awilliamsatx 's review for:

Ringworld by Larry Niven

4.0

adventurous challenging funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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It's what everyone says it is: incredible world building, but no story. The characters are interesting but they are essentially unrelated. They don't ever form human bonds. I guess that's what you get when only two of the characters are human, but even those two characters, Louis and Tee to a, don't really bond. I think some of the physical environments could have been described more clearly too. The scenery feels deep and rich but it's kept at a distance from the characters, and thus, the reader. I guess it's hard to bring the whole environment of Ringworld within reach of an exploration party. Also, I guess the humans on Ringworld are more or less the same species as Earth humans, but their essential humanity wasn't described clearly enough so I kept thinking of them as a separate species that only resembles humans, and I think that was incorrect. They essentially are humans, only separated by time.