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A review by seabright22
Ringworld by Larry Niven
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I so barely like this, Niven writes women so offensively terribly I’m shocked this had garnered as much approval as it has.
They are written as sexual objects first and foremost, there to pleasure and follow the male characters in the books. Even the tiny amount of power given to women in these books are either forgotten about or a direct result of their lack of agency. Mindblowingly sexist.
The science and world is interesting and really the only thing holding the book together, though it’s often handwavy or wrong (would’ve been very easy to look up the correct gravity of Earth come on), and though the core concept of the Ring is really really cool Niven doesn’t do enough with it to cement this as a great.
The core three make characters are surprisingly well characterised, and the alien species in general are written really well. Sentient herbivores are not something I’ve come across before and the depth of change that would have on society was interestingly explored.
But there are four main characters, and the woman on the core team is so mistreated by this book it’s shocking that no one told Niven maybe to write her less like a horny child and more like a curious woman. This came out in the 70s but time cannot be used as an excuse.
They are written as sexual objects first and foremost, there to pleasure and follow the male characters in the books. Even the tiny amount of power given to women in these books are either forgotten about or a direct result of their lack of agency. Mindblowingly sexist.
The science and world is interesting and really the only thing holding the book together, though it’s often handwavy or wrong (would’ve been very easy to look up the correct gravity of Earth come on), and though the core concept of the Ring is really really cool Niven doesn’t do enough with it to cement this as a great.
The core three make characters are surprisingly well characterised, and the alien species in general are written really well. Sentient herbivores are not something I’ve come across before and the depth of change that would have on society was interestingly explored.
But there are four main characters, and the woman on the core team is so mistreated by this book it’s shocking that no one told Niven maybe to write her less like a horny child and more like a curious woman. This came out in the 70s but time cannot be used as an excuse.