Rendezvous with Rama Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
Rendezvous with Rama is set in 2130, when a huge cylindrical object, fifty kilometers long, enters the solar system. Named Rama, it is clearly alien and seemingly deserted. Commander Bill Norton and the crew of the spaceship Endeavour have only a few weeks to explore it before it swings around the sun.
The builders of Rama are never seen, and the mystery is part of the story's appeal.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Commander Bill Norton | Captain of the Endeavour |
| Karl Mercer | Second in command |
| Jimmy Pak | Young crewman who flies a skybike |
| Laura Ernst | Ship's doctor |
| Boris Rodrigo | Crewman who disarms the missile |
| The Rama Committee | Scientists on Earth advising the mission |
| The biots | Biological robots inside Rama |
What is Rama?
After a meteor devastates northern Italy, humanity creates a sky watch. It spots an object far too regular to be an asteroid: a perfect spinning cylinder. The Endeavour is the only ship close enough to reach it. Norton's team lands on one end, finds an airlock and enters.
↑ Back to the topWhat is it like inside?
Inside is a hollow world, dark and cold, curving overhead in every direction. A frozen sea circles the middle like a belt, with an island of tall buildings they call New York. As Rama nears the sun, the interior warms, the sea melts and enormous lights shine along its length. Hurricane winds begin to blow.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens to Jimmy Pak?
Jimmy flies a small pedal-powered aircraft to the far southern end, where huge spikes rise. An electrical discharge knocks him out of the air, and he crash-lands on the far side of the sea. There he finds a field of crystal flowers and sees strange machines. The team rescues him when he jumps from a cliff into the sea.
↑ Back to the topWho lives in Rama?
Robot-like creatures appear: some cleaning, some repairing, one like a giant spider. The team calls them biots and believes they were created by Rama itself. Meanwhile the colonists on Mercury, fearing a threat, launch a nuclear missile at Rama. Boris Rodrigo disarms it with wire cutters.
↑ Back to the topHow does Rendezvous with Rama end?
As Rama approaches the sun, the crew must leave. From a safe distance they watch Rama use the sun's energy to change course and accelerate out of the solar system, its purpose unknown. Norton reflects on the lost chance. On Earth, a scientist notes that the Ramans seem to do everything in threes.
↑ Back to the topMore about Rendezvous with Rama
This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.