Rating: 
Summary: Hommage to early sci-fi and fantasy
Review: If you are an historian of science fiction, you will undoubtedly catch all the references to Burroughs and Bradbery et al, and be greatly amused by Niven's work. This "novel" actually consists of one novella and several short stories which were written earlier, all about "time-travel" which, for Niven in this book, is really fantasy-travel, as his hero unknowlingly goes off into the realms of fiction, meeting werewolves, unicorns, the aforesaid Martians, and other stange and wonderful beings. As such, it isn't, of course, science fiction at all. I found it strange that the novella, which happens after the short stories, was put at the beginning of the book--the novella reveals or hints strongly at what happens in the stories to the extent that whatever wit or suspense they might have had was totally spoiled for me. But I guess the novella is newer than the stories, and the marketing people thought that you or I would have put this book down if we'd opened it and immediately read something published elsewhere. Overall, I found this quite disappointing; not at all the quality I'd expect from the author of Ringworld. But then, IMHO Niven has never again lived up to the quality of his early work--although his ideas are intriuging, he can't write a real character to save his life. I wonder if his collaboration with other authors is a recognition of his weaknesses as a writer.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor
Review: This is actually a fantasy book disguised as SF. That, of itself, isn't a bad thing. But Niven's writing style is very disjointed and erratic; it has none of the polish that his novels with Jerry Pournelle (and Steve Barnes) have. It's as if Niven is writing with a wink and a nod to his huge fan base--the wink being for "in" jokes and a nod given to the hard-core fan who understands what he's writing about. He writes in such a way as to leave things out, such as transitional phrases or descriptions, assuming (I think) that the reader will fill in the rest. This was an awful book in a great package. Tor seems to be doing this lately: great packages for lousy novels (Card is one, Williamson is another).
Rating:
Summary: Terrible
Review: I am a Larry Niven fan and liked most of his books. (Integral Trees was mediocre, but I finished.) However, I gave up on this book pretty soon, and I almost never give up on a book before finishing. I returned it to the library after I started the very confusing time/space (?) travel to Mars (?) chapter. Maybe I should have followed some of the other reviewers advise and read the short stories first so I could understand what was going on. The dialoge was trite and unbelievable. Even for science fiction/fantasy, none of the concepts made any sense.I consider myself even dumber for having wasted 1/2 hour on starting this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Return to Malacandra, Barsoom, & the Mars of your childhood.
Review: This is a very enjoyable read. Larry Niven takes you back to the classic Mars portrayed years ago by C.S.Lewis, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G.Wells, and Ray Bradbury. A Mars that has been made extinct by the progress of science. If you liked reading Sci-Fi and get reminiscient remembering reading about Mars under the covers with a flashlight, then this is a book you will love! It is as much a tribute to older sci-fi as it is a fantasy about Mars. Niven pulls from his own stories the charecter of Hanvilee Svetz. He is sent back from an overpolluted Earth to contact Martians, but his mission changes to retrieve the World Tree, A plant that stretches out of a planets atmosphere. Sometimes you get what you don't expect though. Svetz does in his tree and the reader will as well. Don't expect a scientifically accurate portayal of Mars that is very popular today. But rather travel back in time to the Mars of your childhood. And as a bonus you get the short stories written in the 60's and 70's about Svetz animal collection days. Read it for great fun, and don't take it too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Mixture of Old (Wonderful) and New (Lackluster)
Review: Larry Niven has written some wonderful books featuring some of the best ideas in science fiction. This book is half-and-half. The wonderful part contains a handful of delightful short stories from his 1976 book "Flight of the Horse," now sadly out of print. The not-so-wonderful is an almost unreadable new novella set in the same universe. Mars is popular these days, and Niven should have been able to do a smash-bang job of working it into the "Horse" universe. Instead, he wrote a lot of dismal dialog and murky exposition with none of the life of the older stories (which I eagerly reread, confirming that they've stood the test of time). I could give this a mixed review: a compromise between five stars for the old material, and one star for the new. But save your money and look for a used copy of "Flight of the Horse." And shame on Niven's publisher for not just reissuing a great older book and leaving well enough alone.
Rating:
Summary: Just Niven
Review: The story: totally absurd
The telling: Niven at his best
Recommendation: Don't question it, enjoy it!
Rating: 
Summary: Amusing but lacking
Review: I have read just about everything Larry has put to paper and I was told to avoid this book. Despite the advice I picked it up and I liked it. Well, almost liked it. The odd placement of the novella BEFORE the short stories was and odd choice since you end up reading the chronology backwards by the time your done. It is one of the few "time travel" books I have ever read and liked. I hate time travel books, period. The jokes are cute but the casual fan of si-fi may not spot them all. Niven's style is as solid as ever. Shallow people with no depth and aliens that act alien. If you like Larry's books, pick this one up but read it BACKWARDS. Start with the short stories and work you way to novella. You won't regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: Straight from Svetz report.
Review: Rainbow Mars is a exciting book about a team of three people who go back in time to save aliens on a dieing Mars. I recommend this book to the more mature reader. Even if there is no swearing in it there is some sexual conduct. I also recommend this book to anyone who likes a good absorbing fantasy book. It also includes short stories by Larry Niven,who is one of the main characters named Svetz. Other than that it's a cool book about your wildest dreams.
Rating:
Summary: Hard or Soft Science?
Review: I found myself having difficulty classifying this book. From its lingering descriptions of the bizarre things going on, I at first assumed that it was 'hard sci-fi' where the scientific speculation is more important than the plot. But the science is ludicrous! It's filled with the kind of hand-waving one sees in 'soft sci-fi' where the science is there only to further the plot, and need not be more than superficially plausible. So is the focus on the story? The story is passable but doesn't set your heart racing. The bottom line is that it doesn't take itself seriously either. What Niven seems to be going for is a conversion of fantasy and old science-fiction ideas to a modern science-fictional genre. It's an entertaining idea, but everything still ends up feeling like fantasy. He's made a few cosmetic changes, is all--what Orson Scott Card described as "science fiction has rivets, fantasy has trees." Rainbow Mars can't seem to do away with the trees.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasant Romp
Review: Rainbow Mars isn't a contender for Best SF of the Year. But it's a good read, with some chuckles and some mind-bending time travel pradoxes. You'll get most out of it if you're quite familiar with classic SF set on Mars.
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