''Rama II'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

novel by

Gentry Lee Bert Gentry Lee (born March 29, 1942) is an American scientist, space engineer, and science fiction author. Space career Lee was director of science analysis and mission planning during the Viking program, Viking missions to Mars in the 1970s. ...

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 1973 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 2130s, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group ...

''. 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 ''Rama Revealed'' (1993) is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee. It is the last in a four-book series of Clarke's ''Rendezvous with Rama'' by these authors and reveals the mysteries behind the enigmatic ''Rama'' spa ...

''.

Plot summary

Seventy years after the events of ''Rendezvous with Rama'', a second Raman vessel enters the

Solar System The Solar SystemCapitalization 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 "Sola ...

. 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

*''

'' (

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 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

) *''Rama II'' (

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

) *'' The Garden of Rama'' (

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

) *''

'' (

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

) Gentry Lee also wrote two further novels set in the same Rama Universe. *'' Bright Messengers'' (

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

) *'' Double Full Moon Night'' (

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

)

Adaptations

Video game

Sierra Entertainment Sierra Entertainment, Inc. (formerly On-Line Systems and Sierra On-Line, Inc.) was an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher founded in 1979 by Ken Williams (game developer), Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is ...

created ''

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

'' in 1996 as a point and click adventure game in the style of ''

Myst ''Myst'' is a 1993 adventure video game developed by Cyan and published by Broderbund for Mac OS. In the game, the player travels via a special book to a mysterious island called Myst. The player interacts with objects and traverses the ...

''. Along with highly detailed graphics, Arthur C. Clarke also appeared in the game as the guide for the player. This game featured characters from ''Rama II''.

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