Ringworld

by Larry Niven

Book Overview

For use in schools and libraries only. A two-headed creature and a large, red-furred carnivore are among the members of a party that arrives to explore a mysterious world created in the shape of a ring.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345293010
• ISBN13: 9780345293015
• Release Date: February 1981
• Publisher: Del Rey Books
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Gotta read this again

I read this somewhere in the 1970's (yes, I am that old and have been reading science fiction since a youngster in grade school). I remember the characters and how they complimented each other and was astounded by the concept and execution of the novel. However I have forgotten a lot. I felt so good about the memories that I will definitely read it again as soon as I have finished reading the 'Rama' series by Clarke and Gentry. BTW, the further I got into those the more disappointed I was ...but will finish.

Other reviewers seem to take mostly pieces from the whole.

As I'm a self-proclaimed nerd, so perhaps you can take this whole review with a grain of salt. But personally, I think Ringworld is some of the best SciFi out there. Many points are raised in the other reviews here, and most of them are good. But I feel that far too many people missed the bigger message of it all. Yes, the 200-year-old main character (world-weary Louis Wu) winds up explaining technical jargon to a 20-year-old bimbo in a situation where characters obviously take a backseat to the great technical underpinnings of the universe... but a scene or two over, he also switches sides with a line something like: "The world's greatest lover was a friend of mine... we're going to need gravity for this." The point of the novel isn't just to follow the typical drivel of who's starstruck for who or who's the best at splurting out technobabble WHILE you just happen to be in the future, it's to set back in awe of the setting and the world in which all of those little things happen. Truly, the Ringworld itself is the greatest and best character in this book, and everyone else (even Louis Wu) really is playing second fiddle to the main course- a structure so unimaginably complex that scientists will be (and have been) fueding over it for generations to come. Marvel at the lasers and stasis fields. Wonder at the scenic vistas and the incredible settings. And maybe, just maybe, you'll get attached to the band of rogues caught up in all of this along the way. All in all, it's mostly about the journey and the setting, and just going along for the ride. Truly, this work is more about expanding your headspace to the massive complexity of all the universe's wonders than it is about babble (although there is a fair share of that as well), and it's about seeing how a merry band of adventurers deal with the all-too-human task of dealing with what they've been exposed to along the way. Open your mind and just try to "get" where the ride is taking you, and it'll be a blast. Not to mention it provides excellent commentary into many aspects of both where humanity is and where it's headed. Solid SciFi in every sense. This is one of my favorite novels of all time, and I can't reccomend it highly enough.

Captivating

If you are a fan of adventure or science fiction, you will instantly fall in love with this novel by Larry Niven. Niven has created a masterpiece that has something for people of all types, young and old alike. The book paints a disturbing picture of what futuristic earth looks like, and the immense powers the species of sthe universe have. From controlled breeding experiments designed to produce large quantities of luck in a human being, to the power to move entire worlds across space, the species are quite powerful. The book describes a scenario in which earth and many other planets of the galaxy will be destroyed by the power of the novae of several stars in the galactic core. As the different species work together to avoid this destruction, the find an artifact that is very large, and has the shape of a ring. To give you a sense of how large it is, the radius of the ring is the distance from earth to the sun. When the exploring members of the races land on the ring they discover that all civilization has fallen. Now without any power and a way to get their ship off of the inside wall of the ring, they must explore, and try to find help. Ring world will captivate the entire audience and is impossible to put down. There is stunning detail which can only hint at the vast imagination of Niven. Luscious pictures are painted of the ewnvironment of Ringworld, and ominous paintings created of gigantic floating cities that crashed to the ground when all power was lost on Ringworld. Niven's imagination of the technology that futuristic species will posses is amazing. He has thought of every last ship part and exactly how it works. It is a surprisingly quick read for a 350 page book. Order Ringworld today, and enjoy!

A Classic - Larry Niven at his best

A mysterious (and mad) stranger offers a rich prize to an apparently mismatched crew, if they will undertake a dangerous mission to a strange land - the Ringworld.Far from a typical adventure yarn, Ringworld is a landmark science fiction story. The worlds and cultures, the future human history, and the technology conceived for this book (and for other related Known Space stories) are a major achievement of imagination. Larry Niven has a gift for making them all fit and work together into a cohesive and enjoyable whole.The exploration of the Ringworld, a massive artifact of mysterious origins, forms the backdrop for a further exploration of the history and the cultures in Larry Niven's Known Space series.Ringworld provides insights and intriguing clues about the two principal alien species of the novel, the Kzin and the Puppeteers, and the history of their interactions with the human race. The creation of alien viewpoints and personalities is exceptionally well handled here. Nessus and Speaker-to-Animals are credible characters with unique viewpoints.I was particularly pleased with the handling of the warrior culture of the Kzin. Speaker-to-Animals is aggressive and proud, but also intelligent, articulate and judicious. Contrast this with the one dimensional, noble but simple minded Klingons of Star Trek NG.Ringworld has my recommendation. Other Larry Niven books worth reading include Neutron Star and Protector.I don't recommend Ringworld Engineers, the sequel to this book.

Imaginative but read Neutron Star first

This book was my first introduction to Larry Niven's Known Spac series. While I conceed that Ringworld is incredibly imaginative, the book does lack characterization and forward plot movement. It was not a fast read and I didn't understand enough of the geography of the setting. I often found myself wishing Ringworld was a visual experience rather than literary. I would have given up on Known Space if I didn't happen to pick up Neutron Star at a used bookstore. I don't think Ringworld is a proper introduction to Known Space - its too confusing. I give it four stars because while weak on its own, it nicely complements the other novels in the Known Space series which is the most imaginative, well-contructed and original universe in science-fiction. I love Known Space, its utterly fascinating! Too bad the number of Known Space books got so large that the framework became too unwieldly for Niven to work with. I also wanted to comment on the several references to Frank Herbert on this forum. While I love Dune, I think any Frank Herbert comparisons are unfair. After, all Niven's a hard science-fiction writer, he doesn't even belong to the same school as Herbert. His books have their own vitality. Also, I didn't find the sexual content to be gratuitous - there are no graphic descriptions. The sex is strictly PG-13.