Ringworld

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Summary: Give Him a Try, Larry Niven
Review: This was my first look into Larry Niven's work! Ifound 'Ringworld' interesting but confusing. Thecharacters have complex personalities and the relationships alter all the time. My confusion deals with the Ringworld itself, I think I need the next book to understand what, where and why it is. In many instances this book made me think of another piece of fiction 'The Hab Theory.'

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Summary: RINGWORLD: To Cool To Be True?
Review: Is it true that an author, in this case Larry Niven, can come up with a great idea for a book? It sure is! I happen to read this book at LEAST once a month. Ringworld is just like a big brew of pure sci-fi with a dash of romance. If you like sci-fi books, this is the one for you! Ever heard of puppeters? Probably, but most of the ones you know don't have 3 legs! This book is filled with aliens and you never know when when will be your friend one moment and turn on you the next. Technology is so advanced in this book, you'll never guess what happens next, you have to read.

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Summary: Builder of Worlds, no Societies, not Human!
Review: As we speak, as close as we human's can come to building a Ringworld is through the emerging Computer Animation technologies. So, some one out there, build it we will come. This is what Close Encounter's did for UFO buff's. Now those of us with enough imagination and intelligence have an author who can see The Bigger Picture .
BRAVO Mr. Niven!
MORE Mr. Niven!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book! One of the best science-fiction novels ever.
Review: Few authors could take a concept as incredible as Ringworld and actually make it make sense. Fortunately, Niven is more than up to the task. At it's heart, this is of the rock-solid "hard SF" genre, with excellent (and consistent!) use of some very imaginative advanced technologies. Niven also sucessfully avoids the "cardboard character" syndrome that other hard-SF writers sometimes fall into. Together, these combine to reassure the reader that the plot isn't going to take the easy way out and pull a fast one on you. Which isn't to say that there aren't some surprises! :-) The two sequels (written years later) are very nearly as good as the first, IMHO, and give the author a chance to go back and expand upon some fascinating questions not explored in the original novel. Larry Niven's excellent "Known Space" universe short stories are the perfect compliment to this series, serving to fill in and elaborate on many "historical" events mentioned in the Ringworld books. -Bryan

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Summary: Ringworld is a great sense-of-wonder novel
Review: Anyone into classic sense-of-wonder science fiction will like Niven's Ringworld. Niven brings a down-to-Earth way of describing some pretty fantastic things. His aliens were a bit too human, but that's forgivable. He hits the reader hard with a couple of shocking realizations by the main character, Louis Wu. He captures a larger scope, one that had me begging for the sequel.

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Summary: A good book to take to the beach.
Review: I enjoyed reading this book, but was disappointed. The critters were interesting and their interactions logical. Great concept, but something was missing from the book: a plot, some point to it all. I really dislike an author who apparently writes a novel only as a setup for a sequel. I was left at the end wondering what the conclusion will be. Ah, well, it was a pleasant time filler until Blue Mars came out in paperback

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Summary: Gotta be the best of Niven's hard-core sci-fi novels!
Review: I first saw a reprint of the book in the early eighties in my house and I never actually read it until 1993 when I picked it up, read the first chapter and wouldn't you know it? I was hooked! Niven finds his way of entertaining the reader at every chapter -- consider the awe of the Ringworld and the Known Space. One word: BOGGLE!!

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Summary: (Ring)world Class
Review: This is just one more review on the favorable side, since there's some disagreement among past reviewers. I would argue that this book is a strong competitor for the title of Best SF Novel Ever, if such a judgment made any sense. Niven introduces here two or three totally novel and fecund innovations, and he is peerless at "thinking through" the (psychosocial as well as technico-causal) implications of these innovations. Since these are the distinctive tasks of SF, he's the best in SF, and this novel is a self-contained exemplar of his work. It also sets up, moderately well and seemingly unintentionally, two very inventive sequels (at least). My only complaint is that Niven is not great at character development--the characters are very interesting types, but they don't develop or relate at a deep level. Overall, though, absolutely superb

Rating:
Summary: Excellect idea....mediocre excecution
Review: The idea was excellent. I enjoyed it for the concepts alone. But the exceution was little more than average. The characters were underdeveloped so that their motives were hard to understand and the pace of the book was as slow as a snail. This was one book I had no trouble putting down. Then the ending was barely a conculsion. Understandably, Niven had to leave room for the sequal, but the ending just left you hanging. An entertaining book, but not the best I've read

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: It has flaws, but the sheer scale of the thing is good exercise for your visualization (not you imagination). If you think you like Science Fiction, read it. If you don't like it at all, you don't like SF (because you aren't ready for it)