Ringworld's Children

First off, how does Amazon get away with publishing digital versions of Books 1, 2...and 4 with no #3???Like Ringworld Throne, I spent most of my time in Ringworld's Children skipping entire chapters as soon as I discovered they weren't about Luis or the Hindmost. I. Just. Don't. Care. About the rest of the natives. At all. Ringworld's premise is what brings me back, and Niven has never developed the writing chops to expand in a believable way a large gathering of characters in a way that engenders interest and concern; especially when their stories don't add to those of Luis because they are mostly completely unrelated events. Why not just write separate books? It's literally like flipping channels between different star trek shows---they're in the same universe, yes, but they're all telling stories that have nothing to do with each other.

Niven's a favorite and this one's worth keeping the tale going. Just one thing, stet, what the hell, stet is stet showing stet for over and stet over again! Initially l thought it was left over from a pre-publishing edit but then it showed up in other of Niven's books. The word "stet" is about leaving a certain passage in a manuscript as it is. When "stet" appears again and again in a published piece where - given the context - it could mean any of a number of things, it's quite distracting. If I had the option, I'd query "stet" and delete every occurrence where the word showed up in text. If it's deliberate, Larry, it doesn't soar.

Ring World was inspirational when written. Also read two of its successors albeit with dwindling enthusiasm. This thing is just an embarrassment. Shapeless, plotless, characterless, disorganized, headed nowhere. Cringeworthy. Despite my loyalty to the old man, had to stop about 40% through and get it out of my Kindle.

I last read through the Ringworld series while in High School (a long time ago). Back then, there were two books. When I recently learned Niven wrote a fifth in the Ringworld Series, I decided to buy all five and read the full series.The Ringworld Throne, my first reading now, extends the story after the heroes have been stranded on the Ringworld for 20 years. Without access to boosterspice, Louis Wu has aged. Chmeee, we learn, has captured the map of Earth and have sired at least one son called Acolite. The Hindmost remained in his ship, as we recall, that was buried safely in a lava flow.In this book, the adventure continues as Louis and Acolite explore Ringworld using technologies from the Puppeteers or that they found on Ringworld itself. The Hindmost used some of his probes to explore, and set up video and audio monitors to observe the inhabitants.Niven spends a little too much time discussing interspecies sex (rishathra), which I found a little disturbing. The rationale was that since it was "safe" - no disease and no risk of pregnancy, it was used to finalize treaties, end wars, etc.We learn about various cultures and species that developed through evolution over the millennia. Since the Ringworld Engineers brought few of what they consider vermin, humans have evolved to meet the need. There are many, many species. Some are closely related and can interbreed, and others have grown far off the family tree. Several species of Vampires were spawned and threaten life on Ringworld. It is Rishathra and the various coalitions that form to work together against the threat that form much of the story.While I enjoyed this, I did not find it as well written or compelling as the first books. As I write this review of the third book, I am almost done with the final, fifth book. I don't find this book as bad as other reviewers have, and do recommend persevering to make it through the series.

I've always been a big fan of Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers and over the years have read them several times. When I found out there were two sequels I immediately bought them even though there were many negative reviews. Unfortunately I must agree with the negative reviews.This book was better than Ringworld Throne so I gave it 3 stars, but just barely. Its not quite as confusing as RT, goes into the origin of the Ringworld and is almost entirely about Louis Wu and his associates. So it was a better read then RT but still no where as good as the two original novels.I'm glad I read this as its part of the Ringworld universe, but it was not as enjoyable a read as the original books.

This book is an improvement on Ringworld Throne, which isn't saying much. There still aren't new striking ideas, but this time Niven brought in ideas from earlier in his career (tricks with hyperdrive, loony ARMS officers), and made it look like he had planned it that way. And the elaborate cover story that Louis comes up with sounds almost like the plan of an unwritten Ringworld novel. Finally some mysteries are finally tied up neatly:(SPOILERS!)Why did Teela die in spite of her "luck"? Because the Teela Brown gene was protecting ITSELF, not her -- Dawkins' selfish gene theory.Why don't the Ringworld Protectors show the xenophobia that they did in PROTECTOR? Because they did genetic engineering on themselves to eliminate the trait.Still, to paraphrase TS Eliot, the RINGWORLD ended not with a bang but with a whimper.

At last, after however many years, we have wrapped up Ringworld! At least, for now. Great story, I’ve read every Ringworld story since the first. I will miss Louis Wu. And Chmee. And Hindmost. Great companions, great adventures.

I'd like to see a "RINGWORLD SURVIVORS"A follow up on, all the races Louis encountered..Also who do the ARM think they are !!! Arrogant Bastards...

In Ringworld, the technology was "tapes and spools". in Engineers, it miraculously updated to a gaint microfiche reader that was so big it had to be chopped up to get it through the stepping disks. Now the storage solution if a large brick-like object that unfolds to a holographic library....this is just Niven making do with today's technology to define tomorrow's sci-fi. Like every other writer I know, he didn't foresee the digital revolution, and just updates his technology on the fly. Really, tapes and spools! It's true what they say, sci-fi reflects the era in which it was written...Well, and he goes on and on about food in this one, as in all the Ringworld follow-ups. But at least this is the one that attempts to tie all the former efforts together, though really it does so saying nothing new, beyond bringing invasion fleets into the fray (which really should have come a lot sooner...like, weeks after Ringworld was first discovered...!) It's great when you can set your own parameters for a future that won't ever happen. I mean, Microsoft just wouldn't allow it!The writing style is truly skeletal...the narrative itself seems part of a vast on-going mathematical caculation rather than an unfolding story. This is Niven's trademark writing style so can't really complain, it's done him good so far.

Having ploughed through the awful Ringworld Throne a few years back, I was tempted back to the series by the positive reviews of this one on Amazon. I rather wish I had not bothered. Ringworld's Children has a reasonable story (hence the extra star) but as an entertainment, it's fatally compromised by Niven's writing style - which has declined to the point where I can't enjoy reading it. I re-read his first Novel (World of Ptavvs) from 1966 to check whether it was me that had changed, or Niven's writing. The 1966 writing was clear and fast-moving and I enjoyed the (excellent) book as much as I did when I first read it in my 20's - so it's not me, Larry, it's you! Niven now writes in an abbreviated, sketchy style as if he can barely be bothered to get the words down on the page. You don't read SF looking for great literature - as a long-term reader I'm well aware (and accept) that great writing and great SF ideas don't usually go hand-in-hand. However, here the poor writing dips below the threshold of readability and makes the story uninvolving and actually hard to follow. It's a shame really as some of the ideas in the book would have been interesting if explored by a better writer - like the younger Niven...

This is to my mind the novel Ringworld Throne should have been.The Fringe War - the constant jockeying for position between Humans, Kzin and others to exploit the Ringworld has turned into a Hot war.Antimatter and high energy weapons threaten the structure of the Ringworld itself.Loius wu, Hindmost and the son of Chmee are forced into an alliance with the Protector Tunesmith to save the Ringworld from imminent destruction.This book is a logical extension to the previous three. it has more in common with Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers than it does with Ringworlds throne.The plot builds nicely on the earlier books and pulls in some elements from other known space stories. Its well though out, pacey and suprising, something the last novel lacked.Its a must read for any real Niven fan and gives us some final closure for the Ringworld. The book draws on several elements from other known space stories and really feels like a well crafted piece polished over time.I think this is the last true Niven novel we will see. Recent work with his name on it has been collaborative and lacking his style and flair. This one was written with love and feeling and brings together so many other elements its obviously a work of love. This book shows us the writer of Ringworld and the Mote in Gods eye can still turn out a truly epic romp when he turns his mind to it.Mr Niven I salute you!

Space travel, aliens, sex, drugs, sex with aliens and violence.Oh and some well reasoned science to back up most of it making it less science fiction and more a view of things to come.I've found myself saying "Why haven't we developed this yet?" a few times during these books.Top notch visual writing from my favourite author (with Terry Pratchett a close second), these books take you to a gaudy construct - Ringworld where... well, no spoilers.Un-puttable-downable. But start from the beginning - Ringworld.

A great book, the 4th in a series of 5 books. Brilliant theories, great characters. A ripping good yarn that moves at a good pace to keep the reader enthralled. A real page turner.