ghostmuppet's review against another edition
3.0
No where near as good as the first book, mainly due to another author being the main contributor. However, it was still a good read/listen and I am glad i did.
It does end on a cliffhanger, and i am not certain i will leap to read the next book. I think i will leave it until i have a lull in books to read.
It does end on a cliffhanger, and i am not certain i will leap to read the next book. I think i will leave it until i have a lull in books to read.
aphrael's review against another edition
4.0
awesome. just like the first Book but more rama stuff happens. I liked these characters more too.
medea_jade's review against another edition
4.0
Despite their age Clarke's books hold up. He truly is one of the father's of modern scifi. His books are unlike other scifi in ways you would not expect. He has a talent for weaving in the human element in a skillful way. The one downfall of many of Clarke's books in that they don't have a lot of up and down. I'm sure for their time they were exciting, but compared to today's scifi they can fall a little flat. Still a great read, especially if you want to get a sense for the foundations of the evolution of genre.
reanimatedreader's review against another edition
3.0
The narrator was very monotonous and it was hard to keep track of which character he was speaking for at times. The overall storyline was engaging, however at times there were passages of scientific over explaining and one paragraph of numbered data. Not very interesting when read out loud! I enjoyed that equality between the genders on board regarding roles and abilities, not so much the social and emotional aspects.
vkadic's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I wasn't supper eager to read the sequel to the Rendezvous with Rama since I was satisfied with how that book ended and I didn't feel the sequel was absolutely necessary I however did end up liking this more then I expected, not as much as the first one and probably not enough to go on with the series, at least at the moment but it was more than okay. The writing is not my favorite, I do not enjoy writing of old sci-fi much mostly but the stories, and even the characters were interesting and a tad more morally gray then I would expect from an older sci-fi book. The ending wasn't what I expected at all and there were some more mysteries and not much revelations then in the first book.
twena2's review against another edition
2.0
Rama II was a huge disappointment after reading Rendezvous with Rama, the sci-fi classic which I had rated 5 stars. Rama II was co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee; however, based on tone, style, and just awful dialogue, the book must have been written by Lee with Clarke's name slapped on for sales. Rendezvous was fascinating, focusing on the hard core science fiction of exploration. Rama II puts Rama on the back burner and instead focuses on the trite dynamics of the crew of this second mission. Reading this was a lesson on how to write a third rate soap opera set in space. Since I absolutely loved the first book, I'll continue on with the 4 part series and hope for a better read in book number 3.
kymzii's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
larkspire's review against another edition
3.0
As a sci-fi novel in itself, Rama II is passable. Many of the characters are unlikable, but those who we spend hte most time with are at least bearable, though Wakefield is the most special of all snowflakes; some of this bleeds over into Nicole's backstory. My main gripe is that we spend more time with the characters and their backstories than we do with the heart of the story, Rama.
The sci-fi is soft too, but remains interesting. Most of the time I managed not to have my suspension of disbelief broken. The problems around that were largely the fact that this has aged awfully - sci-fi writers really should not make pop culture references in a "serious" work. Attitudes towards gender, race and sexuality suffer from this also.
In the end, though, it's an interesting, enjoyable work. Once the story gets going - and it does take a while (I have to admit that I skim-read most of the backstory, at best) - it's definitely engrossing. I was captivated by Rama, and couldn't help but spend some of my time away from the novel wondering what it would be like to be there.
As a sequel to Rendezvous with Rama, though, this is incredibly disappointing. The sci-fi is softer (hell, there's fantasy in the mix), the focus is the largely one-dimensional and unlikeable characters rather than the alien spacecraft, it's aged terribly while it's predecessor has mostly stood the test of time (a throwaway line about men and women working together being the only patch of rust on Rendezvous). This Rama is less believable, and does not seem to be an exactly logical progression from what Clarke was getting at with the first novel.
On it's own, Rama II isn't bad - just ignore that it's supposed to be a sequel to the first Rama novel, and take it as an "inspired by" at best.
The sci-fi is soft too, but remains interesting. Most of the time I managed not to have my suspension of disbelief broken. The problems around that were largely the fact that this has aged awfully - sci-fi writers really should not make pop culture references in a "serious" work. Attitudes towards gender, race and sexuality suffer from this also.
In the end, though, it's an interesting, enjoyable work. Once the story gets going - and it does take a while (I have to admit that I skim-read most of the backstory, at best) - it's definitely engrossing. I was captivated by Rama, and couldn't help but spend some of my time away from the novel wondering what it would be like to be there.
As a sequel to Rendezvous with Rama, though, this is incredibly disappointing. The sci-fi is softer (hell, there's fantasy in the mix), the focus is the largely one-dimensional and unlikeable characters rather than the alien spacecraft, it's aged terribly while it's predecessor has mostly stood the test of time (a throwaway line about men and women working together being the only patch of rust on Rendezvous). This Rama is less believable, and does not seem to be an exactly logical progression from what Clarke was getting at with the first novel.
On it's own, Rama II isn't bad - just ignore that it's supposed to be a sequel to the first Rama novel, and take it as an "inspired by" at best.
burns_cheadle's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars: Entertaining but not one of Clarke’s stronger efforts, the story is populated by anodyne characters and reads like a Hollywood B-list thriller script.
chispy130's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5