Rendez-vous avec Rama

Very little sci fi is still talked about decades later. And often, that which is, how the author was a huge asshole/sexist/etc. is a part of that conversation.

I haven't heard any of that about Arthur C. Clarke. And the book is still solid both in it's sci fi and its politics. If anything, it's more optimistic than more modern fair.

I really enjoyed it, albeit that it took a bit to get though.

A promising opening of mysterious object and dry elder academic panel bickering.... oh don't let this be just a cool exploration of the physical properties of this space... in space... with bonus tangential misogyny... oh, the physical properties and some cold-war-commentary at least accelerate... pity for the futuristic anachronisms, 1973 feels closer to Jules Verne than to us.

Being one of the first sci-fi books I've read (save Hitchhiker's Guide series) this book was quite fascinating. It was almost believable, quite honestly. Clarke does a good job telling the story and it flows well. There really wasn't any parts that were slower than others. The book was never predictable for me. I do wish I could have gotten to know some of the characters better. That is the only thing this book lacks. Overall, I liked the book and will continue reading the series, though I've read the reviews for the next few books and have fairly low expectations.