Rama II (novel)
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| Rama II | |
 Dust-jacket from the UK edition |
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| Author | Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Rama |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
| Publication date | 1989 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 377 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-575-04545-0 |
| Preceded by | Rendezvous with Rama |
| Followed by | The Garden of Rama |
Rama II is a novel by Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1989. It recounts humankind's further interaction with the Ramans, first introduced in Rendezvous with Rama. Written primarily by Gentry Lee, Rama II has a distinctly different writing style than the original, with a more character driven narrative and a closer-to-contemporary mindset, ambience and human relations than the first novel's utopian social assumptions.
Rama II is the first novel of the "new" Rama series, as Rendezvous with Rama is not always counted as part of it. The Rama series comprises two more sequels: The Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
70 years after the events of Rendezvous with Rama, the second Raman vessel finally enters the solar system. This time its arrival is expected and an expedition is sent to unlock more of Rama's mysteries, but the crew are unprepared both for what they find and for the conflicts that arise between them. Rama II brings new characters into a new story and is mostly unrelated to the original and largely serves to set up its own sequels. It ends with three of the twelve astronauts stranded inside Rama as it travels out of the solar system, Nicole des Jardins Wakefield, Richard Wakefield and Michael O'Toole.
Many readers have found a great contrast between Rendezvous with Rama and this novel. While the former depicted a utopian future and focused almost entirely on the hard science fiction elements regarding the scientific wonders of the alien spacecraft, Rama II and its sequels deconstruct Clarke's vision of human colonies throughout the solar system through a global economic crisis that forced their almost total deactivation. Then follows a very different storytelling that brings forward contemporary issues like abortion, racism, drug abuse and organized crime. Tension and violence escalate throughout the series — there are many deaths in the course of the novel — giving the reader a somewhat dystopic vision of the future, and a feel different from Clarke's style.
[edit] Characters in "Rama II"
Crew of the Newton
- Richard Wakefield
- Francesca Sabatini
- David Brown
- Shigeru Takagishi
- Janos Tabori
- Valeriy Borzov
- Nicole des Jardins
- Michael O'Toole
- Irina Turgenyev
- Hiro Yamanaka
- Reggie Wilson
- Otto Heilmann
[edit] Books in the series
- Rendezvous with Rama (1972)
- Rama II (1989)
- The Garden of Rama (1991)
- Rama Revealed (1993)
Gentry Lee also wrote two further novels set in the same Rama Universe.
[edit] References
- Brown, Charles N.; William G. Contento. The Locus Index to Science Fiction. Retrieved on 2007-12-07.
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