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Rendezvous with Rama
- Rama Series, Book 1
- Narrated by: Toby Longworth
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
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Rendezvous with Rama
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Summary
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.
Critic reviews
“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)
What listeners say about Rendezvous with Rama
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR P THOMAS
- 29-05-17
Loved this book
I'm a big Arthur C Clarke fan. I find his books totally immerse you and being able to listen to this story whilst travelling was an amazing way to spend a long journey.
The book is awesome. The narrator is great. I'd thoroughly recommend this to any sci fi lover!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Villordsutch
- 10-05-17
Still excellent
Would you listen to Rendezvous with Rama again? Why?
Yes, Toby Longworth's narration is just perfect for this first chapter in Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series.
What did you like best about this story?
I've been a fan of Rendezvous with Rama for decades, a slice of perfect Sci-Fi from the pen of Mr. Clarke.
What does Toby Longworth bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
His voices for each of the characters from crew to Rama committee bring an extra spark of life to this book.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Over numerous sittings.
Any additional comments?
I'm looking forward to picking up the other books, hopefully I'll see them on Book of the Day.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AHeath
- 02-04-19
Excellent reading of a great classic sci fi story
This is a great performance of a sci fi classic. Toby Longworth has a clear, authoritative voice which is ideally suited to this sort of prose, and he's good at varying his voice with different accents and styles. This is rare in audio books where I usually find the narrators rather irritating, weak, or desperate to overact every line. The story itself is a classic - breathtakingly imaginative and original, it's hard to believe it was written so long ago. Yes, the characters are very thin and there's not much character development or story arc for any of them, but that's not the point: the main protagonist is Rama, which remains compelling throughout. And in any case, classic sci fi is not known for it's complex characters, more its big ideas. The one thing I found lacking was the physical descriptions of Rama which I found hard to I imagine. It's a shame Clarke didn't quite find the language to bring to life the physical appearance of his great creation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JD
- 08-11-19
Absolutely fantastic
A genuinely fantastic journey and story executed without any of the stupid suspension of disbelief that is required to watch or read the absurd Sci fi fantasy drivel that is made by Holywood today.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. DJ Rendell
- 11-09-21
science fiction at its finest
a great mix of science fiction fantasy and human endeavour. the narration was very well done!! must read for science fiction fans or fans of adventure.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ross H
- 29-03-22
Great stuff
I see why ACC is so beloved, he writes such intricate stories based on such simple ideas in such a digestible way that theyre truly a delight to consume
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Heisenberg
- 22-09-17
Love the book, loved the audiobook.
I was a little apprehensive about downloading this on audio, as I love this book - It is easily my favourite science fiction novel, and I have read it many times over the years. I needn't have worried. It is beautifully read to capture all the atmosphere and moments of wonder contained in the written text. Love the book, loved the audiobook.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- maltesefalcon
- 17-02-23
Thought provoking even after all these years.
I'm late to the party with Arthur C Clarke, but I'm still thinking about Rendezvous with Rama long after I finished listening, despite this book being over 50 years old. Slightly sexist and a bit of its time, but the sci fi imagination and world building is wonderful.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Paul
- 09-03-23
Immense and iconic
Trademark Arthur C Clarke.
An interesting little tale, very easy to listen to and absorb and arguably casts a long shadow across a whole genre, and has undoubtedly provided a huge influence on sci-fi films over many years. For this reason, it is very easy to visualise the action as it unfolds, mainly because so much of it finds its way into big-budget films in a variety of guises. You have seen it already in many films.
ACC reminds us of the unending scale and enormity of the cosmos, and the small role that humankind plays within it. There are no supreme rulers of the galaxy or universe here, ACC keeps it real and locates within the current solar system, and that is enough. Many of the questions remain unanswered, and given the sequels followed a long time after the original, it may have been his intention to create RWR this way. It is as though the answers are not being deliberately hidden, but are themselves bigger than the human mind can possibly comprehend.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shug
- 22-08-17
Why isn't this classic a movie yet?
Brilliant story, a SciFi classic that is rooted in real science. Arthur C Clarke was a master storyteller.
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6 people found this helpful