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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
I only read this because I was looking for something to read and my husband owned a copy of it. I really liked it, much more than I expected to. I think he does a wonderful job of balancing the science and the action/adventure with the character development. I can see why this won multiple awards.
2.5. There are lot of repeated phrases and descriptive terms.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Half a century old book with an interesting premise of a Ringworld. But characters are lifeless and females are treated as sex objects.
Having not read any Ringworld novels yet, this graphic novel did a good job getting me interested in doing so. The main characters are an interesting mix and I look forward to future parts.
A panoply of sci-fi tropes are explored here, several of which were new to me. Dyson Spheres are mentioned, teleportation, FTL travel, Kemplerer Rosettes [sic] and the titular Ringworld, as well as the many innovations necessary to develop such a world. Certainly enough to drive a curious reader like myself through the story.
The aliens are reduced to a singular trait that makes them comfortably predictable. Evolution on the Kzin planet favored a species that is by nature hostile, which served them well until they encountered humans. By contrast, and often to great comedic effect, the Puppeteers benefited from an overpowering sense of caution (i.e., cowardice) whose society advanced often as the consequence of moderately braver, “insane” puppeteers. Amusingly, the leader of the species, which is currently engaged in running away from a galactic explosion whose influence will not reach the Earth for several thousand decades, is titled "Hindmost", as he who leads from behind and in the safest position.
If you're looking for in-depth characterization, that's not what you're going to get. Of all the characters, that of Nessus (all puppeteers, Chiron being another, seem to be named after centaurs of Greek myth) is most interesting, mostly for the contradiction that is his profound intelligence and ability to work through problems and his crippling cowardice. Louis Wu is a 200-year-old human trying to escape boredom; Speaker-to-Animals is a large, warrior feline that sees most things as an affront or an opportunity for conflict, which becomes more amusing as the characterization plays out. Women who read this book are likely to be mortified.
The name puppeteers proves allusive and prophetic, though this is not apparent until late in the book and proves one of the more interesting pieces of the story--marooning on an alien world aside. It's strange no one in the book wonders about this self-applied title (until very late), unless this too is an example of the wry construction of the book.
Luck as a genetic trait was explored during the book and, frankly, seemed both profound and out of place. One's needs for survival prompting an individual to behave unexpectedly and taking the form of happy coincidence is much easier to swallow than luck shaping a series of events with a long-term, non-merely-survival-related goal in mind. In that respect the book turned from sci-fi to fantasy, and while an interesting thought experiment and justification, it rang hollow, particularly since the goal of luck was determined to round out a person's character--to who knows what end. Even luck's goal seemed arbitrary and unscientific.
I went into the book with the understanding it had become a series but without much interest in reading for any other reason than being able to add this classic to my Have Read repertoire, but it's piqued my interest enough to give the second book a look as well. Should the sequel prove to be more than a disjointed ramble meant to extend the life of the story, maybe more will follow.
The aliens are reduced to a singular trait that makes them comfortably predictable. Evolution on the Kzin planet favored a species that is by nature hostile, which served them well until they encountered humans. By contrast, and often to great comedic effect, the Puppeteers benefited from an overpowering sense of caution (i.e., cowardice) whose society advanced often as the consequence of moderately braver, “insane” puppeteers. Amusingly, the leader of the species, which is currently engaged in running away from a galactic explosion whose influence will not reach the Earth for several thousand decades, is titled "Hindmost", as he who leads from behind and in the safest position.
If you're looking for in-depth characterization, that's not what you're going to get. Of all the characters, that of Nessus (all puppeteers, Chiron being another, seem to be named after centaurs of Greek myth) is most interesting, mostly for the contradiction that is his profound intelligence and ability to work through problems and his crippling cowardice. Louis Wu is a 200-year-old human trying to escape boredom; Speaker-to-Animals is a large, warrior feline that sees most things as an affront or an opportunity for conflict, which becomes more amusing as the characterization plays out. Women who read this book are likely to be mortified.
The name puppeteers proves allusive and prophetic, though this is not apparent until late in the book and proves one of the more interesting pieces of the story--marooning on an alien world aside. It's strange no one in the book wonders about this self-applied title (until very late), unless this too is an example of the wry construction of the book.
Luck as a genetic trait was explored during the book and, frankly, seemed both profound and out of place. One's needs for survival prompting an individual to behave unexpectedly and taking the form of happy coincidence is much easier to swallow than luck shaping a series of events with a long-term, non-merely-survival-related goal in mind. In that respect the book turned from sci-fi to fantasy, and while an interesting thought experiment and justification, it rang hollow, particularly since the goal of luck was determined to round out a person's character--to who knows what end. Even luck's goal seemed arbitrary and unscientific.
I went into the book with the understanding it had become a series but without much interest in reading for any other reason than being able to add this classic to my Have Read repertoire, but it's piqued my interest enough to give the second book a look as well. Should the sequel prove to be more than a disjointed ramble meant to extend the life of the story, maybe more will follow.
Loved this book. It has beauty and profundity and lots of humor. It is the best example of hard speculative science fiction with a truly epic scale that somehow still manages to keep its perspective intimate. The artifact of Ringworld is a fascinating space and the possibilities are boldly explored.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fun read but anything relating to women was written horribly.
Enjoyed this book a lot. Even though a beginning of the story was a bit slow, everything else was perfect. Vivid heroes (Kzin!), settings, a plot... At times there were extremely funny moments, which I initially wouldn't expect in this book (dunno why), and in total a level of submergence in the book's universe was much deeper than average. Actually, it clicked to me that the world resembled Adventure Time, which is telling how classic this book must be.