Destiny's Road

Rating:
Summary: The worst
Review: This is the worst Niven book I have ever read. I have read most of Niven's books and loved them! Don't waste your time with this one. I kept reading, hoping it would get better. It never did.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome back Larry!
Review: Let me start off by saying that I am a big fan of Larry Niven. To be more specific, however, I am a big fan of the 1970s Larry Niven. The Niven of the past ten or so years seemed to have little in common with that 70s Niven. He had lost something. Books like "The Ringworld Throne" were pale imitations of his previous works. Where had the real Larry Niven gone?

So it took my quite a while to pick up a copy of "Destiny's Road." But I finally did so, and I'm happy to report that my faith in Larry has been restored. He is back. Big time.

"Destiny's Road" is one of Niven's best ever, and it may be the best science fiction novel to come out of the 1990s.

The plot, briefly, is this: Young Jemmy lives in Spiral Town, an isolated community on a distant planet that mankind has colonized. Because of an accident Jemmy must flee Spiral Town. As he goes where no Spiral Towner has gone before, he uncovers many mysteries and, finally, many answers.

Other reviewers have complained about the rather clipped style in which the book is written. I, however, appreciated that aspect of it. The tale is told from Jemmy's (why isn't the name Jeremy?) point of view. And as the story is slowly revealed, you learn why Jemmy thinks in these short, clipped thoughts.

Yes, Larry Niven is back. But it is a more mature Niven than the writer we knew in in the 70s. I believe he will now be writing in much more depth than he did in his younger days. That may turn some people off, but I now very much look forward to what he will be writing next.

Rating:
Summary: Starts out good but.....
Review: I love Larry Niven. Well I love the OLD Larry. This is not the old Larry. A great idea for a story ends up flat on it's face. A shame really. This book REEKS of a outline. As Steven King once said "the last measure of a truly bad writer". Say it ain't

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: As I read all those negative reviews, I wondered to myself what book these people read. Yes, there are many characters, but not for one second did I have trouble distinguishing them. Yes, the dialogue is at times dense and fast-paced. I guess some people don't like that. I do. I respect Niven because he makes the reader do some thinking, instead of spelling every minor thing out, and because of this, Destiny's Road is 300-some pages instead of 600-some pages. Now, to the plot: I have no problems here. Everything fit together logically and beautifully. What I enjoyed most was the feel of the book. Destiny truly feels like an alien world, not Earth made-over. Very few books accomplish that intangible quality. Also, the protagonist, Jemmy, is a fascinating character whom we get to watch mature and break out of a little world to find a much bigger, more wonderous one. I did not want the story to end, although the ending is perfect. This is an excellent, satisfying book that you should make time for.

Rating:
Summary: Don't let this one keep you from his classics
Review: I have to agree with most of the negative reviews. The first book I read of Mr. Niven's, a collaboration with Mr. Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye, is still one of my favorite SF books ever. Do yourself a favor and read Lucifer's Hammer (again, with Mr. Pournelle), Ringworld, and The Mote... Forgive him Destiny's Road.

Rating:
Summary: A good idea but...
Review: Larry Niven is no doubt a genius when it comes to concepts. "Footfall", "Ringworld", "Tales of Known Space" and "Neutron Star" are examples of his power as a writer of other worlds. This is not his best work. In fact, it has the feel, beginning to end, of being written for a deadline. There are technical flaws through out the book (If one must suppliment the diets of humans, why not all the other earth-life animals that wander this new planet?) and an inconsistancy that leaves the reader wondering what the point is. It has some good points. The entire concept is a good one. The references to other science fiction writers and scientists are many leaving a strong feeling of conneciton with the Earth we know. But the rest seems to be little more than the framework of a story, poorly thought out and executed in haste. If you want great science fiction from this master, read "Tales of Known Space" or "Footfall", but skip this contract-filling paper weight.

Rating:
Summary: A great, fast-paced story
Review: I'm dismayed to see so many negative reviews of this book. I liked it the first time I read it, but then the second time really impressed on me what a great story it is. If you want more character definition (although there is plenty, at least for the main character), read Kim Stanley Robinson. Excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: One of the biggest misses ever.
Review: Unfortunatly, This was the first Niven book I have ever read, and even though I liked some of his other work, I still can't forgive him for this one. A small city on a desolate colony planet, resting on a peninsula with a road leading towards the mainland, a person on the run from this city into the unknown, sounds like a very promising beginning for a great adventure novel, doesn't it ? Unfortunatly, a promise is the only thing it is. The character switches enviroments so fast, that you can hardly track all the people. Even worse, in scenes where something is actually happening, Niven went into hyperdrive, and wrote such dialogs, that it leaves you wondering "Say what?". Till this day I cannot figure which character was whom. The plot itself was somewhat childish, and generally, this book left a lot to be desired for.

Rating:
Summary: Save Yourself
Review: Save yourself time and money and do not bother with this book. It is the only book I have read by Larry Niven and unless you can tell me this is a fluke I will not read another. It was pretty dumb and the leap to the ending was implausible. Yes, it had the seeds of a great story, but it quickly dried up. I was so disappointed. This story could have been a Western, about a time when there was little communication and people were so busy trying to survive they did not even think. Actually, that is not even true in Westerns.

Rating:
Summary: Niven- you can do much better
Review: Interesting book, great ecology, and plausible science; easy to read for the most part. The down side? The characters changed too rapidly, some were introduced but never fully developed, the main character takes a two decades nap by the end of the road before actually getting to it,the ending of the book appears rushed. Overall, fun reading for a rainy day, but as a fan I have a bad aftertaste.