Rendezvous with Rama
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarkeby Arthur C. Clarke
Shares rank 34 of 160 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend it for its vivid, truly alien vision and its grand, evocative scenes. Critics often say the plot goes nowhere and the characters are thin.
12 people recommended Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke in Hacker News comments, 7 had mixed feelings and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
11 of the 12 people who recommend it commented in one thread, “Rendezvous with Rama”.
Summary written by Claude from 24 comments.
26 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- mixed feelings
- 7
- warn against or regret it
- 7
The record
Recommended in 2 of 12 months
In 2 different threads.
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.7 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 2 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
- Recommended in 2 threadsNeeds 5 or more, not met.
- 11 of its 12 recommenders came from one threadNeeds half or less, not met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 24 of the 26 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Favorite read from youth
“I owe Rendezvous a lot though; had I not discovered that book as a kid”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “one of my favorites as a teenager”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “still one of my favourites”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Truly alien, inscrutable setting
“Rama is truly alien, inscrutable and fulfilling a purpose we don't get to understand.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “What hit me when I read Rama in the 1980s is how alien it all was.”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Vivid, grand scene visualization
“I absolutely love Arthur C. Clarke's style of helping you visualize the grand scenes.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “one of the most evocative books I've read by Clarke”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Plot goes nowhere
“nothing much happened and the story didn't really go anywhere interesting”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “the book did not seem to go anywhere”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” Weak characterization
“interesting mystery/plot, poor characterization shared with all of his work I have read”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “Arthur C. Clarke's characters were cardboard cutouts”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “Blindsight (Watts Novel)” Disappointing reveal and ending
“When it's revealed that the reason was quite ordinary and kind of distasteful to modern human sensibilities, it's kind of a let-down.”
Comment from 10 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama” “It was a great story, right up until the lack of an ending.”
Comment from 9 Mar 2026 in “Rendezvous with Rama”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 78 | 18 | 23 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Children of Timeby Adrian Tchaikovsky | 64 | 1 | 4 | 94% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Accelerandoby Charles Stross | 63 | 7 | 8 | 89% | 11 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 57 | 34 | 28 | 67% | 8 | — | — |
| Rendezvous with Ramaby Arthur C. ClarkeThis page | 12 | 7 | 7 | 63% | 2 | — | — |
Also compared with Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, Dune by Frank Herbert, Anathem by Neal Stephenson and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
What people said
24 of the 26 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Arthur C. Clarke's characters were cardboard cutouts”
“What hit me when I read Rama in the 1980s is how alien it all was.”
“When it's revealed that the reason was quite ordinary and kind of distasteful to modern human sensibilities, it's kind of a let-down.”
“His pacing is so bad it sounds like he is inserting periods into the middle of sentences.”
“really the original Rama book was it”
“it kind of feels like a well-polished, extended SCP story.”
“one of the most evocative books I've read by Clarke”
“It was a great story, right up until the lack of an ending.”
“still one of my favourites”
“The books would have been a complete snooze-fest, if they had been accurately rendered.”
“Rama is truly alien, inscrutable and fulfilling a purpose we don't get to understand.”
“It was like watching a reality show with uninteresting people.”
“I owe Rendezvous a lot though; had I not discovered that book as a kid”
“Rama answers the “great filter” question.”
“The Rama sequels are nothing like his work.”
“interesting mystery/plot, poor characterization shared with all of his work I have read”
“the book did not seem to go anywhere”
“nothing much happened and the story didn't really go anywhere interesting”
“I remember having fun doing it”
“Read the first one, and pretend it stopped there.”
“I absolutely love Arthur C. Clarke's style of helping you visualize the grand scenes.”
“the original is a decent standalone”
“one of my favorites as a teenager”
“Haha yes, these are all fantastic.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.