Rama II (novel)

Rama II is a science fiction 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 Lee,[1] 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 more futuristic tones. 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 includes two more sequels: The Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed.

Rama II
Dust-jacket from the UK edition
AuthorGentry Lee &
Arthur C. Clarke
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
SeriesRama
GenreScience fiction
PublisherGollancz
Publication date
1989
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages377
ISBN0-575-04545-0
OCLC20852483
LC ClassPR6005.L36 R36 1989b
Preceded byRendezvous with Rama 
Followed byThe Garden of Rama 

Plot summary

Seventy years after the events of Rendezvous with Rama, a second Raman vessel enters the Solar System. Its arrival was expected, and on Earth the chosen crew of twelve readies for the voyage to unlock more of Rama's mysteries. Interpersonal conflicts among crew members begin prior to the launch date.

After arriving, an accident kills the leader of the group while still outside Rama, and there is debate over who the replacement should be. The tools and vehicles the crew bring to Rama, based on knowledge from the first expedition, make exploring Rama easier.

The novel ends with three of the twelve astronauts abandoned inside Rama as it travels out of the Solar System.

Characters

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

Books in the series

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

  • Bright Messengers (1996)
  • Double Full Moon Night (2000)

References
  1. George Zebrowski (23 July 2008). "Arthur C. Clarke | Interviews | SCI FI Weekly". SciFi.com. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021. Since then Gentry has collaborated on Rama II and The Garden of Rama, and Rama Revealed, which was written virtually entirely by him, though with consultation with me. I've described our collaboration in the preface, "Co-Authors and Other Nuisances," I think in Rama II.
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