Arthur C. Clarke was one of the great luminaries of science fiction writing, and has often been quoted as one of the great visionaries in terms of what advancements humankind might expect to make in future generations.
Rendezvous with Rama was published in 1972 and is a compelling read. It is set in the year 2077, so just a hundred years after the novel's publication date. The Earth has suffered from asteroid impacts and has therefore been forced to develop a sophisticated surveillance set-up to monitor any objects that may be on a collision course. Scientific excitement begins when a new object appears on the radar and increases when images show that it is a perfect cylindrical shape and cannot therefore be a naturally occurring object. Despite its huge size, therefore, it appears to be some sort of space craft rather than an asteroid or comet. The space craft becomes known as Rama. The name is given as scientists had, by this stage, exhausted Roman and Greek mythological figures to name space bodies after.
A solar survey vessel, named Endeavour, is launched to intercept Rama. Captain Norton and has crew gain entry to Rama and begin to explore it. Initially it appears dark and completely lifeless though there are some wondrous sights to behold. These include a massive staircase leading to a plain' upon which there are several cities' and a frozen sea.
The setting makes for great reading and will be familiar to many sci fi readers, namely that of a small group of humans making contact with an alien space craft and wondering whether they're going to encounter some sort of threat or calamity around every corner. However, Clarke ratchets up the tension by virtue of the fact that Rama is speeding towards a close encounter with the Sun. Captain Norton and his colleagues could happily spend years studying this amazing place. However they only have a matter of days before they will have to make their escape or risk being burned to a cinder.
Alongside this human challenge and the excitement of what might be revealed, we learn that although some things have changed, human nature is still largely the same. Mankind (through terraforming) has colonised several planets and moons including Mercury, Mars, and the Moon. Some level of co-operation exists but rivalries and tribal tensions still lurk menacingly. Mercury, in particular, feels threatened by the presence of Rama and argues that rather than passing by our solar system the space craft may make a braking motion and change its orbit to become part of our galaxy in close proximity to Mercury. This fear causes Mercury to violate international protocol, causing more problems for Endeavour.
I don't want to give away too much of what the outcome of the novel is but I would urge you to add it to your reading list for this year. It is a fascinating read. Clarke's intellect was undoubted, yet the book doesn't require you to understand complicated scientific concepts. It is written in such a way that you will just be able to enjoy the drama that unfolds when an alien space craft appears in our vicinity.
The novel is considered one of the mainstays of Clarke's considerable bibliography and led to several sequels. It also won recognition in the form of the Nebula award for best novel in 1973 and the Hugo award for best novel and the Jupiter award for best novel, both in 1974.
Arthur C. Clarke dies in March 2008 but, in Rendezvous with Rama, he has left us with a novel that will be read for many generations. Indeed, it will be interesting to see what people in the year 2077 will make of it? I imagine that some of the things that Clarke envisaged (such as habitation of the Moon) will have come to pass but sadly I think the rate of advancement will have been less than he imagined. One thing is for sure, though, mankind will always gaze up at the stars and wonder what's up there and is there any other intelligent life. And whilst we indulge in such idle speculation, we will continue to seek out books like Rendezvous with Rama to fuel our passion for science fiction!