Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is an incredibly well thought out look at what might happen if a giant alien spaceship flew into the solar system. 3.75 out of 5 stars.
In this episode we review this timeless classic, talk about the real-life risk of meteors and comets hitting Earth, discuss how much it feels like nonfiction covering an event that just hasn't happened yet, and debate what makes a book ending great.
As always, we also recommend and discuss some similar stories if you're looking for more great books to read. This week we recommend Titan by John Varley, Ringworld by Larry Niven, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, and The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.
YouTube link if you prefer to watch the episode.
NO SPOILERS BOOK SUMMARY: Earth’s asteroid collision warning system detects a new object in the deep solar system, on an orbit that will take past Earth and close to the sun. As it gets closer, it becomes clear it is a massive cylinder, and it’s far too perfect to be natural object. An alien spaceship is heading deep into the solar system. There is only one human ship that can intercept the object before it whips around the sun, and we follow that crew as they arrive at the object and open its airlock door. Note that in this episode we talk about the ending of the book, starting at 19:30.