Rama Revealed (1993) is a
science fiction novel by
Arthur C. Clarke and
Gentry Lee. It is the last of three sequels to Clarke's
Rendezvous with Rama by these authors, and as the title suggests reveals the mysteries behind the enigmatic
Rama spacecraft.
Plot summary
The book picks up the story immediately after the end of
The Garden of Rama. The book follows the story of
Nicole Wakefield and her escape from imprisonment left at the
cliffhanger of the previous book.
As the human colony continues to degenerate with respect to living conditions and human rights, the members of Nicole's family escape to the region nicknamed "
New York", where they come into contact with the third alien species, known as "Octospiders" living in the Rama spacecraft. The Octospiders were a simple species until a space-faring species made contact with them and forever changed their society. Undergoing genetic enhancements, the Octospiders were eventually able to form a
utopia of sorts.
Eventually, the situation becomes dire enough that Rama's controlling intelligence intervenes to end the conflict caused by the Humans onboard.
The Rama spacecraft rendezvous with an enormous "Tetrahedron" near the star
Tau Ceti, at a place designed to research any intelligent life capable of spaceflight.
Similarities with other stories by Clarke
The aliens operating Rama, as revealed at the end of this story, share a very similar origin with the aliens in "
Rescue Party" (1946), the first story sold by Clarke (though not the first published). Additionally, the aliens in both stories have similar galactic administration duties.
Another scene this story shares with "Rescue Party" is the use of a paralyzer on uncooperative humans by tentacled aliens. In "Rescue Party", the paralyzer is only a last resort weapon and it is never used; in this story, it is actually used. The Rama ship and the alien spacecraft in "Rescue Party" are both cylindrical in shape, and with kilometer scale dimensions.
Books in the series
Gentry Lee also wrote two further novels set in the same Rama Universe.
Category:Novels by Arthur C. ClarkeCategory:1993 novelsCategory:English-language novelsCategory:Science fiction novelsCategory:Literary collaborationsfa:راز راماnl:Rama Revealedpt:A Revelação de Rama
