Ringworld by Larry Niven Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Ringworld
Book Review: A All-Time Classic Must Read For "Sci Fi" Lovers
Summary: 5 Stars
If you love reading fast-paced, imaginative, inventive stories about special people traveling to amazing worlds, then you'll love Ringworld. You'll meet Nessus the Puppeteer and Speaker-to-Animals (I guess they aren't people, are they?) and Louis Wu and Teela Brown. They get in a craft protected by their trusty General Products hull and take off for the Ringworld. Ringworld's breathtaking size and Larry Niven's breathtaking imagination will keep you reading until the end and leave you wanting more. And of course, there are sequels! This is the real McCoy; accept no substitutes. Also remember: never eat food that has been dropped on the ground, then picked up by a Puppeteer. And *I'm* not going to be the one to tell why no one knows the location of the Puppeteer home world.Book Review: A Bizarre Yet Classic Work
Summary: 5 Stars
Ringworld, one of the books for which Larry Niven is most well known, is an interesting science fiction novel containing a mixture of disperate elements bound together by a common theme and plotline. The book is as imaginative as it is funny, and as exciting as it is odd.One of Niven's strengths lies in his creation of characters, which are varied and are lended realism by the odd quirks and personalities they each possess. One of the most important parts of this process is motivation; Niven's characters always have a real, burning motivation behind each of their actions, which can bee seen clarly after reading the book. I emphasize "after" because the charcters' motivations are not always immediately apparent- in fact, Niven is so skilled at hiding characters' true intentions until later in the plot that his style would aptly suit the construction of a mystery novel. In many books, one reads of an illogical action and wonders if they will ever understand why it occured. This is never a problem with Niven; you can trust him to have carefully engineered each of his plot twists and odd actions, and they all have both a purpose and a goal.
Ringworld features a gargantuan world of incredible proportions. While Niven's skill comes through in his descriptions of the world's size, it truly shines as he describes what this world contains. Some of the most amazing alien creatures you will ever read about live and breathe within the pages of this book. Many of the world's locales and odd devices are equally stunning in their bizarre brilliance and unexpected properties.
Niven allows you to experience a fanciful version of what it might be like to explore an alien world, and you will find yourself wondering if you would be up to the challenge. His protagonist is as well-developed as any of the other characters, and acts in a particularly human manner. The humanity and clarity with which the protagonist is depicted provides an anchor in an otherwise strange alien world, ensuring the reader does not lose touch with the greater happenings of the plotline.
Ringworld won the Nebula award, perhaps one of the most prestigious awards given to Science Fiction novels in the world. This is no accident, for Ringworld is a truly remarkable book - both for its origionality, and its level of flawlessness of execution. Although a few elements from this book have been copied by later authors and filmmakers (at least after 1970 or so), Niven's ideas remain, for the most part, origional.
Ringworld is an interesting and dynamic book, full of fascinating elements and unpredicable changes. If you are ready for a bizarre adventure, give Ringworld a try.
Book Review: A Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
It has flaws, but the sheer scale of the thing is good exercise for your visualization (not you imagination). If you think you like Science Fiction, read it. If you don't like it at all, you don't like SF (because you aren't ready for it)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: A Classic Misnomer
Summary: 2 Stars
I've heard a lot about Larry Niven and Ringworld so, wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I bought a copy. The front cover of the book describes itself as "THE LEGENDARY AWARD WINNING CLASSIC!" (all in caps, just as shown) and Niven as a "New York Times Bestselling Author." Well, I read it. And I really did not like it. It certainly didn't live up to the hype. The blurb on the back of Ringworld explains just what a "ringworld" is, which I found to be an interesting concept: a fancy artificial habitat built by a long-dead race, waiting for someone to explore it. But this seems to be the most interesting part of the book: an interesting setting, but a mediocre story.Besides the concepts of a ringworld and the technical issues involved in the construction and maintenance of one, the other main device used in the story is the concept of 'genetic luck.' That is, that luck is a genetic property and, if breeding was determined by a lottery as was on a future Earth in this story, then only the lucky could breed and would thus create a race of extremely lucky people. Frankly, I found this entire concept to be absurd. Couple that with poor writing and mundane characters, and you get a book based on some interesting ideas, but nothing else. I don't understand why this book is hailed as a "legendary classic." That is certainly a misnomer. I regret having purchased it, and now I'm stuck with it. The cover has even started to detach from the binding so I can't resell it for very much. Maybe it's my genetic unluckiness.