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cdbaker's review
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I understand that this is a “classic” of sci-fi and I tried to appreciate it from that perspective. But it’s just terrible and so damned sexist. The “big dumb object” isn’t that interesting and all of the characters are just so unlikeable that it’s difficult to care about what’s happening to them. The central conceit of the book (about luck) is incredibly irritating. As my partner put it, it’s neither magic nor science, it’s just bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Sexism
quitegood's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I tried to keep an open mind with this book, I really did, but it's very outdated attitudes towards women really soured the experience for me. The descriptions of various sci fi concepts the characters encounter are incredibly vivid and interesting, and by far the best part of this book, but the characters and plot are severely lacking.
Take Louis Wu, an absolute personality vacuum. We're stuck in his head this whole book listening to his endless pontificating. It's funny, because he's clearly an author insert and meant to be this debonair fellow who stays cool in crisis, but knows how to crack a joke, but he just comes across as a complete and utter tosser. Speaker and Nessus aren't much better, being pretty much blank ciphers until a situation calls upon Speaker to show aggression or Nessus to show fear. At points, Niven elects to not say who is speaking, assuming each characters unique personality will shine through. It doesn't. And lastly there's Teela Brown. Now I will be fair and say that her being a childish ditz is justified at length, but at points, Niven betrays himself showing his complete lack of understanding of female emotions. It can be baffling to witness.
As for the plot, you think it's going somewhere, but then literally goes in circles before ending on essentially a cut to black. The ideas it explores are fascinating, but if you need a plot or at least interesting characters to string you along, avoid this book. Niven has clearly thought hard about the realities of the Ringworld but not what happens there. Its like the flavour text in a pen and paper roleplaying game; a backdrop to whatever adventure you can think of.
I'll likely check out the rest of the series, because in terms of question the book initially asked, many go unanswered. Hopefully with practice, Niven makes a main character who I don't want to expose to hard vacuum.
Take Louis Wu, an absolute personality vacuum. We're stuck in his head this whole book listening to his endless pontificating. It's funny, because he's clearly an author insert and meant to be this debonair fellow who stays cool in crisis, but knows how to crack a joke, but he just comes across as a complete and utter tosser. Speaker and Nessus aren't much better, being pretty much blank ciphers until a situation calls upon Speaker to show aggression or Nessus to show fear. At points, Niven elects to not say who is speaking, assuming each characters unique personality will shine through. It doesn't. And lastly there's Teela Brown. Now I will be fair and say that her being a childish ditz is justified at length, but at points, Niven betrays himself showing his complete lack of understanding of female emotions. It can be baffling to witness.
As for the plot, you think it's going somewhere, but then literally goes in circles before ending on essentially a cut to black. The ideas it explores are fascinating, but if you need a plot or at least interesting characters to string you along, avoid this book. Niven has clearly thought hard about the realities of the Ringworld but not what happens there. Its like the flavour text in a pen and paper roleplaying game; a backdrop to whatever adventure you can think of.
I'll likely check out the rest of the series, because in terms of question the book initially asked, many go unanswered. Hopefully with practice, Niven makes a main character who I don't want to expose to hard vacuum.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Rape and Xenophobia
crufts's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I was growing up, Halo was the "killer" game that pushed the Xbox console's rise to dominance. One of the key concepts of the game were these ring-shaped worlds (the Halo arrays). Naturally, I was curious to see what Ringworld would make of this concept, having done it 31 years earlier, and on a much larger scale.
Honestly, it's pretty good! Ringworld interweaves both interesting sci-fi concepts and interpersonal conflicts, as the plot involves the human protagonist (Louis Wu) working together with his girlfriend (Teela Brown) and two aliens to explore the Ringworld. It reads as an exciting adventure in a bizarre landscape. The story definitely has its tense moments, but overall the tone is fun and exciting.
The portrayal of the main character's girlfriend initially irked me a little, since she comes off as an airhead. However, this ends up partially explained by her unusual life experience as the book goes on, and (in an odd way) she's probably the most powerful of the main characters. This justification didn't totally jive with me, and perhaps it would have worked better if there were more positively-portrayed female characters. I also found it suspicious that all two of the women characters were romantic interests.
At the same time, I liked how the two aliens' genders were portrayed as... well... alien! One of them (Nessus, the puppeteer) is nominally referred to as "he" or "it", but his gender may be more equivalent to what humans would call "female". Meanwhile, the other alien (Speaker, the Kzin) is definitely male, but his species' gender arrangements is distinctly non-human as well.
Overall, I found Ringworld to be a fascinating and enjoyable read.
Honestly, it's pretty good! Ringworld interweaves both interesting sci-fi concepts and interpersonal conflicts, as the plot involves the human protagonist (Louis Wu) working together with his girlfriend (Teela Brown) and two aliens to explore the Ringworld. It reads as an exciting adventure in a bizarre landscape. The story definitely has its tense moments, but overall the tone is fun and exciting.
The portrayal of the main character's girlfriend initially irked me a little, since she comes off as an airhead. However, this ends up partially explained by her unusual life experience as the book goes on, and (in an odd way) she's probably the most powerful of the main characters. This justification didn't totally jive with me, and perhaps it would have worked better if there were more positively-portrayed female characters. I also found it suspicious that all two of the women characters were romantic interests.
At the same time, I liked how the two aliens' genders were portrayed as... well... alien! One of them (Nessus, the puppeteer) is nominally referred to as "he" or "it", but his gender may be more equivalent to what humans would call "female". Meanwhile, the other alien (Speaker, the Kzin) is definitely male, but his species' gender arrangements is distinctly non-human as well.
Overall, I found Ringworld to be a fascinating and enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Trafficking, War, and Xenophobia
Extreme May/December relationship: The protagonist Louis Wu is ~220 years old, but remains physically in his 20s due to the magic of "boosterspice". Meanwhile, his girlfriend Teela Brown is 20. Such relationships seem to happen occasionally in their culture, but the experience gap between them makes this seem pretty sketchy to me.Sexual content: Between the protagonist and his girlfriend. Typically used as a backdrop to some verbal discussion, ending with a fade-to-black.
Sexism: Overall, the female characters were not treated evenly with the male ones. Apart from the fact that there were way less of them, they tended to be portrayed as airheaded, highly emotional, and they were all romantic interests.
Mental illness: Nessus has one, but his "craziness" arguably makes him better suited to his task of exploring the Ringworld.
Addiction: Some characters exhibit addiction to a wireheading device (the "tasp").
Vomit: Occurs during an aerial stunt. Not described in detail.
Trafficking, War (mention): The questionable practices of the warlike Kzin species. Not described in detail.
jojo_action's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Colonisation, Xenophobia, Addiction, and Sexism
Moderate: Trafficking
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