The Ringworld Engineers - Larry Niven Book Review

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Review Summaries
"Luis Wu is kidnapped by a pupeteer, and forced, along with speaker-to-animals (now Chmee)to return to the Ringworld. They search for an "element converter", which is actually doesn't exist. After they explore the ringworld again, they discover a horrible truth about Teela Brown... she's now a Protector. They kill her, and eventually save the Ringworld from colliding with its own sun." Dimitri Melamoud, Resident Larry Niven Scholar
"Louis Wu and company unwillingly return to an unstable Ringworld. They meet a lot of natives and solve a problem. A face from the past stands in their way. Or does she? This is my FAVOURITE BOOK OF ALL TIME, and has been for 10 yrs." Gareth Powell, Resident Larry Niven Scholar
"The Ringworld has gone off its axis and is about to fall into its own star/sun. Louis Wu, the kzin Speaker-to-Animals, and the Puppeteer mate of Nessus journey once again to the Ringworld to find out what could have caused this and how they can fix it. Once there, they learn more about who built the Ringworld than they had ever expected!" Jessica Augustsson, 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 - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%

FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - exploring a wondrous planet or phenomena
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Age: - long lived adults
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - druggie/wino disease

Main Adversary
Eccentric: Yes
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Terrain - Jungle - Desert - Water - Mountains - Forests - Space, need spacesuit
Spaceship setting: - alien spaceship
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society - inhabited by friendly aliens - neutral aliens - primitive aliens
Planet outside solar system? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a significant amount of technical jargon
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript

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

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