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More on Clarke's Rama Series

Hello to everyone who is addicted to science fiction. :-) I am now reading the Dark Forest which is book 2 of the Three Body Problem. In between readings, I think about books like Rama series and later on constant on Ilium. I am also reflecting on the different writing styles when it comes to hardcore science fiction, fantasy science fiction, and books that are between both of them.

What comes to mind is the Rama series. The first book which is written completely by Arthur C Clarke, the story is science-based. In other words, he uses known science theories to write the story. Many may actually find the book boring if one is not familiar with known science theories. "How does Rama spin?", " how do the biot function?", " there cannot be any Raman's because of...", "this is how the dragonfly works". I hope you get the idea. Basically, you read a lot about physics, chemistry, and biology

In the other Raman books, there is a collaboration between Clarke and Gentry Lee. The style in which these books are written is very different from the first book. That is because the science is not intense. And the reader little by little run into fantasy or science fantasy than science fiction. Human society is different. The follow-up books basically follow the life of Nicole the main protagonist. Most of the science will come from another character call Richard, One of Nichole's husband. The how and the why of how Rama operates falls into the background.

Basically, the only thing you learn about the Rama ships is that they are run by a superior intelligence that not even the sophisticated biots understand. Each ship seems to be run by an AI who reports to a superior AI up to the point that we are clueless about who is really behind the Rama project. I assume is an AI, but the books as I recall just call these AI's as the Ship's Intelligence.

In the end, it seems we start with the idea of how a world ship should run using the known constants of the universe to a mysterious intelligence that is collecting spacefarers for a Universal zoo.

Comments

  1. Dan BurgessNovember 11, 2023 at 4:32 PM

    I appreciated the treatment of religion throughout. The commander was a devout catholic and had to resolve the issue of whether Christ died for aliens or just for earthlings. Then, in the end, the Ramans have a very close tie to God as Science defines it. Very satisfying!

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