=2|pages=5–6}}</ref> After interest in the dangers of asteroid strikes was heightened by a series of Hollywood [[disaster film]]s, the United States Congress gave NASA authorisation and funding to support Spaceguard. By 2017, there were a number of different efforts to detect potentially dangerous asteroids.

On 19 October 2017 an incoming interstellar object was discovered by [[Pan-STARRS]], a system similar to Spaceguard. Like Rama, the object had an unusually elongated shape. Before the official [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] name [[ʻOumuamua]] was selected by the [[International Astronomical Union]], a popular choice was ''Rama''.<ref>{{cite web |author=John Wenz |date=22 November 2017 |title=The first discovered interstellar asteroid is a quarter-mile long red beast |url=http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/11/interstellar-asteroid-is-a-quarter-mile-long-red-beast |website=Astronomy}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=2 November 2017 |title=The first visitor from another solar system has just been spotted: Rendezvous with Rama? |url=https://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21730863-rendezvous-rama-first-visitor-another-solar-system-has-just-been |magazine=The Economist |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[O'Neill cylinder]]
* [[McKendree cylinder]]
* [[Generation ship|Generation starship]]

{{clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{isfdb title|1319}}
* {{OL work|id=17417W|cname=''Rendezvous with Rama''}}
* [http://www.worldswithoutend.com/novel.asp?ID=21 ''Rendezvous with Rama''] at Worlds Without End

{{Footer The Novels of Arthur C. Clarke}}
{{Nebula Award Best Novel 1965-1980}}
{{Locus Award Best Novel}}
{{Hugo Award Best Novel 1971–1980}}
{{BSFA Award Best Novel}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rendezvous With Rama}}
[[Category:Rama series|Rama series]]
[[Category:1973 British novels]]
[[Category:1973 science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Biorobotics in fiction]]
[[Category:British science fiction novels]]
[[Category:Hard science fiction]]
[[Category:Hugo Award for Best Novel–winning works]]
[[Category:Novels about impact events]]
[[Category:John W. Campbell Award for Best Science Fiction Novel–winning works]]
[[Category:Large Magellanic Cloud in fiction]]
[[Category:Nebula Award for Best Novel–winning works]]
[[Category:Novels about extraterrestrial life]]
[[Category:Novels by Arthur C. Clarke]]
[[Category:Novels set in the 2130s]]
[[Category:Space exploration novels]]
[[Category:Fiction about trans-Neptunian objects]]
[[Category:Victor Gollancz Ltd books]]
[[Category:Fiction about megastructures]]
[[Category:Fiction about xenoarchaeology]]
[[Category:Locus Award–winning works]]