An object enters the solar system from deep space. At first, they think it’s an asteroid, but it’s the wrong shape and it’s more massive than anything they’ve seen. It’s heading directly for the sun. Is it a threat? Is it a ship? We have to send someone to investigate.
Captain Norten gets the job of catching up to the object to investigate. What he and his crew find is nothing short of amazing; it’s hollow and it has an atmosphere! Now they have to figure out its mysteries before it slingshots around the sun to head back out of the solar system and back to the stars.
This book is a classic example of why I love reading Arthur C. Clarke’s works. All the characters are relatable. Everyday life is relatable to us no matter how far in the future it is. As usual, he takes very complex scientific theories and uses them in his story in ways that make them very easy to understand. You even feel like you’re right there in the action with the characters.
Clarke also has a way of injecting social issues of today into his character’s lives. He shows us what the future may hold for us if we decide to do the right thing. He explores some of our deepest questions such as preserving the human species and how we should treat animals.
The end of this book is a cliff hanger, and I was left wanting to immediately pick up Rama II to begin the story. It was late so I settled for reading the forward instead. It always amazes me how well-connected Clarke was to the world’s scientific community.
