Rama Revealed
Encyclopedia
Rama Revealed 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
.
. 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 used to live in Rama II and already then came into contact with the alien species known as "Octospiders". 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 became biological wizards and were eventually able to form a utopia
of sorts.
Eventually, the human colony police come after Nicole's family in "New York" and they flee to the octospider city. After the human colony leader starts bombing the octospider city under a made-up pretext
and the octospiders retaliate, the situation becomes dire enough that Rama's controlling intelligence intervenes to end the conflict caused by the Humans aboard, by sending everybody into hibernation
until the end of the journey.
The Rama spacecraft rendezvous with another Node, an enormous tetrahedron
near the star Tau Ceti
, designed to research any intelligent life capable of spaceflight. The humans are divided into two groups based mainly on the degree of xenophobia
they had exhibited during the journey. Both groups will stay at the Node for the rest of their lives to be studied; the xenophobes are segregated and never allowed to see another alien again. To the more adaptable group, the purpose of the universe is revealed by the Nodal intelligence.
" (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.
Gentry Lee also wrote two further novels set in the same Rama Universe.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
and Gentry Lee
Gentry Lee
Bert Gentry Lee is the chief engineer for the Planetary Flight Systems Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and a science fiction writer. As an author he is best known for co-writing, with Arthur C. Clarke, the books Cradle in 1989, Rama II in 1989, The Garden of Rama in 1991 and Rama...
. It is the last of three sequels to Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama
Rendezvous with Rama
Rendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system...
by these authors, and as the title suggests reveals the mysteries behind the enigmatic Rama spacecraft
Rama (spacecraft)
Rama is a fictional mysterious extraterrestrial vessel that is the subject and setting of the science fiction novel Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, and the later sequel trilogy by Clarke and Gentry Lee: Rama II, Garden of Rama, and Rama Revealed. It exists in a fictional future timeline...
.
Plot summary
The book picks up the story immediately after the end of The Garden of RamaThe Garden of Rama
The Garden of Rama is a novel by Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke. It is the third book in the four-book Rama series: Rendezvous with Rama, Rama II, The Garden of Rama, and Rama Revealed, and follows on from where Rama II left off.-Plot summary:The book picks up the story nine months...
. The book follows the story of Nicole Wakefield
Nicole des Jardins Wakefield
Nicole des Jardins Wakefield is a fictional character and the central protagonist of the three sequels to Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee. She is an African-European woman, of heritage from both France and the Ivory Coast...
and her escape from imprisonment left at the cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
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
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
", where they used to live in Rama II and already then came into contact with the alien species known as "Octospiders". 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 became biological wizards and were eventually able to form a utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
of sorts.
Eventually, the human colony police come after Nicole's family in "New York" and they flee to the octospider city. After the human colony leader starts bombing the octospider city under a made-up pretext
Pretext
A pretext is an excuse to do something or say something. Pretexts may be based on a half-truth or developed in the context of a misleading fabrication. Pretexts have been used to conceal the true purpose or rationale behind actions and words....
and the octospiders retaliate, the situation becomes dire enough that Rama's controlling intelligence intervenes to end the conflict caused by the Humans aboard, by sending everybody into hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
until the end of the journey.
The Rama spacecraft rendezvous with another Node, an enormous tetrahedron
Tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral", and is one of the Platonic solids...
near the star Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti
Tau Ceti is a star in the constellation Cetus that is spectrally similar to the Sun, although it has only about 78% of the Sun's mass. At a distance of just under 12 light-years from the Solar System, it is a relatively close star. Tau Ceti is metal-deficient and so is thought to be less likely to...
, designed to research any intelligent life capable of spaceflight. The humans are divided into two groups based mainly on the degree of xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
they had exhibited during the journey. Both groups will stay at the Node for the rest of their lives to be studied; the xenophobes are segregated and never allowed to see another alien again. To the more adaptable group, the purpose of the universe is revealed by the Nodal intelligence.
Similarities with Rescue Party
The aliens operating Rama, as revealed at the end of this story, share a very similar origin with the aliens in "Rescue PartyRescue Party
"Rescue Party" is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in Astounding Science Fiction in May 1946. It was his first story that he sold, though not the first actually published. It was republished in Sir Arthur’s second collection, Reach for Tomorrow and also appears in The Collected...
" (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
- Rendezvous with RamaRendezvous with RamaRendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system...
(19721972 in literatureThe year 1972 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Fiction:*Richard Adams - Watership Down*Jorge Amado - Teresa Batista Cansada da Guerra *Martin Amis - The Rachel Papers...
) - Rama II (19891989 in literatureThe year 1989 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 24 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini places a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.-Literature:...
) - The Garden of RamaThe Garden of RamaThe Garden of Rama is a novel by Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke. It is the third book in the four-book Rama series: Rendezvous with Rama, Rama II, The Garden of Rama, and Rama Revealed, and follows on from where Rama II left off.-Plot summary:The book picks up the story nine months...
(19911991 in literatureThe year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
) - Rama Revealed (19931993 in literatureThe year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
)
Gentry Lee also wrote two further novels set in the same Rama Universe.
- Bright Messengers (19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
) - Double Full Moon Night (20002000 in literatureThe year 2000 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 13 - Final original Peanuts comic strip is published...
)