[gleek]

Originally Posted by Shoegaze99

Stay away from the sequels, which carry Clarke’s name but little else having to do with him. Even if you love “Rendezvous With Rama,” steer clear of the three books that follow. Overbloated, meandering, pointless soap operas that manage to miss everything that made Clarke’s original so compelling.

hhmmm, i would have to disagree with you on this one. of course, if you're not into a purely character-driven plot, then the following 3 books after rendezvous with rama are not going to interest you. i personally didn't like rama 2 and since i read it once, i have always skipped over it and gone on to 3 and 4 with little regret for skipping 2. i'm a big fan of the travelogue/discovery scifi novels AND character novels as well so this whole series suits someone with my taste exactly.

SPOILERS BELOW!!

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you get to discover a new world in the first book, go back to it in the 2nd, and then live in it the 3rd and 4th. the 3rd and 4th books are mainly about the small human crew that get stuck on rama and how they continue to live out their life knowing that they will never make it back to earth. what humans will do in an alien surrounding is a great premise for a series.. and i especially loved it when they make it back to earth and find people to colonize the ship. it's a microcosm of humanity and seeing how they deal with their differences under pressure is quite astounding.

DAMN! i'm now going to HAVE to re-read these books again! thanks everyone.