Rendezvous with Rama cover art

Rendezvous with Rama

Rama Series, Book 1

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Rendezvous with Rama

By: Arthur C. Clarke
Narrated by: Toby Longworth
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About this listen

This audiobook was re-recorded with a new narrator, and the new product uploaded on 25th June 2014. Please note that written reviews prior to that date refer to a different narrator.

Winner of the 1973 Nebula and BSFA Awards and the 1974 Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Awards.

At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than 10 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’.

Arthur C. Clarke was born in Minehead in 1917. During the Second World War he served as an RAF radar instructor, rising to the rank of Flight-Lieutenant. After the war he won a BSc in physics and mathematics with first class honours from King's College, London.

One of the most respected of all science-fiction writers, he also won Kalinga Prize, The Aviation Space-Writers' Prize and The Westinghouse Science Writing Prize. He shared an Oscar nomination with Stanley Kubrick for the screenplay of 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was based on his story, 'The Sentinel'. He lived in Sri Lanka from 1956 until his death in 2008.

©1973 Arthur C. Clarke (P)2013 Audible Ltd
Classics Fiction Science Fiction Solar System Interstellar Funny Suspenseful Mathematics England War

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Critic reviews

“Arthur C. Clarke is awesomely informed about physics and astronomy, and blessed with one of the most astounding imaginations ever encountered in print.” ( New York Times)
“Arthur C. Clarke is one of the truly prophetic figures of the space age ... The colossus of science fiction.” ( New Yorker)
“Quite memorable and at times magical… We glimpse our own future in this technological artifact - a future as magical as it is mysterious.” (Brian W Aldiss)
“For many readers Arthur C. Clarke is the very personification of science fiction.” ( The Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction)
All stars
Most relevant

What made the experience of listening to Rendezvous with Rama the most enjoyable?

I had listened to this book when it was first published in Audible format and the narrator performance was so dull.
Then they brought in Toby Longworth and suddenly the book became alive.

What other book might you compare Rendezvous with Rama to, and why?

On a darkling Plain...Ben Bova

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Not sure

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Any additional comments?

Excellent vintage sci fi book that was saved by an excellent narrator from the clutches of a poor one.

New Narrator is briliant

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Excellent narrative performance. Kept me inspired and fascinated the whole way through. The story still feels modern and relevant.

Classic tale of ever-unfolding intrigue.

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Brilliant story, a SciFi classic that is rooted in real science. Arthur C Clarke was a master storyteller.

Why isn't this classic a movie yet?

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classic scifi and great storytelling with a great setup for the next book. recommend this one to all scifi lovers young and old

fantastic story and narrated perfect

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While some may criticise the fact the story seems to lack resolution, I personally enjoyed the open ended nature of the tale, leaving you with more questions. The narrator is good, keeping your interest. May seem a little dated compared to modern Sci-fi, but this is classic Clarke.

Rendevous with a good story

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