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A review by nquinlan
Footfall by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
2.0
I’ve struggled to start this review because there are so much in the book worthy of critique.
To begin, we’re introduced to a world where every character (even the most insignificant) knows each other and happens to be exactly in the right place at the right time. Ridiculous coincidences abound and have no reasonable explanation.
The characters are not developed but are little more than a collection of facts about themselves. The most a character changes in the book is being promoted. Oh, and several fall deeply, madly, committedly in love over the course of days. Others have dalliances away from their perfect marriages because they’ve been in space a month.
Now characters established including the president, the Russian Chairman, KGB, generals, admirals, astronauts, and scientists, but who is placed as the ultimate hero of this story? SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS. This book seems to have a Henleinic belief that the only thing necessary to save the world is a good writer, but the authors indulge themselves further putting poorly disguised versions of themselves as the ultimate heroes (who get laid thanks to the help of the president.)
All this might be overlooked if the book finished and let the reader consider anything: the nature of humanity, war, peace, unity or anything else. But instead the book ends with little more than a poorly constructed victory.
Skip the book and read The Mote in God’s Eye.
To begin, we’re introduced to a world where every character (even the most insignificant) knows each other and happens to be exactly in the right place at the right time. Ridiculous coincidences abound and have no reasonable explanation.
The characters are not developed but are little more than a collection of facts about themselves. The most a character changes in the book is being promoted. Oh, and several fall deeply, madly, committedly in love over the course of days. Others have dalliances away from their perfect marriages because they’ve been in space a month.
Now characters established including the president, the Russian Chairman, KGB, generals, admirals, astronauts, and scientists, but who is placed as the ultimate hero of this story? SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS. This book seems to have a Henleinic belief that the only thing necessary to save the world is a good writer, but the authors indulge themselves further putting poorly disguised versions of themselves as the ultimate heroes (who get laid thanks to the help of the president.)
All this might be overlooked if the book finished and let the reader consider anything: the nature of humanity, war, peace, unity or anything else. But instead the book ends with little more than a poorly constructed victory.
Skip the book and read The Mote in God’s Eye.