Rating: 
Summary: One of the best SF novels of all time
Review: The Mote in God's Eye has to rank as one of the top ten SF novels of all time. Set in Pournelle's "Empire of Man" future, it takes Larry Niven's gift for creating truely alien aliens to the limit. Time and again you reach a point where you think all the threads are tied ant the logical conclusion at hand, and then the authors pull out another rabbit, although the data for the change was laid out earlier, and there are no arbitrary or unfounded surprises. Not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent first contact novel
Review: Niven and Pournelle really created an awesome epic with the Mote in God's Eye. It captured my interest and wonder. I think of all the times man has looked to the sky at night and marveled at it's vast expanse and depth, and this novel opens the door of possibility. The tale these two authors spin together in this one is one of pure genius and imagination. It can be pretty tricky to follow at times, but if you are determined, you will mark this book as one of your favorites upon completion. When I think of modern Science Fiction I think of this novel as a true gem. The milestone of a good book is whether it is entertaining and interesting, and the Mote is all that and more. Simply wonderful. If you like good books you will truly enjoy this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't hold a candle to Mote
Review: Frankly, after waiting for several years for the sequel, I was severely disappointed. Mote was undoubtedly a great book, one of the best first contact novels ever written and I am a HUGE Pournelle and Niven fan, but this book was clearly written to get the publishers and the fans off their backs.The basic plot line was decent enough but the Blaine children, especially the daughter, were just too much! Pournelle and Niven are clearly old men of our parent's generation that really do not understand too much about young women. Frankly, although indispensable the way the plot has been worked out, the Blaine children should have been written out and their tasks performed by some bio-medical researcher from the Institute. And, while I am at it, Pournelle and Niven should move into the 1980s, if not the 1990s or later, as far as the role of women is concerned. While I am far from PC--I like military SciFi don't I?--their view of future societies is far too patriarchal. All in all, Kevin and Horace were the only mildly interesting characters in the book. A great disappointment. You should probably still buy the book to see how the story ends, although the end is slightly predictable, but its far from their best effort. NB: If you haven't read Mote, save your money.
Rating:
Summary: the mote in god's eye
Review: Reviewer: Jon from United States Thought full of clichés, (the Human Empire is basically the British Empire circa 1880, the chief mechanic has a Scottish accent, most of the upper class is WASP-ish, and very proper, etc.) the basic super-realistic take on the far future of space travel, and space-going naval combat, as well as the nature of the aliens humanity encounters, are what make this book work. The narrative really flows, and the believability is helped be smooth shifts in narrative perception. This really shows with the aliens, which brings me to one of the real selling point. The story is basically a humanity meets aliens space-opera, though arguably one of the deepest and most thorough I've ever encountered. On that one, at least, it kicks the life juices out of Ender's Game, no joke. Unfortunately, the book does tend to wander in focus a bit, but the depth with which it does so redeems it 100%. The sun never sets on the British Empire, no matter what sun that happens to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Very interesting first contact book
Review: Very good book describing the first contact between an advanced starfaring human civilization and sentient extra-terrestrials. In this story it's we humans that have the technological advantage but that doesn't mean the humans in this story are prepared to deal with a completely alien civilization. Well written and very enjoyable, this book offers one of the more convincing descriptions of an alien civilization in Science Fiction. Well worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: The Second Best First Contact Novel, Ever
Review: I'd rank this book right up with-but-after James Clavell's Shogun as the best First Contact novel we've ever had -- and Clavell had the advantage of being able to research the details that brought his Japan alive. Whether or not you agree with the politics that inform the novel -- that noblesse oblige really can work, most of the time -- you're liable to find it seductive in the way that the best of Heinlein was. With the exception of one line about Ensign Whitbread, I can't think of a thing I'd change. Terrific, terrific book.
Rating:
Summary: Best...absolutely the best...SF book I ever read!
Review: I like hard science SF have read hundreds of novels by some good authors, but this one blows them all away. The alien characters are creative/original yet believable and deeply defined. The plot is flawless...allll the potential loose ends are neatly tied up eventually...which I can't say for most books. The adventures are exciting, as are the distant places and the technologies involved in getting there. Skip the lame sequel, The Gripping Hand, however. It's almost as bad as this one is good. The Mote in God's Eye is a true masterpiece. What a wonderful (unfortunately too long) movie this would make if anyone could do it justice.
Rating: 
Summary: Flawed and disappointing
Review: Fans of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle should take a pass on this book. Many of the story's elements were impressive. Some of the book's chapters might have made good short stories, and a few of the characters were credible and interesting. Perhaps this accounts for the praise this book has received. As a whole, however, the book is unfocussed, dragging on endlessly before reaching its disappointing conclusion. The sequel to this book, The Gripping Hand, is also worth avoiding.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Trek Rip Off Novel.
Review: When I first started to read this one I thought to myself, what an outright ripoff of Star Trek! Even the engineering guy has an accent. Sheesh. If you like starship and Star Trek type books this one is for you. I'd prefer just to watch a Star Trek episode myself. It is a pretty good read and the alien race the 'Moties' were interesting. I tend to read the occasional Sci-Fi book and this was one of them. Nothing spectacular but okay.
Rating:
Summary: The All Time Greatest "Terran Meets Alien" Novel
Review: This is, without a doubt, one of the top 25 sci-fi books of all time. I have read this book every four to five years since 1977. The best Niven/Pournelle collaboration ever.
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