Some people like their science-fiction hard. The harder the better. Rendezvous with Rama, written by Arthur C. Clarke in 1973, for me, practically defines "hard" sci-fi. The ideas and concepts explored in this masterpiece create what I like to call "the sense of wonder" like no other book I've read. Clarke takes the cylinder concept from H.G Well's War of the Worlds and investigates it, creating a world that is utterly convincing. The technology explored in here is so interesting and the atmosphere of fascination Clarke creates is so palpable, it's almost, (I hate to say it), a magical reading experience, and the reader is sucked along for the ride in this un-put-downable book. With technology this interesting, you don't even need characters. Top-notch stuff.
Rama doesn't look like this, but this is the general concept:
