More so than any other book, Rama's triumph lies in its ability to depict humans' encounter with the unknown with a startling realism, so that when the astronauts first enter the alien craft, we can practically sense the chilling touch of the unknown. As they survey their surroundings and begin to explore, our fear is accompanied (not replaced) by a growing sense of wonder. Special mention goes to Clarke's absorbing descriptions of the vessel's vast hollow interior, which are easy to visualize and yet retain that alien, unfamiliar quality that distinguishes them from normal, everyday descriptions. (This is unlike Greg Bear's descriptions, which are so alien they tend to be somewhat hard to grasp.)

Clarke also avoids the standard ‘I'm being surrounded and chased by aliens' kind of suspense; instead, he relies on the apparent emptiness of the alien spaceship to provide tension, teasing us with the ignorance of what lies within that emptiness. In this way, the environment actually becomes more frightening, and simple exploration of the ship becomes an exciting trek.

Rendezvous with Rama is also said to have inspired Bear's Eon, and indeed there are references to Rama's hollowed interior in that other novel. But whereas Bear went for high drama and epic scale, Clarke chose a more delicate approach, and he ends his story with a mysterious, almost whimsical feeling that doesn't quite resolve everything...and doesn't need to, either.

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