I am a big fan of A.C. Clarke, and admittedly, I have read more books by him than any other author. I was in the euphoric wake of 3001 when I found Dolphin Island in a used book store, and since it was only 140 pages long I thought it'd be a quick and enjoyable read. Well, I ended up finishing Paul Cook's 341 page "Fortress On The Sun", before I finished Dolphin Island.

It appears to me that while Dr. Clarke was exploring the Great Barrier Reef and being mesmerized by some of the sea's most intelligent creatures, he decided to combine his observations into one descriptive essay. However, as that may have been too boring and definitely quite uncharacteristic of his personality, he decided to put a couple of characters together and make up some sort of a story. Unfortunately, he spends so much time on describing how the corral reefs look like that the pace of the story slows down to a crawl. There are as always lots of interesting ideas proposed and he has always been in the forefront of future technologies but none of the characters like Johny Clinton, Mick, or Dr. Kazan ever develop enough to become memorable. In fact, the dolphins (Suzy and Sputnick) are better developed than their human counterparts. Therefore, this book is not quite up to par with what I'd call the Clarke standard, but if you've ever wondered what the Great Barrier Reef looks like, then you should give this book a try; if you can actually find it!

When I first read this book I was young, in my early early teens. I found the book took me along with it. Hiding away as a stowaway, burning in the sun and thirsting desperately after the crash.The dolphins miraculous. The wonders of the reef spellbinding and wonderous. I could go on but dont want to give away the whole story. I found the book excellent reading material, and while my taste now borders on the more intricate, this is high adventure and good reading for our young people.

Dolphin Island-A Story of the People of the Sea is a wonderful book! This futuristic tale seems like a reality, and the characters have vived personalities. You are drawn into the story. The ending leaves you yearning to read more! It's a Must Read!

This book opended up diffrent views on how the future will be. While reading it I kept on thinking that the future in the book was very realalistic. I would refer this book to any reader who likes a good Sci-Fi novel.

On something of a departure for Clarke, he explores the depths of earth's oceans in this book, rather than his usual space sagas. It succeeds remarkably well, and is better than his more well-known novel of the ocean (The Ghost From The Grand Banks). The plot is good, with several surprising mini-twists, and the characterization is better than on most of his works. Also, as with all his books, the ending is beautiful and poetic. A must read for the Clarke fan.

I don't think I've ever read a Clarke book that wasn't first-rate; this is no exception. It depicts the wardens who herd the giant whale groups that provide a substantial portion of the future earth with food. Like all his books, it flows effortlessly and ends beautifully.

The parts with the octospiders are interesting and also the ending part about the cosmic philosophy. But there is too much soap opera again...Bulls*** again! Read the first Rama book!

With messages of duty, responsibility and the value of family, it's likely that this book will apeal to a more mature reader. While this last installment of the RAMA tales holds all the magic of the past 3 books, it also holds some very real, if disapointing truths about mankind. We are not the creators chosen race, indeed, we are simply an eliment in one universe of many by which the creator seeks a simplicity only a god may aspire to. Some refreshing ideas on the origins, purpose and existance of the universe and our place in it.

This was a mediocre book relying on the success of the other two books to boost sales. I don't think it would have gone very far on its own. The writing was much more shallow than most of Clarke's other books, and the characters were even more uninteresting.

One thing I really love about Clarke's books, especially 2001 and 2010, is the description. 2061 didn't have much of that; there was a sense that we had already seen these things before so they didn't need to be described again.

The book wasn't all bad. The redeeming feature is the premise. In the beginning Dr. Heywood Floyd (who I was glad to see again) was on a ship that landed on Halley's comet, which was an interesting twist. I've never read a SF book about landing on Halley's comet before. In the meantime, another ship is hijacked and ends up stranded on Europa, a moon of Jupiter that mankind has been forbidden to land on. The ship that Floyd is on is sent to rescue the other ship. It was an intriguing plot line and more could have been done with it. As usual the characters are uninteresting, and there seem to have been more useless characters in this book than in most of Clarke's books.

I certainly wouldn't call this a must-read for anybody. It's a fast book to read and somewhat entertaining while it's being read, but I doubt I'll remember it very long.

I think Clarke's 2061 stacks up well with the two preceding odysseys. I believe the plot was well-developed with its two separate, yet inevitably linked parts. The famous Dr. Heywood Floyd relaxes while on his way to rendezvous with Halley's Comet while his grandson sets his sights with Galaxy on his way to the forbidden landing satellite of Europa. With the beautiful twist of the force landing on the Jovian (now Luciferian) moon and the rescue mission that the Universe is then sentenced to, the suspense becomes great and the awe plentiful. Clarke's lucid description of the planets, moons, and new-found life are real, stunning, and exciting. The recurrence of the 'spirit' of Dave Bowman and the secret of the mysterious Monolith in a more subtle manner simply add to the essence of the well-formed plot. The characters come alive about their realistic struggles in the Space Age. Clarke is a remarkable author, and has proved once again his superiority with the wonders of Space in his third odyssey.

It's true that 2061 doesn't add much to the series in terms of learning about the monoliths or Bowman -- in fact, it would probably be LESS confusing to skip this book and read 3001 instead (the "Trinity" and "3001" chapters don't mesh well with what comes later). But if you truly appreciate Arthur C. Clarke's writing, you'll probably enjoy this book. Just like with 2001, 2010, 3001, and Rendezvous with Rama, Clarke takes you on a voyage into a world of his creation, giving you the chance to explore it and marvel at it. Although the voyage to Halley's comet is completely unnecessary in plot terms, it is a classic example of Clarke acting as a tour guide on a fascinating voyage through his world. Also, this book is another milestone in Clarke's progress as a character author -- a change that can be seen as you move through Clarke's 2001 saga. Don't expect any answers to questions you may have about 2001/2010, but if you enjoy Clarke touring you through the universe, it is definitely a worthy read.

Ok.... I admit that I have enjoyed reading the RAMA books, but not in the same way I enjoy reading other books written by Arthur C. Clarke, a man I consider to be one of the greatest writers ever. These books, except for the first one, are just action adventures/soap operas. There is nothing deep or anything that will make you think in these books. Reading this series is like watching Pro-Wrestling: you know it is ridiculous, but it keeps you entertained, so you keep watching/reading. For anyone who is not really into Sci-Fi, and is not looking for original ideas, but is looking for a bunch of pointless sex, this is a great book. I am really bothered that Clarke sunk to the level of writing a series with pathetic cliffhangers at the end to sucker a reader into buying another book in the series. He should leave that up to Diane Carey and Peter David who think that writing Star Trek novels is the same thing as writing Sci-Fi.

Allow me to be a little retrospective . The first book was a gem. Not often are there books which concentrate purely on the technological side and get away with little or no character development . The second was pleasing only towards the end although I found the need to explain life stories of characters profoundly irritating and often irrelevant . Who cares if Francesca is a slut ? I was hoping for a redemption of sorts in this third book but nope , didn't find it . If this book were set in an urban 20th century environment , it would be a mid-day soap opera with sex and drugs thrown in . As a science fiction novel , it somehow manages to discard most science . Maybe it was Lee's influence , maybe I just lost patience with the black and white characters . This book could have done with better characterisation , less politics , less pointless sex , less Shakespearen quotes and finally , a helluva lot more science fiction . Ultimately I was disappointed since I started reading this series with much enthusiasm and ended up flicking chapters just to see who would cark it next.

While still plagued with the Clarke/Lee incompatibility syndrome, it turns out that this book makes up for the general mediocrity of its predecessor, "Rama II". The first 200 or so pages of this book are among the best science fiction I have ever read. Unfortunately, as some other reviewers have pointed out, the last half of the book has an over-density of smut (thank you so much, Gentry Lee) and ridiculousness.I would recommend it. If you suffered through Rama II, you shall find this third installment in the Rama books to be somewhat more rewarding.Plus, the cover's cool! The scene depicted on the cover actually occurs in the book, precisely. That's a nice change...so many books in this genre have cover art without any real application to the text.

This collection of essays and speeches from the late 70's and early 80's features many of the themes that Clarke is commonly associated with: Space, the future, and Sri Lanka. The biggest surprise is the long chapter of essays on subjects literary, including some comments on Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men, a reminiscence about George Bernard Shaw, and an essay on how Space is described in English poetry. Unfortunately, much of this section is devoted to forwards written for books that the average science fiction fan will never read, so that while this chapter is at least different, it's may not be of much interest to those legions of fans of Clarke's fiction who would be most likely to read this book.

The rest of this volume is more in line with other collections of essays Clarke has published, and suffers from most of the same weaknesses. For one thing, the level of repetition in these pieces gets tedious rather quickly, as a long series of articles describe the advantages of and history behind Clarke's main obsession of the period, a satellite-based system for surveillance of the earth's surface. Another point that is hammered home repeatedly is the predicted development of "electronic tutors": imagine a Game Boy except that instead of having fun with it, you learn from it. Of course this book was published before the personal computer revolution, so Clarke can be forgiven for not realizing that kids would know when a program was trying to teach them something, and quickly move on to something more entertaining. This is not to say that Clarke was wrong about the use of electronics for teaching, but rather that the development of machines whose sole function was teaching was unnecessary - modern PC's being versatile enough to be used for any number of purposes - but then, who among us was smart enough to foresee that?

Perhaps the best piece in the book is the entry detailing Clarke's (then) recent trip to the Soviet Union, coyly titled "To Russia, with Love..." and featuring the pacing, personalities, and ideas that make his fiction so interesting, but there is little else in the book this good. The weakest group of essays is on the subject that should be Clarke's strength - Space and Space travel. Most of this section had a decidedly historical bent to it to begin with, and the passage of another 17 years has only exacerbated the problem. Collections like this one may be interesting enough while they're still current, but too much of this material is either dated or completely unscientific.

This is not Clarke's best collection of essays, but it is an interesting - and, for him, somewhat unique one. There are a couple of his non-fiction books that everyone should read (The Promise of Space, Profiles of The Future, Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds), and this is not one of them, but it will certainly delight fans of the author. It's split into four sections: the first, War and Peace In The Space Age, gives the book its title. This material, which mostly discusses the peaceful applications of communications satellites and other such things during the early 1980's is invariably somewhat dated, and could be easily casually tossed off as outdated Cold War paranoia. And, though this is certainly the well from which the material sprung, Clarke is a great enough writer for the material to remain interesting. He has some nice views, too: there's another instance here of his famous coinage "We will take no frontiers into space." Another sections deals with, of course, space; this is an intersting take, as it always is with Clarke, and one of the most novel pieces is a bit on the myths and absurdities of space travel: in these, Clarke dismisses common paranoic delusions involved with space travel, and clears up some of its most common misconceptions. Another section is somewhat surprising coming from ACC: it deals with literary subjects. It includes a couple of forwards to books he wrote for other people, including the hilarous introduction he wrote for his agent's book, and a document of his hilarous correspondence with the late playwright George Bernard Shaw. The last section is a series of articles he wrote about his home country, Sri Lanka - these are nice, enlightening pieces. Also, the book ends with an article entitled "The Menace of Creationism; in it, Clarke - one of its most outspoken modern critics - launches an interesting attack upon said subject, invoking the Vatican's views on the subject, and declaring that no Creationist should be allowed to teach Biology or the Earth Sciences in school (surely a rational view.) This could be a fairly controversial piece, and should be read by all those who find themselves in agreement with Clarke's views on organized religion. In the end, you will want to read this book if you are a fan of Arthur C. Clarke; and, if you're not, you won't bother.

Pierce's 1968 memoir describes his work with the Echo and Telstar satellites, with side lights on Arthur C. Clarke's vision of geo-synchronous satellites, as well as contemporary efforts at NASA, ARPA, and to a minor extent Hughes. Good photos, good history of the hunt for funding, and a fine selection of strong opinions. It's short and incomplete but if you like to see how a field starts up, this is a book for you. Includes reprints of Clarke's 1945 article and Pierce's 1955 article.

Rama II will most likely be disappointing to the majority of readers who enjoyed Rendezvous With Rama. This isn't the worst thing I've read, but it is certainly a letdown after Rendezvous. My time could have been spent on a better novel -- though, I am, unfortunately, doomed to finish up this series due to a bothersome sense of duty.

Clarke (or Lee -- who knows who wrote the majority of the novel?) takes a lot of the focus off the engineering marvels of Rama in order to follow poorly developed character histories. I am not opposed to good characterization in science fiction -- it's great when an author can manage a successful marriage between hard sci-fi and compelling character development. Clarke/Lee, however, in his attempt to pull off such a marriage, instead causes both aspects to suffer.

I found the religious aspects of this novel irritating -- but that's probably due to the fact that I'm an agnostic (leaning in a heavily atheistic direction) with little fondness for organized religion. My own beliefs aside, I thought the religious aspects of the novel were clumsily handled and offered little insight.

I'm curious to see how the series ends, though from the reviews I've read, I fear I must expect more of the same mediocrity I found in Rama II.

I enjoyed rendevous with rama, and therefore thought I would like this book. No such luck. The writing is really bad and the characters are one dimensional. About 50 pages into it I realized that around 30 pages were missing from the book. I put it down, disgusted, but not disappointed. I'm glad I didn't waste my time finishing it.

In the year 2200, a second of the alien spacecrafts designated "Rama" enters our solar system, sparking another expedition to try to learn the secrets of its mysterious purpose and origin. This book is the sequel to Arthur C. Clarke's landmark First Contact novel Rendezvous with Rama, that showed an intrepid team of Earthmen exploring an apparently abandoned alien spacecraft that passes through our system. This is the second book in a series that will continue with The Gardens of Rama, and Rama Revealed. This time around Clarke is writing with NASA scientist Gentry Lee, whose knowledge of space engineering adds some details that the first novel had missed.

The first half of the book is fairly interesting, showing how the beautiful, ambitious, unscrupulous newscaster Francesca Sabatini manipulates the decision-makers who are nominally in charge of the racially, religiously, and nationally diverse expedition. Squared off against her is the heroine, Nicole des Jardins, the French-African Life Sciences Officer, who has secrets of her own. Once underway, a deadly accident causes a shift in the expedition's power structure. Then, once the remaining crew is aboard the Rama spacecraft, Clarke and Lee's scientific skills come to the fore, describing the peculiar features of this enormous vessel, and the seemingly inexplicable activities of the creatures (?) found within.

The second half functions as a more straightforward space adventure story, featuring Nicole des Jardins' perils aboard the Rama. All the intrigue gets lost in the excitement of wondering how Nicole will escape her doom on Rama, and while the resolution may be satisfactory enough for some, perhaps, it does require a good stretch of the imagination. Unfortunately, this book's ultimate conclusion really cuts the entire first half adrift, and the whole is less than satisfying. Perhaps the next volume, The Gardens of Rama, will once again pick up the plot threads that are left dangling in Rama II. One can hope so, at least, and the three-star rating reflects that expectation to a considerable extent, because without any further resolution this book would be very weak indeed.

To clear up any confusion - Arthur C. Clarke wrote a plot synopsis that he wasn't interested in pursuing. Mike McQuay read the synopsis and fleshed it out into the novel Richter 10. The novel takes place in the near future. The story: a geologist named Lewis Crane is obsessed with stopping earthquakes by fusing the Earth's plates together. To this end, he starts a foundation to predict quakes and render assistance to victims. He comes into conflict with his own employees and a seperatist group called the Nation of Islam (NOI) led by an African American of great charisma. One of Crane's men leaves to join the NOI, setting up the main conflict for the remainder of the novel.

There are some obvious parallels with real life - for example, the leader of the NOI is obviously based on Elijah Mohammed, while the defecting geologist is similar to (but less influential than) Malcolm X. The vision of the future is quite dystopic (and overtly racist) - the U.S. government is a puppet for multinational (Chinese) corporations. However, the novel is not a warning or historical analogy, but simply an adventure story with lots of buildings falling over and tsunamis sweeping people out to sea.

On the whole, it is quite enjoyable. The action is well-written, the technology mostly believable, and the supporting characters well-developed. Unfortunately, the main characters are generally not likable (until, possibly, in the last 50 pages), so it's hard to develop any kind of sympathy for them. In addition, the central scientific tool the geologists use - a working scale model of the Earth - is extremely far fetched. The idea that an earthquake (or any major natural event) could be predicted by a 100-foot model, to an accuracy of a couple of minutes, stretches credulity to the breaking point. Finally, there are too many Big Moments in the book. There are at least 3 points where the story reached a logical conclusion, but then went on, basically starting over with a new theme. It makes the story seem very patchwork, (in the one particular chapter, 10 years pass!) Sure, it's supposed to be an epic, but it's too choppy.

Having said all that, the book is still fun and keeps you interested.

This book was amazing! The descriptions that Clarke and McQuay give the reader in this book are phenomenal, you really get to know the characters and what they go through during the course of the story. Many of the events that take place could very well happen and the authors let you know what it would be like during an EQ. But since this is science fiction they do have some far fetched ideas aboutabout a drug to control your emotions, or having a chip implanted in yoru head so you could interact with a computer. These things aside the storyline was great and I really recommend it to any fan of Arthur C. Clarke.

I don't know what the reviewers who gave this bad reviews were reading, but this is a well constructed, well written novel.

I believe that some of the reviewers were simply reacting to the genre not the story.

Maybe, they were forced to read the book for an assignment.

This was best Clarke collaboration, I've read to date. It is a shame that there will be no further works coming from the pen of Mike McQuay.

Make your own decision.

It seems as if the reviews fall to two extremes. The readers have either loved or hated the book.

I loved it.

I would recommed it to everyone.