Arthur C. Clarke (16 December 1917 - 19 March 2008) was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist probably best remembered for the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, written in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick during the making of the film of the same name. He also participated in a number of television series in the 1980s, the most notable being Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World. Rendezvous with Rama was published in 1973 and at the time received much critical acclaim winning various literary awards including the Hugo, Jupiter and Nebula.

As is often the case, many of Clarke's imaginings are rooted in the scientific and technological facts of the period in which his book was written. This for many is what makes his work so thought provoking and stimulating to read. He also uses plenty of historical references that further add a sense of realism to the story. It is especially interesting to read his books now thirty or forty years after they were written, just to see how accurate were his futurological predictions. For example, the threat of an asteroid hitting Earth is nowadays taken more seriously by scientists and political authorities to the extent that the UN is presently discussing the feasibilities of creating a Spaceguard type system. It's also interesting to spot what's missing: nothing resembling a mobile phone and no digitalised equipment. Other assumptions though are way off the mark. In 1973 Clarke optimistically imagined that in 2130 many of the planets and satellites in the Solar System would be colonised and that a kind of interplanetary UN would exist. Call me a pessimist but I doubt it.

Although Rendezvous with Rama is not the greatest Sci-fi novel ever written (as one might be led to believe after reading some of the book's reviews on Amazon), it does have some positive attributes. It will appeal to those who like to drool over pages rich in scientific descriptions and predictions. The writing style is easily accessible and at just over 270 pages divided into 45 chapters, it is not a challenging novel to get through. The narrative, although laborious at times, does build up quite nicely increasing the readers sense of anticipation as to what will happen next. Unfortunately Clarke is unable to maintain this until the end of the novel. At around chapter 37 a diversion in the central plot takes place and for about four chapters there is a lot of waffle concerning political interplanetary infighting. This is unnecessary and is a complete distraction to the main story. It's almost as if the writer is preparing you for the rather disappointing conclusion to the novel. In the ultimate chapter the author describes how Norton is "haunted by a sense of anticlimax." That's kind of how I felt when I finished the book.