Rama II

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For the King of Thailand named Rama II, see Rama II of Thailand

Rama II is a novel by Gentry Lee and Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1989. It recounts humankind's further interaction with the Ramans, first introduced in Rendezvous with Rama. Written primarily by Gentry Lee, Rama II has a distinctly different writing style than the original, with a more character driven narrative and a closer-to-contemporary mindset, ambience and human relations than the first novel's utopian social assumptions.

Rama II is the first novel of the "new" Rama series, as Rendezvous with Rama is not always counted as part of it. The Rama series comprises two more sequels: The Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed.

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Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

70 years after the events of Rendezvous with Rama, the second Raman vessel finally enters the solar system. This time its arrival is expected and an expedition is sent to unlock more of Rama's mysteries, but the crew are unprepared both for what they find and for the conflicts that arise between them. Rama II brings new characters into a new story arc mostly unrelated to the original and largely serves to set up its own sequels.

Many readers have found a great contrast between Rendezvous with Rama and this novel. While the former depicted a utopian future and focused almost entirely on the hard science fiction elements regarding the scientific wonders of the alien spacecraft, Rama II and its sequels deconstruct Clarke's vision of human colonies throughout the Solar System through a global economic crisis that forced their almost total deactivation. Then follows a very different storytelling that brings forward contemporary issues like abortion, racism, drug abuse and organized crime. Tension and violence escalate throughout the series -- there are many deaths in the course of the novel -- giving the reader a somewhat dystopic vision of the future, and a feel different from Clarke's style.

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