Author: Arthur C Clarke
Publisher:

In the year 2130 a mysterious object is discovered entering the solar system and heading towards the Sun. First considered to be an asteroid, it is soon found to be articifial and, obviously, from another intelligent species.

A team of scientists is quickly assembled and the nearest spaceship available is ordered to land on this giant artificial world and explore it.
The novel follows the band of explorers as they land on this giant spaceship and explore its many secrets and try to fathom its secrets.

However all the science in this novel is `hard` ie plausible and nothing outside the realms of physics happens, the author being a physicist himself and the inventer of geostationary satellites and telecommunications--well he wrote the paper on which it is all based!

Written in a clear, lucid, style the suprises come thick and fast as the humans explore this articifial world and for those who enjoy realistic sci-fi this novel remains one of the best. Indeed, it is one of the highly awarded such novels of all time having scooped both the Hugo and the Nebula awards and many others besides.

A C Clarke at his best...