Rating: 
Summary: Stunning on a massive scale. One of The Greats.
Review: Bold and breathtaking. The entire universe this novel takes place in is a character unto itself. Just the concept embodied in Ringworld is spectacular enough for an entire series, but add to that an amazing array of scenery, alien creatures, and bizarre technology and you have yourself a masterpiece!!! A page turner. Will have you treading water. One of The Greats.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read
Review: I've seen some people criticizing (sp?) this book, and frankly, I don't want to hear any of that :) I personally didn't have any of the complaints that others seem to. I found the book (and the sequels) interesting. It never lost that sense of mystery and amazement. The book that I think is closest in feel is Rondezvous With Rama. It has the same atmosphere to me. I'd definitely recommend reading it.
Rating: 
Summary: It really made me kind of ill...
Review: I am not what you might call a militant feminist, but I have to say this is one of the more sexist books I have read. This is too bad, because the idea of Ringworld is pretty interesting. However, of the two female characters, one is only invited to join the expedition because she is lucky, and is therefore an airhead. The other, whom they come across toward the end of the book, is basically a sex slave. Not to mention the fact that in the alien races, the females of the species are basically vestigial, existing only for reproduction. I know this doesn't really sound that bad, but the way it is written makes it horribly worse. With some authors, I can forget about this kind of thing and just concentrate on the story, but Niven's writing was just not interesting enough to take my mind off it.
Rating: 
Summary: Downhill
Review: As I reflect upon this book, it becomes more and more aggrevating. I began reading this book with great expectations and in the beginning was not dissappointed. I felt a great sense of amazement at what Niven was laying out for us. However, as I believe must always happen with sciencefiction, the book began to dissappointe. I guess this is the inherent flaw with a book written by a human mind, we can only realate what we have experienced. And none of us has experienced anything other-worldly. Perhaps then it is no surprise to discover who the ringworld engineers are. Neverless, I keep expecting more from such a highly rated book. Once the exploration crew had landed on the ringworld, the book was over for me. The graduer of the ringworld metled into the normalcy of everyday experience. I guess I'm just expecting to much. I think I'm going to need a real alien encounter to be satisfied. However, Niven's creativity seemed to be placed entirely on the concept of the ringworld. The story itself is unimaginative.
Rating: 
Summary: CONFUSING!
Review: I didn't read all of Ringworld. I couldn't. Niven's writing is confusing and fragmented. If you have more patience than me, you might like it. Otherwise, pick up something else, like A Clockwork Orange or Ender's Game.
Rating:
Summary: Dissapointing
Review: I had read about Ringworld for many years before I finally picked up a copy through Amazon. I eagerly awaited it, and thought of terms like 'majestic' and 'awe-inspiring' which I would apply to it when finished. Now I have the book Im not sure I CAN finish. While the idea of a 'Ringworld' is fascinating, Larry Niven fails to deliver any of this interest. His characters are rather tired, and lame, and boring. His writing is slow, lacking in detail where it matters, overly detaile din other parts, and always boring. It must be kep in mind that by the time I started this, I had just finished Orson Scott Card's superlative 'Ender Saga' - so perhaps I expected too much, by expecting someone to write with Orson's brilliance. Perhaps not. I do not recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: A modern SF classic. An excellent read.
Review: Larry Niven once again shows his capacity for developing fresh and intriguing ideas. The Ringworld is a staggering concept, and Niven's writing skill brings it to life in vivid detail. No science fiction library is complete without this modern classic.
Rating:
Summary: Come on people
Review: I agree with a few others of these reviews. How can anyone give it such a low grade as 1 or 2 stars. Of course it's a question of taste but surely...? I think it is a fantastic book and after the first few chapters have unwound then the book is in full flow. Some of the maths/physics confused me a bit at time but I'm only 14 so I expect I'll be able to understand more of the maths/physcics later in life! Excellent book, I'd recommend it to any sci-fi fan!!
Rating: 
Summary: Niven gone wild
Review: Ringworld is a classic, not because it vies for shelf space with Charles Dickens, but because it is one of the most wildly imaginative books ever written. He took a number of concepts and creatures from the Known Space genre (there's a collection called "Neutron Star" with some short fiction in the same area) and combined them into a wild adventure on a mysterious world. Ringworld is a memorable place, and it's well worth reading about.
Rating:
Summary: Not what it's cracked up to be.
Review: I had heard about this book for years. All I had read of Niven's was the "Integral Trees" and that was horrible, but I thought I'd give this a try. I felt like I was watching a cartoon. The characters were plastic, the story was tedious and dull. I thought of all the stuff I could set on Ringworld and none of it was there; nothing was there. I'd like to know what happens in the sequel, but I don't think I can make through another page by this guy. P.S. The concept of psychic luck is so stupid I almost stopped reading the book every time they mentioned it.
| 
