Ringworld by Larry Niven
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Book Reviews of Ringworld
Book Review: DONT 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 hell 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.
Book Review: A Classic - Larry Niven at his best
Summary: 5 Stars
A mysterious (and mad) stranger offers a rich prize to an apparently mismatched crew, if they will undertake a dangerous mission to a strange land - the Ringworld.Far from a typical adventure yarn, Ringworld is a landmark science fiction story. The worlds and cultures, the future human history, and the technology conceived for this book (and for other related Known Space stories) are a major achievement of imagination. Larry Niven has a gift for making them all fit and work together into a cohesive and enjoyable whole.
The exploration of the Ringworld, a massive artifact of mysterious origins, forms the backdrop for a further exploration of the history and the cultures in Larry Niven's Known Space series.
Ringworld provides insights and intriguing clues about the two principal alien species of the novel, the Kzin and the Puppeteers, and the history of their interactions with the human race. The creation of alien viewpoints and personalities is exceptionally well handled here. Nessus and Speaker-to-Animals are credible characters with unique viewpoints.
I was particularly pleased with the handling of the warrior culture of the Kzin. Speaker-to-Animals is aggressive and proud, but also intelligent, articulate and judicious. Contrast this with the one dimensional, noble but simple minded Klingons of Star Trek NG.
Ringworld has my recommendation. Other Larry Niven books worth reading include Neutron Star and Protector.
I don't recommend Ringworld Engineers, the sequel to this book.
Book Review: Imaginative but read Neutron Star first
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was my first introduction to Larry Niven's Known Spac series. While I conceed that Ringworld is incredibly imaginative, the book does lack characterization and forward plot movement. It was not a fast read and I didn't understand enough of the geography of the setting. I often found myself wishing Ringworld was a visual experience rather than literary. I would have given up on Known Space if I didn't happen to pick up Neutron Star at a used bookstore. I don't think Ringworld is a proper introduction to Known Space - its too confusing. I give it four stars because while weak on its own, it nicely complements the other novels in the Known Space series which is the most imaginative, well-contructed and original universe in science-fiction. I love Known Space, its utterly fascinating! Too bad the number of Known Space books got so large that the framework became too unwieldly for Niven to work with. I also wanted to comment on the several references to Frank Herbert on this forum. While I love Dune, I think any Frank Herbert comparisons are unfair. After, all Niven's a hard science-fiction writer, he doesn't even belong to the same school as Herbert. His books have their own vitality. Also, I didn't find the sexual content to be gratuitous - there are no graphic descriptions. The sex is strictly PG-13.Book Review: Niven's Imagination In Ringworld Isn't Human!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ringworld. Niven's solution to one heck of a population problem for a species that was so advanced it was scary. Thousand-year old technology built this masterpiece perfect...or did it. That is what Louis Wu: 200 year old space-worn traveler, Teela Brown: 20 year old walking rabbit's foot, Nessus: A two headed, three footed Pierson's Puppetter whose species likes playing God, and Speaker: an 8' tall Kzin with orange fur, and a 'sharp' smile. They are drawn together by fate to gather more data about Ringworld, a ring built around a star, billions of times Earth's surface area, to collect data and determine whether it is habital or just a worthless space artifact. The puppetter's need the world, due to a core explosion's radioactive wave, which will reach them in a hundred years (destroying everything). As they explore it they discover that something went terribly wrong here once, something they weren't supposed to find out about. Do they, and with their ship wrecked by an old Ringworld defense system, will they ever leave to tell others the secrets of Ringworld. Niven answers these questions in his masterpiece: RingworldBook Review: A Great Piece of Hard SciFi
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked this book up on a whim while serving with the Air Force in South Korea. Honestly, what attracted my attention was the idea of the ringworld itself. A ring with 6 million times the surface area of the Earth built by beings who have abandoned it just sounded so fantastic, I couldn't resist.This book was anything but a dissapointment. It moved at a good pace and I hardly had to push through any of the chapters. The breadth of this collosal work of engineering is described with a good sense that leaves the reader in awe.
Having been the first of Niven's book I read, this was my first exposure to the Kzinti race which appear through Niven's "Known Space" works. And here is where my only problem with this work is. Honestly, the idea of gargantuan feline-like aliens just seemed a little cheesey to me. Although Niven works out nice background info for this race, I just thought he could have done better with the appearance.
Despite that, this book has some nice original ideas and even a few brilliant ones. It deserves the Hugo and Nebula badges that grace the cover. Very Highly Recommended.