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nooker's review against another edition
3.0
I feel as though I missed something. I can be thick at times, so it's entirely possible. There's a Fringe War happening right outside of the ringworld at the beginning of the book that overshadows a lot of the action. I don't remember this starting, so it really feels like I'm missing something. Over all I found this book hard to follow and was kinda glad that ended so I wouldn't have to keep trying. It is the story of the escape from Ringworld, but also delves deeper into the construction (which was interesting) and the Luck Gene (first brought up on book one). I'm glad that I read this classic series, but I'm also glad that I'm done with it.
z523's review against another edition
3.0
I’m surprised there is another after this. The ending was rather conclusive. Story was better than the last one, but did not grip me enough for 4 stars.
I didn’t like the new person who did the voices. (Audiobook)
I didn’t like the new person who did the voices. (Audiobook)
sleeping_while_awake's review against another edition
3.0
The Ringworld Children is far superior to the previous Ringworld Throne. There's a return to Louis Wu as the main character. The plot moves steadily along and it is not so concerned with all the inter-species "rituals."
Tunesmith, the Ghoul-turned-Protecter, is performing his duty to protect Ringworld. The Amalgamation of Regional Militia, aka ARM, aka former UN military force, has discovered Ringworld, along with military forces from other worlds, and they are engaging in warfare for Ringworld's technology. Louis Wu and company take over one of the ships out in space, but they cause an antimatter weapon to fire down upon Ringworld and create a large hole. They later find crewman from a crashed ARM ship and one of the original Ringworld Protectors, Proserpina, and of course, set out to save Ringworld.
I think Children ended up being too short. There wasn't enough meat in this story to bring it to the level of the original or Engineers, but I still enjoy reading the world-building. Sure, with each book Niven really wants to prove the science, but I am a reader that is fine with suspending my belief to enjoy the world.
Niven's writing is paced well and it really helps this story because the plot isn't too complex. It's nice to read an author who doesn't need 50 sentence-long paragraphs.
The main conflict isn't so strong. Most of the characters are working together, and there's always the inclination that whatever Louis Wu does will eventually turn out for the best. There isn't much character development, and I think that is a function of Niven wanting to focus on the mechanics of Ringworld.
Much of the problem with the Ringworld series is that Niven has an amazing, huge world, and he doesn't take the time to discover and invest in it. Louis Wu and Co. go from Point A to B, with a few action sequences, and very little else of Ringworld has remained discovered. You would think with all the species, there would be some intricate cultures occurring? I think Niven wants to talk about how Ringworld works so much he forgets about everything that is actually on it.
I was lost on what the Fringe War was, maybe it was mentioned in other books outside the Ringworld series?
There still isn't a fully presented explanation about Ringworld. Niven keeps gives out little bits and pieces and that's probably why I have kept reading. I suppose I'll have to read some other books in the Known Space universe. Although Children does provide an ending, it's nothing that is complete closure.
I don't think you can pick up this one without having any knowledge of the previous book, but reading a summary of Throne would suffice.
Tunesmith, the Ghoul-turned-Protecter, is performing his duty to protect Ringworld. The Amalgamation of Regional Militia, aka ARM, aka former UN military force, has discovered Ringworld, along with military forces from other worlds, and they are engaging in warfare for Ringworld's technology. Louis Wu and company take over one of the ships out in space, but they cause an antimatter weapon to fire down upon Ringworld and create a large hole. They later find crewman from a crashed ARM ship and one of the original Ringworld Protectors, Proserpina, and of course, set out to save Ringworld.
I think Children ended up being too short. There wasn't enough meat in this story to bring it to the level of the original or Engineers, but I still enjoy reading the world-building. Sure, with each book Niven really wants to prove the science, but I am a reader that is fine with suspending my belief to enjoy the world.
Niven's writing is paced well and it really helps this story because the plot isn't too complex. It's nice to read an author who doesn't need 50 sentence-long paragraphs.
The main conflict isn't so strong. Most of the characters are working together, and there's always the inclination that whatever Louis Wu does will eventually turn out for the best. There isn't much character development, and I think that is a function of Niven wanting to focus on the mechanics of Ringworld.
Much of the problem with the Ringworld series is that Niven has an amazing, huge world, and he doesn't take the time to discover and invest in it. Louis Wu and Co. go from Point A to B, with a few action sequences, and very little else of Ringworld has remained discovered. You would think with all the species, there would be some intricate cultures occurring? I think Niven wants to talk about how Ringworld works so much he forgets about everything that is actually on it.
I was lost on what the Fringe War was, maybe it was mentioned in other books outside the Ringworld series?
There still isn't a fully presented explanation about Ringworld. Niven keeps gives out little bits and pieces and that's probably why I have kept reading. I suppose I'll have to read some other books in the Known Space universe. Although Children does provide an ending, it's nothing that is complete closure.
I don't think you can pick up this one without having any knowledge of the previous book, but reading a summary of Throne would suffice.
edwindownward's review against another edition
4.0
Niven has shown talent in making each Ringworld adventure that much larger than the last.
fmedlin's review against another edition
3.0
Although I didn't particularly like the previous installment, I gave this final book in the series a shot. It was much more enjoyable read than I was expecting. Niven got it together for this finale.
drgert's review against another edition
2.0
I did not overly enjoy this book. I think part of the problem was that I listened to the audiobook while playing Pokemon Go, so maybe I was a bit distracted and missed some of the story. Regardless, not the most enjoyable book for me.
lordofthemoon's review against another edition
3.0
On his 200th birthday Louis Wu is travelling the world, when he is intercepted by an alien who offers him the opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to travel to and explore an unknown destination and come back with the fastest stardrive in Known Space.
I felt like I should have liked this book more than I did. It had everything I love in this sort of novel: high concepts, mind-boggling scale and a deep mystery, but it just didn't entirely come together for me. I did enjoy the book, just not quite as much as I would have expected. Maybe the writing was slightly flat, or maybe it was the characters or it could just have been me, but I didn't engage as much as I wanted to.
The Ringworld itself is as mysterious and interesting as you would like, and you feel the disappointment of the explorers as they explore it and find that its civilisation has fallen. Louis's realisation of what the mountain Fist-of-God is, and its use to escape from the Ringworld is ingenious but should have felt more of an event than it did.
The characters are interesting, especially Nessus, the Pierson's Puppeteer who is the guiding light behind the mission and its (disputed) leader. This species is one I found particularly fascinating, although possibly a little caricatured. Although, in saying that, their 'cowardice' did lead to one of the undisputed highlights of the story: the Fleet of Worlds, which is almost more mind-boggling than the Ringworld itself!
The Puppeteers' meddling in both human and kzinti genetics is also fascinating, especially the final result that is Teela Brown. Teela remains a cipher for me throughout the book but as we're seeing the world through the eyes of Louis Wu, to whom she also remains a mystery, perhaps this isn't surprising.
So definitely a worthwhile read and one full of good ideas, but it perhaps need another buffing to make it as shiny as it should have been.
I felt like I should have liked this book more than I did. It had everything I love in this sort of novel: high concepts, mind-boggling scale and a deep mystery, but it just didn't entirely come together for me. I did enjoy the book, just not quite as much as I would have expected. Maybe the writing was slightly flat, or maybe it was the characters or it could just have been me, but I didn't engage as much as I wanted to.
The Ringworld itself is as mysterious and interesting as you would like, and you feel the disappointment of the explorers as they explore it and find that its civilisation has fallen. Louis's realisation of what the mountain Fist-of-God is, and its use to escape from the Ringworld is ingenious but should have felt more of an event than it did.
The characters are interesting, especially Nessus, the Pierson's Puppeteer who is the guiding light behind the mission and its (disputed) leader. This species is one I found particularly fascinating, although possibly a little caricatured. Although, in saying that, their 'cowardice' did lead to one of the undisputed highlights of the story: the Fleet of Worlds, which is almost more mind-boggling than the Ringworld itself!
The Puppeteers' meddling in both human and kzinti genetics is also fascinating, especially the final result that is Teela Brown. Teela remains a cipher for me throughout the book but as we're seeing the world through the eyes of Louis Wu, to whom she also remains a mystery, perhaps this isn't surprising.
So definitely a worthwhile read and one full of good ideas, but it perhaps need another buffing to make it as shiny as it should have been.
lmorchard's review against another edition
3.0
I finally got around to reading this book, and was not entirely floored. I had basically the same problem with Arthur C. Clarke's Rendevous With Rama.
Really this book is about exploring an interesting notion for a world in astronomical terms, with just a tiny bit of clever thinking about the implications of the place for civilization and society.
Mostly, the book was about "LOOK, IT'S A RING AROUND A STAR, WITH A MIND NUMBLINGLY HUGE AREA OF LAND SPREAD OUT ON IT"
Oh, and Teela Brown is incredibly, terrifyingly lucky. She's also an occasional sex toy and get sold to a barbarian at some point.
There's also a cat-guy who's unconvincingly menacing and occasionally tries to take over the mission, but he's ultimately reasonable.
Maybe it's because the notion of a ringworld / Dyson sphere / similarly odd non-Earth world is old hat now, having since been immersed in decades of sci-fi inspired by books like this one.
Really this book is about exploring an interesting notion for a world in astronomical terms, with just a tiny bit of clever thinking about the implications of the place for civilization and society.
Mostly, the book was about "LOOK, IT'S A RING AROUND A STAR, WITH A MIND NUMBLINGLY HUGE AREA OF LAND SPREAD OUT ON IT"
Oh, and Teela Brown is incredibly, terrifyingly lucky. She's also an occasional sex toy and get sold to a barbarian at some point.
There's also a cat-guy who's unconvincingly menacing and occasionally tries to take over the mission, but he's ultimately reasonable.
Maybe it's because the notion of a ringworld / Dyson sphere / similarly odd non-Earth world is old hat now, having since been immersed in decades of sci-fi inspired by books like this one.
tundragirl's review against another edition
5.0
There's a reason this is one of the all-time classics of science fiction.
I'm a fan of the Big Idea, and this novel has one of the biggest there ever was. The discovery of a world that encircles a sun, made by an unknown race. The Ringworld is one million miles wide and contains the land mass of one *trillion* Earths. The first book only covers about 600,000 miles, so there's a whole lot of terrain left to cover in the remaining books, and Larry Niven is still writing about it, nearly 4 decades later.
Ringworld was first published in 1970 and it is still surprisingly fresh. You'd think that 38 years would have found the book depressingly dated, but it's just that good.
I am now on a mission to read all the novels in the Known Space universe. I think I originally stopped after the first two or three, so this should be fun.
I'm a fan of the Big Idea, and this novel has one of the biggest there ever was. The discovery of a world that encircles a sun, made by an unknown race. The Ringworld is one million miles wide and contains the land mass of one *trillion* Earths. The first book only covers about 600,000 miles, so there's a whole lot of terrain left to cover in the remaining books, and Larry Niven is still writing about it, nearly 4 decades later.
Ringworld was first published in 1970 and it is still surprisingly fresh. You'd think that 38 years would have found the book depressingly dated, but it's just that good.
I am now on a mission to read all the novels in the Known Space universe. I think I originally stopped after the first two or three, so this should be fun.
readercecc6's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this so badly. When the sexism started poking its ugly head, I told myself, "nah, don't worry. There's no way she's only on the voyage as something warm to stick his dick into. Her character will be fleshed out just like the male characters."
Boy was I wrong.
Out of the four aboard the Lying Bastard, the female character is the only one who isn't given a fully fleshed out backstory or anything about what drives her. And, after we finally learn all there is to her, she's still a paper thin cutout. And let's not even talk about the only other female in the entire book. Never mind, let's. Of the 30+ aboard that secondary female character's ship, only 3 were female. So Louis draws the "obvious" conclusion, that she's a prostitute. And because Niven has to prove my optimism wrong again, of course she is.
But I digress.
We know that Louis is 200 years old and we've been told of his adventures. He's a part of the crew because he's restless, and he seeks adventure and the secret of the fusion drive. We know Speaker to Animals is hot headed and agreed to join because he wants to steal the ship and its technology for his people. We know the Puppeteer is thought mad to his people even though he's accomplished so much, and we know his motivation for joining the dangerous mission he was forced to (because losing a member of their race who's mad isn't actually a loss): breeding rights. Takeela's backstory? Her ancestors were bred for luck. Her reason for joining the crew was because she was madly in love with Louis. Never mind that Louis thinks she's too young to join such a dangerous mission (hypocritical of him because he sure doesn't think she's too young to fuck). She, it turns out in the end of the book, was a plot devise. Oh, and she provided Louis convenient access to sex.
Premise : 5 stars
World building : 4.5 stars
character development : 2.5 stars
Writing : 3.5 stars
However, due to the stereotypes against women, I've decided to drop it down to 3 stars. But what do I know, my gender is only good for sex and luck.
Boy was I wrong.
Out of the four aboard the Lying Bastard, the female character is the only one who isn't given a fully fleshed out backstory or anything about what drives her. And, after we finally learn all there is to her, she's still a paper thin cutout. And let's not even talk about the only other female in the entire book. Never mind, let's. Of the 30+ aboard that secondary female character's ship, only 3 were female. So Louis draws the "obvious" conclusion, that she's a prostitute. And because Niven has to prove my optimism wrong again, of course she is.
But I digress.
We know that Louis is 200 years old and we've been told of his adventures. He's a part of the crew because he's restless, and he seeks adventure and the secret of the fusion drive. We know Speaker to Animals is hot headed and agreed to join because he wants to steal the ship and its technology for his people. We know the Puppeteer is thought mad to his people even though he's accomplished so much, and we know his motivation for joining the dangerous mission he was forced to (because losing a member of their race who's mad isn't actually a loss): breeding rights. Takeela's backstory? Her ancestors were bred for luck. Her reason for joining the crew was because she was madly in love with Louis. Never mind that Louis thinks she's too young to join such a dangerous mission (hypocritical of him because he sure doesn't think she's too young to fuck). She, it turns out in the end of the book, was a plot devise. Oh, and she provided Louis convenient access to sex.
Premise : 5 stars
World building : 4.5 stars
character development : 2.5 stars
Writing : 3.5 stars
However, due to the stereotypes against women, I've decided to drop it down to 3 stars. But what do I know, my gender is only good for sex and luck.