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Review Date: 10/13/2016
Rama II is an overly written, overly indulgent piece, with a few good moments. The Garden of Rama for the most part fixes the issues presented in the previous installation. There are still rambling passages that don't really add anything to the story, but at least none of the character stuff feels forced. Though I've read complaints there really isn't much Rama in this novel, I feel this book dealt more with the human mind within an alien presence, for the most part.
Garden is written in five parts, and the first three parts deal with the character's motivations. And I have to discuss this, but there are many passages featuring graphic sexual content, and does have tend to fall into more of the ramblings mentioned above. Though some of the ideas dealing with this sexual content are worth contemplating and not just blowing off because they deal with taboo subjects, their indulgent nature is not necessary.
Now discounting the graphic sexual content, the two most interesting aspects of the novel would first be the first part, which is a speculation on isolated life occurring with interstellar travel. This opening (or Nicole's journal as it's called) is admittedly mundane, but since the point was to emulate a slice (or slices) of life, it works. The second most interesting part is the second part of the book, Titled "At The Node." This part succeeds by being a well written and well described look at a higher intelligence whose scope can't even be understood (brining in ideas closer to the original novel's point also helps). And I will not spoil this part by trying to describe the passages here. They must be read to truly be felt.
The open of the third part, titled "Rendezvous at Mars," has an interesting idea with a kind of "cryosleep" as I'll call it where the passengers inside continue to age as they sleep, but the Mars section is a transition to the parts of the novel where it in fact starts to become problematic.
The last two parts suffer from the same problem, political imagery and symbolism full of environmental and AIDS overtones. While the writing tries to tie itself into the Rama voyage, this messaging overshadows the story that should end up being told. The points trying to be made here are not consistent with the ideas and tones set up earlier. Though there are some moments that feel like the earlier passages, and there is a very interesting look at other terrestrial life towards the end, Gentry Lee clearly got too carried away with these last two parts of the Book.
Overall, this is a significant improvement over Rama II, both in narrative flow and writing style. Though still flawed, the good parts of Garden are very much worth reading, Even if the sexual content will make some readers uncomfortable, and the politics make others angry. The Garden of Rama is the perfect example of a mixed bag. I personally just happened to really like the good parts.
Garden is written in five parts, and the first three parts deal with the character's motivations. And I have to discuss this, but there are many passages featuring graphic sexual content, and does have tend to fall into more of the ramblings mentioned above. Though some of the ideas dealing with this sexual content are worth contemplating and not just blowing off because they deal with taboo subjects, their indulgent nature is not necessary.
Now discounting the graphic sexual content, the two most interesting aspects of the novel would first be the first part, which is a speculation on isolated life occurring with interstellar travel. This opening (or Nicole's journal as it's called) is admittedly mundane, but since the point was to emulate a slice (or slices) of life, it works. The second most interesting part is the second part of the book, Titled "At The Node." This part succeeds by being a well written and well described look at a higher intelligence whose scope can't even be understood (brining in ideas closer to the original novel's point also helps). And I will not spoil this part by trying to describe the passages here. They must be read to truly be felt.
The open of the third part, titled "Rendezvous at Mars," has an interesting idea with a kind of "cryosleep" as I'll call it where the passengers inside continue to age as they sleep, but the Mars section is a transition to the parts of the novel where it in fact starts to become problematic.
The last two parts suffer from the same problem, political imagery and symbolism full of environmental and AIDS overtones. While the writing tries to tie itself into the Rama voyage, this messaging overshadows the story that should end up being told. The points trying to be made here are not consistent with the ideas and tones set up earlier. Though there are some moments that feel like the earlier passages, and there is a very interesting look at other terrestrial life towards the end, Gentry Lee clearly got too carried away with these last two parts of the Book.
Overall, this is a significant improvement over Rama II, both in narrative flow and writing style. Though still flawed, the good parts of Garden are very much worth reading, Even if the sexual content will make some readers uncomfortable, and the politics make others angry. The Garden of Rama is the perfect example of a mixed bag. I personally just happened to really like the good parts.
Review Date: 10/13/2016
I wouldn't call the original novel a science fiction classic, but it was a good book. It always kept to the point and knew to keep the pace going. And admittedly, writing a sequel was an ambitious undertaking. And while Clarke managed to franchise off the space odyssey series (especially 2010), the Rama sequel in the end in no way lives up to the original story.I feel I can sum up the problems with this novel by comparing the pacing to the original. With the original Rendezvous, the explorers make contact with the spacecraft within three chapters and begin exploration immediately. In Rama II, it takes 100 pages just to get to the craft, and then another 100 before anything actually starts to happen. Rama II is stuffed full of unnecessary ramblings, character development, and bureaucracies that get in the way of what the novel is trying to accomplish.
However, Rama II does have some moments of brilliance. A few ideas contained in the ramblings are interesting. And once the first 200 pages are passed, the actual exploration of the craft that happens, is comparable to the original novel. However, once the exploration ends, the rest of the novel falls back on its overwritten ramblings.
I have no doubt Gentry Lee contributed to this overly indulgent writing. And while we do get characters within a Clarke novel, reading Rama II is pretty much a slog. The book is 460 pages, and could have sufficed as another 250 page novel. I'd only reccomend Rama II for Clarke enthusiasts, or people interested to see where the Rama universe goes. Though this may not be a particularly great book, good conversation can arise on the specifics that could make it better.
However, Rama II does have some moments of brilliance. A few ideas contained in the ramblings are interesting. And once the first 200 pages are passed, the actual exploration of the craft that happens, is comparable to the original novel. However, once the exploration ends, the rest of the novel falls back on its overwritten ramblings.
I have no doubt Gentry Lee contributed to this overly indulgent writing. And while we do get characters within a Clarke novel, reading Rama II is pretty much a slog. The book is 460 pages, and could have sufficed as another 250 page novel. I'd only reccomend Rama II for Clarke enthusiasts, or people interested to see where the Rama universe goes. Though this may not be a particularly great book, good conversation can arise on the specifics that could make it better.
Review Date: 11/29/2016
The whole Rama sequel series are good ideas mixed in with bad overwriting and too much attempted character development. While Revealed may be the best sequel, it still manages to suffer from the exact same problems of the last two books. Rama Revealed however, manages to be the most consistent sequel- as in it finds a way to balance its problems and actual good scenes. For example, there are parts where humans are trying to learn to live within an alien species, which for the most part is handled well, mixed in with the threat of a war initiated by the rest of the humans that rains down heavy political overtones. Yet the most heavy handed parts may be the long, scientific and philosophical speeches at the end. The scientific stuff is boring, and philosophical stuff is way too heavy handed. Still, through all the problems, there are some unobjectively good passages detailing exploration of rama. This final novel is a long, overwritten, yet still fascinating piece of science fiction.
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