World of Ptavvs - Larry Niven Book Review

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Review Summaries

"Our hero, Larry Greenberg, takes time out from communicating with dolphins using a mental contact helmet to attempt to communicate with the Sea Statue, which is a strange silvery object found years ago. To do this he and the statue are placed in a time retarder field. Unfortunately the statue is an alien in his own retarder field (which he energised when his space drive blew up between planets 2 million years ago) and when he is released we discover that he is a powerful telepath who can control several hundred humans. The alien heads for the local spaceport as he needs to get to the 8th planet where he hopes to find his mental amplifier helmet, with which he can control the entire solar system. Larry now thinks he is the alien, and is the only person who can shield his mind from the real alien, but he also wants the helmet, so he gets another ship and follows. The Earth technology police (Arms) and the people of the asteroid belt both want to prevent either of them getting the helmet, and they also make for Neptune. The helmet is not there, and Larry (who is now with the alien) realizes it hit a moon of Neptune which is now Pluto. They head to Pluto to get the helmet while being pursued by the others. "
Alan Tompkins, Resident Larry Niven Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%

Tone of book - humorous or laughable
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - method of control
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - explorer
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male Alien
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - slaver
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Planet surface, need spacesuit
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes
Not Earth, in Solar System? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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