The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
ibnu12's review against another edition
3.0
A classic of science-ficition that has not aged well. The book is a titan in it's field for it's imaginative world building that blends physics, anthropology to construct a fantastical world. The only issue is what Niven chooses to do with the fantastical world. Our protagionist has the personality of a brick and is essenitaly hyper-competent at everything he does; all named female charecters immediate feel attracted to him and fuck him; and the last secne with a battle with the uncivilized natives of the planet is rather boring and pulpy.
The book is very much trapped by the pulp ethos and time it came from; it's imagianative and grounbreaking elements have been adopted and used so much better that the only thing that really stands out while reading is it's flaws. It wasn't a boring read and it was decently writte; but I didn't enjoy the experience nearly as much as I expected too given my love of Science Ficition.
The book is very much trapped by the pulp ethos and time it came from; it's imagianative and grounbreaking elements have been adopted and used so much better that the only thing that really stands out while reading is it's flaws. It wasn't a boring read and it was decently writte; but I didn't enjoy the experience nearly as much as I expected too given my love of Science Ficition.
starthistle1's review against another edition
4.0
A blast to read. Like a lot of older sci-fi, the characters mostly exist to "look at cool thing." A great read nonetheless.
geoffpado's review against another edition
4.0
Ringworld is like the book version of LOST—it's long, the pacing's terrible, there's several periods where not much happens, and nothing really makes any sense… but at the end of it, you're still glad you stuck through to the end.
dontcreasethepage's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Beautiful vision with grand and thought provoking science with a boring cast and plot.
hangrim's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
thejoyofbooking's review against another edition
I first read Ringworld when I read through all the winners of the Hugo and Nebula awards in chronological order, and it kind of blew my mind.
Ringworld is a great example of classic science fiction: hard on science AND hard on fiction. The story centers on 200-year-old Louis Gridley Wu embarking on a journey with a motley crew of shipmates, including a human woman with astounding luck of indeterminate value, a three-legged, two-headed vegetarian alien with schizoid tendencies and an angry leonine alien on the bottom rungs of inner-planetary ambassadorship. Together our heroes venture to the man-made Ringworld, a "planet" consisting of a ring revolving around a star which maintains gravity through spin. Various adventures and dangers await them, and lots of speculative science is discussed.
Someone not a fan of science fiction would find this to be a difficult read, but if you're into that sort of thing -- well, there's a big reason it won both the Hugo and Nebula (as well as the Locus) the year it was published.
Ringworld is a great example of classic science fiction: hard on science AND hard on fiction. The story centers on 200-year-old Louis Gridley Wu embarking on a journey with a motley crew of shipmates, including a human woman with astounding luck of indeterminate value, a three-legged, two-headed vegetarian alien with schizoid tendencies and an angry leonine alien on the bottom rungs of inner-planetary ambassadorship. Together our heroes venture to the man-made Ringworld, a "planet" consisting of a ring revolving around a star which maintains gravity through spin. Various adventures and dangers await them, and lots of speculative science is discussed.
Someone not a fan of science fiction would find this to be a difficult read, but if you're into that sort of thing -- well, there's a big reason it won both the Hugo and Nebula (as well as the Locus) the year it was published.
cdbaker's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I understand that this is a “classic” of sci-fi and I tried to appreciate it from that perspective. But it’s just terrible and so damned sexist. The “big dumb object” isn’t that interesting and all of the characters are just so unlikeable that it’s difficult to care about what’s happening to them. The central conceit of the book (about luck) is incredibly irritating. As my partner put it, it’s neither magic nor science, it’s just bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Sexual violence, and Sexism
bhasmam's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75