Ringworld

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly awful
Review: It's one of the most stupid and most boring books I've ever had the misfortune to read. Granted, a gigantic ring encircling a planet is a compelling idea, but a book also requires a good plot and interesting characters; this book had neither. If Ringworld is considered a science fiction classic, the science fiction genre must be littered with junk.

Rating:
Summary: All the hype -- where's the hoopla?
Review: Reading through the reviews, I guess I am not the only one who thought this book needed just a bit more to make it interesting. I DO read A LOT of sci-fi (with P.K.Dick as my unchallenged favorite) and did not get the enjoyment out of Ringworld that I was expecting from so much hype. His ideas are unique, but there was nothing in the novel that kept me up till the wee hours reading (e.g., I just wasn't captivated). Needless to say, I won't be finishing this series.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Interesting and Enjoyable Tale.
Review: This is certainly an enjoyable work of science fiction--Niven spins a good tale. The characters are interesting and diverse, and the concept of the "ringworld" itself is intriguing. My only problem with Niven's work is that at times it goes far afield and there are a few concepts developed incompletely. But this does not take away from the enjoyment he gives. Definitely recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Mindbending, superb SF
Review: I've read all the reviews of Ringworld entered here to date, and I must say I am astounded that there are some with less than 5 stars. What on earth do those people WANT in a book? I started reading SF about 5 years ago, starting with Hyperion (masterpiece) and Dune (ditto). Ringworld is easily equal to these, in some ways considerably better. It hangs together. It introduces so many amazing, wonderful (in the true sense of the word) ideas it makes the reader dizzy. It is really one of the all-time greats. No book is perfect but this is damn near the best hard SF story one is likely to find in Known Space. Trust me on this!

Rating:
Summary: Niven at his best
Review: After reading some other customer reviews to get a feel for the kind of people who'd even write one, I almost just quit. I can't believe the number of people who gave Niven's best work less than 3 stars...but then, there's no accounting for tastes. I urge you, if you've written one of those poor reviews or if you read them, to give the book a shot. The first hundred pages or so are, I admit, a wee bit hard to get through, but it really picks up right around there. A great book that will never stop being a classic, no matter what some would have you believe.

Rating:
Summary: This is beyond excellent!! A true masterpiece.
Review: Ringworld is among the best sci-fi works I've ever read. Actually it's among the best books I've ever read at all. It is amazingly colourful, imaginative and appealing. Some might be put off by the very technical "hard-science" style, but I think that that actually enhances the story. There are so many incredible and very intriguing ideas incorporated in this book that it makes the reader dizzy. It's so convincingly written that in the end, you almost start thinking that the incredible world of Ringworld is for real. When I first began reading this book, I couldn't put it down. It just stuck to my hand like glue. I was completely spellbound by Niven's incredible visions and ideas. I finished it in one day. I am really a party animal, but I came too late to a party that night because I had to finish Ringworld. I can't recommend this book enough! I myself was told that it was great when I bought it, but I had no idea just how great it really was. It surpassed my wildest expectations, and has made me the huge Niven-fan I am today!

Rating:
Summary: One of the greats
Review: I happen to LIKE Niven's way of portraying his characters, his 2D glimpses inside their minds. You are required to fill in the blanks, from clues only, just as you would have to in the real world. I am in awe of his ability to create such a landscape and then back it up (and yes, their are glitches, but he has mentioned them since in several places) with hard science. This book I have re-read at least ten times, and it never pales. I think this book either grabs you or you just don't get it and toss it. Too bad for you in the latter case.

Rating:
Summary: What a grand mess...
Review: I can't understand how this book has become a "classic" of science fiction. This was my second attempt to read this book, and this time was just as slow and tedious as the first. I hesitate to review a book I didn't finish, but this was so bad, I couldn't resist. Ringworld is loaded with flat, uninteresting characters and situations that didn't hold my attention at all. It was as if Niven threw many good individual concepts onto the pages, but couldn't figure out how to cohesively link them together. Oh well, I can always look at the wonderful Puppeteer painting in Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials and give a slight bit of gratitude to Niven for coming up with that character.

Rating:
Summary: Second to none!
Review: Hmm... only a thousand words. I cant begin to EVEN explain how good it is. the concepts are NOT far fetched (10 years maybe) clear concrete, 2 headed aliens, a colossal cat with the biggest chip on his shoulder, shall I go on? The concept on going to distant reaches of space to find a ring around a sun is kinda kooky but, it is the best book Ive ever read. I compare ALL books I read with this one.

Rating:
Summary: A tale of unbelievable scale, scope, and vision
Review: Ringworld is Niven at his very best. Luis Wu's return was exhilirating, and in this adventure that leaves all other's behind, Niven has created an artificial world that is soooo large that he will undoubtedly be able to re-visit it for some time. One of the finest overall books I have ever read. Highly recommended.