''Rama II'' is a
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
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
''Rendezvous with Rama'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the po ...
''. Written primarily by 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 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''.
Plot summary
Seventy years after the events of ''Rendezvous with Rama'', a second Raman vessel enters the
Solar System
The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...
. Its arrival is 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: British electrical engineer
*Francesca Sabatini: Italian journalist
*David Brown: American scientific leader
*Shigeru Takagishi: Japanese scientist, expert on first Rama craft
*Janos Tabori: Russian cosmonaut
*Valeriy Borzov: Russian General and Rama II mission commander
*Nicole des Jardins: French chief medical and life-sciences officer
*Michael O'Toole: American general
*Irina Turgenyev: Russian cosmonaut and pilot
*Hiro Yamanaka: Japanese cosmonaut and pilot
*Reggie Wilson: American videographer working with Sabatini
*Otto Heilmann: German admiral
Books in the series
*''
Rendezvous with Rama
''Rendezvous with Rama'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1973. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the po ...
'' (
1973
Events January
* January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union.
* January 15 – Vietnam War: ...
)
*''Rama II'' (
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
)
*''
The Garden of Rama'' (1991 in literature, 1991)
*''
Rama Revealed '' (1993 in literature, 1993)
Gentry Lee also wrote two further novels set in the same Rama Universe.
*''Bright Messengers'' (1996 in literature, 1996)
*''Double Full Moon Night'' (2000 in literature, 2000)
References
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rama Ii (Novel)
1989 British novels
1989 science fiction novels
British science fiction novels
Collaborative novels
Novels by Arthur C. Clarke
Rama series
Victor Gollancz Ltd books
Sequel novels