Garden of sci-fi delights. Review on Garden of Rama - Arthur C Clarke

I need to begin this review by talking about another book - ‘Rendezvous with Rama’, a sci-fi novel by the famous Arthur C. Clarke – that I read a couple of years ago. At the outset, I must admit that I approached the book with some hesitation; I have never really been a “hard sci-fi” fan and prefer Asimov’s softer approach. However, RwR was a pleasant surprise, with an engrossing story of humans in the near future exploring a mysterious object hurtling through our solar system. As they land their spaceship on the object, they humans discover that it is actually a giant, cylindrical “space world” complete with mysterious buildings, “seas”, and even hints of some form of intelligent life. To Clarke’s credit, he manages to balance pure sci-fi speculation with emotional drama as the humans face the unknown perils of Rama.

Cutting back to the present, I recently got my hands on ‘Garden of Rama’, which is actually the third book in the series (‘Rama II’ is the one I have yet to read). Much has happened in the intervening years – while the first Rama craft had exited our solar system just as mysteriously as it had arrived, we soon learn that ‘Rama II’ left with three human beings on board.

This is where ‘Garden of Rama’ begins, with two men and a woman on board, struggling to adjust to an uncertain future and confusing present. To add to the poignancy, the book kicks off with the birth of a girl – a girl who may never even see her parents’ home planet of Earth!

Much more that sci-fi, this is a book about human courage, endurance and persistence. We empathise with the travellers as they hurtle towards an unknown destination while struggling to interface with the seemingly benign Ramans (as they have termed the intelligent technology that runs the spacecraft); we hold our breath as the “family” grows in number and deals with mortal and moral dangers; we share in their awe as they finally reach what appears to Rama’s destination – a giant space station called the Node.

However, all of this is barely the start. ‘Garden of Rama’ next takes on an even greater challenge – the study of human sociological and psychological behaviour. Basically, most of the “space family” has been given the mission of returning to Earth, where they need to gather 2000 people who will live on Rama to be “observed”. To facilitate this, the mysterious intelligence behind Rama creates a complete habitat that can support human, animal and plant life.

Initially, the stage appears set for an idyllic utopian existence, with robots and automation ensuring a carefree existence. But pretty soon human nature rears its self-destructive streak…. Things only get more complex, and dark, when it is discovered that other species are present on different parts of Rama….

All in all, ‘Garden of Rama’ was an excellent read, with brilliantly sculpted characters, solid sci-fi fantasy, and a well-paced storyline. Two thumbs up for this one!