Rating: 
Summary: I liked it, it kept me entertained, but....
Review: First, I read all four RAMA books back to back to back to back in 3 weeks. They all run together a bit for me (except for Rendezvous...different characters), but of the three Clarke/Lee books this one had some of the best and some of the worst material. The bad news: 1.Cliche ridden story lines--like another reviewer here, I found the tyrannical leader, addicted whore daughter, jailed good guy, etc.etc. a bit TOO overblown. 2. This book (and Garden of Rama) had an annoying tendency to use character dialog to explain details that really would not have been talked about in such detail--example, when one of the characters asks another about the octospiders' time system, the character responds with what sounds to me like a technical report on it--totally unrealistic dialog! Even scientists talk like regular humans occasionally! The good news: 1.Fantastically interesting and creative aliens!!! The octospider society is compelling and original. The other alien environment in Rama on this journey (sessiles & myrmicats) is a wonderful work of imagination. Those parts of the book were extremely enjoyable. 2.Overall the story of the node and universal intelligence was also original and fascinating. A good completion to the series, despite the shortcomings.
Rating: 
Summary: oh dear oh dear oh dear
Review: As happens so often in the movies and in TV shows what starts as a great idea gets milked for every penny and ends up as nothing but soul-less formulaic rubbish. As many other reviewers have mentioned "Rendezvous..." was a marvellous book. Pure classic sci-fi with little characterisation, a concentration on scale and good helping of the numinous. Clarke has always been quite good at this. But I suppose in the effort to sell more copies the publisher's cry for characters and action always wins and we end up suffering such nonsense. It is a shame because I, like many others, have read all four almost out of a sense of duty, a loyalty to "Rendezvous...". But I've read them with an increasing sense of hopelessness and depression! What a missed opportunity. At the close of "Rendezvous..." we're teased with the phrase "...the Ramans do everything in threes". Just a shame the publishers didn't heed the prophecy! I can't agree with the reaction of some readers to the sex and sleaze in "Rama Revealed" but then Europeans are typically less hung up about that kind of thing anyway. I simply choose to erase books 2-4 from my memory as Rama books and maybe one day write my own. No characters with colourful past-lives, no complex (!) emotional inter-relationships or loving family values, just good honest cosmic awe and an emphasis of the truth of human insignificance. For real people read Gabriel Garcia Marquez, don't look for it in Sci-Fi, you'll be hard pushed to find an author whose skill set runs into both areas, although Iain Banks is giving it a good try! If you've never read a Rama book. Read "Rendezvous..." and then go buy "Feersum Endjinn", if you've read "Rendezvous..." "II" or "Garden..." and are considering this one, go ahead but don't say I didn't warn you.
Rating:
Summary: Not too bad...
Review: All in all, this wasn't a bad book. I only have a few nitpicks: 1) Sex. I know everyone and their brother has written about this, but it really could have been handled in a more tasteful manner. Katie Wakefield and the Edenite captain (Bauer?) can boink their brains out all they want, and that's fine, but we don't need to know what paraphernalia they did it with. I sincerely hope that Gentry Lee and not Arthur C. Clarke wrote this stuff, because it added a distinctly sleazy tone to the rest of what could have been a truly great series ender and I can't believe a writer of Clarke's caliber would do that. 2) Any character not connected to the Wakefield family is left so pitifully undeveloped that a cardboard cutout of Darth Vader has more dimension. I would have been interested to know what the remaining New Edenites thought about Nakamura's reign, for example. In the end, the characters I liked best weren't the humans, but the octospiders. Archie and Dr. Blue often seemed more real than the humans themselves, and I find that both amazing and saddening. 3) Cliches. This book was full of them. Courageous pacifist leader(s) get thrown in prison by bloodthirsty tyrant; humans tragically misjudge advanced alien species; mother yearns to be reunited with long-lost hooker/addict daughter; courageous leader refuses lifesaving surgery to avoid becoming a perpetual monarch. Granted, this kind of material is written all over human history, but I think they could have come up with a way of introducing it that wasn't quite so hackneyed. Apart from these complaints, I thought this was a solid ending to a great series. Clarke's technical expertise and wordcraft kept it from being total dime-novel Pablum, and Lee kept it from getting top-heavy and pompous like "2063: Odyssey Three" and "3001: The Final Odyssey". I wouldn't call it my all-time favorite, but "Rama Revealed" will keep you entertained - and that alone makes it worth the purchase price.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Of Our Man From Sri Lanka
Review: Arthur Charles Clarke has given us 4 series of novels that truly define the ideology which we now stand to face. Our constant squables, our border wars, skirmishes, un-diplomatic references; our innate ability to be completely non-PC: all this is just the prelude in the Rama saga. Looked in a mirror recently?
Rating: 
Summary: A terrible disappointment...
Review: "Rendezvous With Rama" is one of my favorite books. I can easily believe it could be real while reading it, and the size of the space vehicle along with the clear descriptions of the weather inside, the view from one side to the other and countless other such things makes the book (at least for me) unique. I felt each book after the first got weaker, and by the time I got to this ending book of the series, I finished it ONLY because I had read the others. From reading other reviews here, many people, or at least quite a few, felt as I do. The story went on too long and eventually got ruined.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, but kick Gentry Lee
Review: Gee, Mr Lee, why don't you kill arthur c clarkes work even more ? You can really tell what parts A.C.C wrote, and what Gentry Lee wrote. Lee is bad, and Clarke is good. Anyway, this book is quite good.
Rating:
Summary: A good exploration of humanity and science fiction
Review: "And this, Katie Wakefield, is for what you did to yourself." Despite the fact that I don't even believe in monogamous relationships, I thought this story was wonderful. Its slow at times, but it is a really fascinating look at both humanity and cultures that are so foreign to our own that they are almost revolting. Understandably, many people did not enjoy the character development, because thats not what they look for in a book. But I think it encompasses virtually every topic possible, and is definately well written. Thats just my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: And So the Raman Legacy Comes to a Close
Review: Whoa! This was a long series! Rama Revealed made up for Rama III. Its ending still leaves you unclear about who the hell the Ramans are but it gives you a chance to guess for youself with the clues you have picked up throughout the series. Rendezvous with Rama has definately come a long way but it still ranks the highest in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Just skip the dream sequences...
Review: I learned about half way through the second Rama book, that if I just skipped the dream sequences, the book was much more enjoyable. Sure the dream sequences give insight into Nicole's character that I probably missed, but I got to know (and like) Nicole pretty well either way. Anyway, I highly reccomend this series to anyone who likes science fiction extrapolated upon the science we know now, and who likes well developed characters. Four books is just about right for the 3 weeks it took me to read them. Although, I must say, at the end of the last book I was ready to be done. I think the authors were too -- they left a few loose ends. They never really explored what Maria's existance in the octo realm meant to the Human/Octo relationship. That being said... is it just me, or does anyone else see another possible sequel (both Richard & Nicole are stored in the sessile material!).
Rating:
Summary: Great book! Bad conclusion. :-(
Review: First off, who the hell are the Ramans anyway? It says they are the monitors, but what the hell are the monitors? I would appreciate any opinions on the matter. I think I get it, but I'd like to know what others got out of this, so please send ideas to Bass37148@aol.com. Otherwise, this book was fabulous and NOT smut to all you "sensitive" readers who feel a need to cry and bitch about the sex, welcome to the real world. People have sex, it's not always nice sex. Duh. Don't knock his writing because you all have some issue with your own sexuality, or lack thereof. Moving on, I felt this, uh, final? book was not a great finale to the series. I love open ended books and series, but there should some guide as to what is truly the author's view. But that is my only complaint and I think Clarke should be very proud of this creation.
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