Ringworld by Larry Niven
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Book Reviews of Ringworld
Book Review: Captivating
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are a fan of adventure or science fiction, you will instantly fall in love with this novel by Larry Niven. Niven has created a masterpiece that has something for people of all types, young and old alike. The book paints a disturbing picture of what futuristic earth looks like, and the immense powers the species of sthe universe have. From controlled breeding experiments designed to produce large quantities of luck in a human being, to the power to move entire worlds across space, the species are quite powerful. The book describes a scenario in which earth and many other planets of the galaxy will be destroyed by the power of the novae of several stars in the galactic core. As the different species work together to avoid this destruction, the find an artifact that is very large, and has the shape of a ring. To give you a sense of how large it is, the radius of the ring is the distance from earth to the sun. When the exploring members of the races land on the ring they discover that all civilization has fallen. Now without any power and a way to get their ship off of the inside wall of the ring, they must explore, and try to find help. Ring world will captivate the entire audience and is impossible to put down. There is stunning detail which can only hint at the vast imagination of Niven. Luscious pictures are painted of the ewnvironment of Ringworld, and ominous paintings created of gigantic floating cities that crashed to the ground when all power was lost on Ringworld. Niven's imagination of the technology that futuristic species will posses is amazing. He has thought of every last ship part and exactly how it works. It is a surprisingly quick read for a 350 page book. Order Ringworld today, and enjoy!Book Review: A masterpiece every sci-fi fan must read.
Summary: 5 Stars
"RingWorld" is so well-knowen that I feel kinda stupid for writing about it - but for those who have'nt read it thus far (and there for cannot call themselves true sci-fi readers):the protagonist is Louis Wu - a 200 years old human , whom a Peirson's-Puppeteer kidnapp's together with speaker-to-animals - a Kzinty ambassedor , in order to investigate Ringworld - an immense structure , a partial Dyson sphere , a ring around a sun , built by an unknowen race of frightening power. The Puppeteers must have more information. The builders might be dangerous.
The puppeteer , Louis and speaker travel to Ringworld , "land" upon it and go through many adventures in order to mend their spaceship (yes it's hurt , eventhough it's a general-products hull).
This book is among the most praised science fiction books in the world , like "Dune" or the original "Foundation" trilogy , and rightfully so ; I promise you one of the most memorable protagonists you have read about , and ofcourse , no side-kick is equel to speaker-to-animals. The plot is excellent , the science is superb if you let the few points that make this a science-FICTION work pass with a smile instead with a grunt. Besides , not everyone will understand enough to recognize a scientific immposibility , and therefore , the science is also great.
Since we are talking about Niven , you know the writing itself is excellent , filled with interesting ideas , facsinating races and cool weapons , in such good use that I can't put it to words - the book is just too great - read it.
"RingWorld" is a masterpiece by one of the best hard-style sci-fi writers , and is equeled by few indeed.
VERY RECOMMENDED.
Book Review: One of the Ten Quadrillion Wonders of the Universe!
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a reason why the Pierson's Puppeteers are very interested in this strange "ring" around a distant sun, over the very horizon of "known space" (known to humans).
A mystery that is not normally of interest to the more commerce and not at all adventurous Puppeteers who are more interested in trade and perpetual compounding of wealth.
The mystery is what is happening at the core of the galaxy, and the Puppeteers immediate response to something that would take almost 30,000 years to affect them, or us on 30th century Earth and known space.
None the less, the ring is explored by the motley crew, including a Kzin, two humans, one Luis Wu who is 200 years old, and Teela Brown, a 20 year old who is product of the birth right lotteries centuries long little genetic expiriment instigated by the Puppeers, a 500,000 year old species with an interstellar trade empire older than Earth's Bronze Age.
What is found is a remarkable artifact built an untold number of centuries earlier, and either abandoned by the people who created it, or whose civilization just collapse leaving a population in a relative Dark Age totally oblivious to the origins of the world they live on.
Pockets of technology continue, but are scattered through out a world with an endless horizon. Cities in the sky supported by repulser beams from the serface. A 12 o'clock high perpetual noon day sun that is eclipsed by "shadow squares". A hugh 1000 mile high mountain called "Fist of God".
One of the lighter, more fun aspects of the journey may have been the custom of "Rishathra" between the diverging humanoid species of the large, open world.
Book Review: Niven's Best
Summary: 5 Stars
Niven has a strange way of managing to blend hard science fiction with some wacky humor. Or maybe it's just me. I dunno. In any event, Ringworld seems to accomplish this. The Ringworld is an intermediate between planets and the Dyson sphere, a theoretical structure put forward by Freeman Dyson as the preferred body to live on by what would probably be considered a Type II civilization. (If I remember correctly, the theoretical Type II civilizations can harnass the energy of stars, and a Type III civilization can harness the power of entire galaxies. I don't remember what Type I was, but I'd guess that the Ringworld would be about 1.5. To give you some idea, I think the scale puts the most technologically-advanced civilization on Earth as something like Type 0.6.). In exchange for the design plans for an ultrafast hyperdrive, along with the prototype, the puppeteer Nessus has humans Louis Wu and Teela Brown and kzin Speaker-to-Animals explore the Ringworld. The four become marooned on the Ringworld, where civilization has long ago toppled into barbarism. With some ingenuity manage to escape, except for Teela, who stays behind of her own volition.One thing that is never satisfactorily explained, though, is how it is that the Ringworld engineers and inhabitants, all slight variants of humanity, arrived there. There is some vague speculation that they might have been taken as pets or such from Earth by another alien species, but no real explanation. This is explained in _The Ringworld Engineers_, but since Niven hadn't originally intended to write the sequel, it seems odd that he didn't wrap up this question in Ringworld.
Book Review: DO NOT LISTEN TO THE NEGATIVE HYPE!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
i seriously do not know how anyone could judge this book or the series badly. this is true sci-fi - the concepts are second to none - very few writers could convincingly create a believeable world as mind-boggling huge and intriguing as the ringworld - a soild hominid-built ring that orbits a sun - 40 million times bigger than the earth! the story is non-stop action with gadgets that will blow your mind. i dont see how anyone could be disappointed by the amount of gadgets in this book - this is the future - this is why we read these book - to get an idea of the level of technology that we have yet to even grasp. and Niven backs these brilliant ideas up with amazing theory and mechanical descriptions, making them so much more believeable.Now the characters - where the [heck] do start - i wont even go into that much because i could write forever! they are absolutely fantastic, intriguing, funny, deep and incredibly intelligent. the interaction between the characters is one of the reasons why i have reread the series - Niven is a gem at developing an intense relationship between such diverse aliens that have come together to explore this incredible relic.
i could go on and on and on - but just read the book and you will soon find out. i cannot believe a movie has not been made about this book. Niven has written some other great novels - but i do believe he was born specifically to write this series. DO NOT LISTEN TO NEGATIVE HYPE - it has won awards for a reason - and dont forget it was written in the 70s and is still a convincing sci-fi novel.