Rating: 
Summary: Top notch first contact novel.
Review: "The Mote in God's Eye" is an excellent first contact novel in which star traveling humans encounter an intelligent race which has space travel but not interstellar travel. Communication between the humans and the Moties, as the humans call them, is easily established, but understanding the Moties, their culture, and the danger they represent to humankind is not so easy. This is a well written book, set in a very realistic and interesting world.
Rating:
Summary: Probably their best
Review: I think this is the best collaboration from this outstanding author team, and probably one of their best books individually too. It is truly an epic story of an alien contact and of what will happen to human civilization 1000 years in the future.The alien culture of the Moties is superbly conceived, described, and realized, and is reminiscent of Heinlein's ability to create enagaging and believable alien cultures and psychologies. This is one of the great alien contact stories, which has always been one of sci-fi fans' favorites and mine too in the genre.
Rating:
Summary: The most convincing "first contact" novel you ever read!
Review: The Mote in God's Eye. First contact between humans and aliens is a recurring theme in science fiction. But it has never, in my opinion, been done as well as in this book. I've read lots of science fiction, and first contact novels are a favourite of mine, and this one stands head and shoulders above anything else in that line. What sets this one out is the plausibility and originality of the contact, the extraordinary detail of the setting, the absorbing development of the plot, and, most of all, the aliens themselves. These are some of the best aliens you will ever read about. You get to know them very well. At first, they are puzzling, as the humans meet a small ship with several aliens on it. Their behaviour makes no sense at first, but later on in the book, as you get to know their culture, you look back and it makes perfect sense. The alien culture is ancient, and absolutely fascinating. The aliens seem friendly, intelligent and reasonable, with a structured society based, among other things, on extreme specialisation. But the aliens have a secret, a bad secret. There's something about them that the humans cannot find out. If they did find out, the aliens fear that the human race would stop at nothing until they are destroyed. As I learned what it was, I must admit, I agreed - I would wipe them out! That might seem a bit bloodthirsty, but just wait'll you find out what the secret is! This is a just fabulous book. It keeps you interested from page one, the humans characters are likeable and have depth, and the aliens are just incredible - likeable in themselves, and very useful - but there's that secret problem, isn't there? So, what happens? Do the humans find out? If they do, what do they do then? If they don't, just exactly what happens? This is a fantastic read, and a book you'll treasure. After the first reading, ok, you'll know the secret, but just reacquainting yourself with the aliens and getting involved in the story again will bring you back to it time and again.
Rating:
Summary: Superb First Contact Novel
Review: When a light-sail vessel is witnessed leaving an isolated section of space - a vessel is dispatched to contact the alien civilisation. What they find is a society so alien to humans that the tragic truth behind their civilisation is only stumbled on at the very end of the novel. One of the best first contact novels I have ever read - and I can still read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Best aliens in a long time!
Review: Amazing! Human first contact with truly ALIEN aliens. Not hokey little green men or those stupid walking fetuses that are so popular these days. No way! The Moties are a work of absolute genius on Niven's part. They have their own solar sytem, described in vivid detail, their own complex evolutionary history (based on asymetry, rapid reproduction and extreme specialization) and a culture which is a logical outgrowth of their environment and genetic traits. Oh, and their civilization is VERY, very old. Human beings have been in space for 1000 years when this novel opens, but have not yet discovered other intelligent life. This fact alone makes me respect Niven. He doesn't create a bustling Star Trek cosmos where you bump into a new super-advanced alien every time you turn around. As if survival and civilization building were easy. He has a feel for the vastness of the universe---how unfriendly to life and civilization it can be.
Rating:
Summary: The most re-readable of epics
Review: Robert Heinlein requested some changes before he would allow his name to go below, "Possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read." Remember that because the worlds and concepts created here transcend Dune; in fact, in the very completness of this universe, only Tolkien can compare. Niven's ability to craft aliens, taking parts of human nature and generally making it a part of "good" or "proper" alien behavior allows a totally new concept to be borne. Asimov never really delved into what makes a 3 sexed race unique, resting on that concept alone. Here, Niven and Pournelle make it the centerpiece. Combined with the best writing they ever collaborated on, with some generally interesting characters (and it is always about story and characters) makes it the finest science fiction novel I have ever read as well.
Rating:
Summary: The best science-fiction book ever writen.
Review: I don't say that about every second book I read. It is the story of fascinating human society , a mixture of royalty and nobels with a military aristocratism , in a the year 3000+ ,that spans hundreads of planets , and it's first contact with an alien race. Never before , and I have read MANY books , have I ever read about an alien race so ancient , well-planned , thought-of , original , remarkebly-diffrent-from-humans , and fascinating as the Moties. They are , without doubt , the best aliens I have ever read about. Besides that , simply every charecter in the book was developed into a completly realistic human-being you could understand it's perfectly clear logic and expect it to act according to it's nature. "The Mote In God's Eye" also features the most indepth look into an alien society , culture and way-of-thinking than I have ever encounterd else-where. The Motie's way-of-thought is truely different than human's and is wonderfully showed through the non-human charecters. Don't worry , it's not all socieology ,there's Niven scientific writing and ideas coupeled with Pournle's militarism and action. It is the fullest book I've read - it leaves nothing out! action , drama , suspense , hard-technolegy , alien-secrets and schemes , human politics and power-struggels , love and trust , violence and suspicision , and all writen with the best hands in science-fiction , trancending everything writen before , and so-far , everything writen afterwards. One thing I've not mentioned thus far is the phlilosofic side of the book and it's critecism on today's society , but for that you'll have to read it for your selves , not be told about it. I've probably left something unsaid , so just know that this book is BETTER than what can be writen about it , and you must READ IT in order to really undestand it's greatness. Not just very recommended but A MUST READ.
Rating: 
Summary: Evolution gone Insane!
Review: The premise of this novel is that intelligent life is rare, and second, that Faster than Light travel has its limitations. Written before the existence of Wormholes as a scientific theory, its Alderson drive concept hints at this phenomenon. I did not like the idea that a technological type 3 civilization can be achieved in a mere millenium nor that it is compatible with a pseudo feudal imperial form of government. Starships and Medievalism has been attempted a lot in Sci fi. The Moties are a biological nightmare. Once a stable bilaterally oriented species, it has become a myriad of mutated strains, castes, and classes created by wars and a million years of assigned work roles. You have to really bend your imagination a lot with this one, but it is fun reading.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a classic
Review: This must be one of the top books in SF. Okay, so it is nowhere near as innovative as Ringworld, so it is a little bland and so all the characters are somewhat 'cute' (even the so-called extremist admiral Kutuzov is a model of forebearance compared to some of the people I meet in daily life), but so what! This is a well-crafted, well-paced and well-thought out book. Truly deserves to be a classic.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling, satisfying, and intelligent
Review: This book is frequently recommended in science fiction circles, and with good reason: it's an excellent exploration of the implications of contact with an alien race. It thoroughly explores the political and cultural reactions on Earth, while providing a very deep and thought-provoking story for the alien race as well. The quality of the writing is excellent; the imaginative plotting makes for a gripping read. I recommend this book highly due to its breadth of appeal: it is approachable and appealing. It's in my personal collection, but I have to keep buying more copies-- I loan it out frequently to friends and never seem to get it back! I consider that to be a sign of a great book.
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