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A review by crufts
Ringworld by Larry Niven
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
When I was growing up, Halo was the "killer" game that pushed the Xbox console's rise to dominance. One of the key concepts of the game were these ring-shaped worlds (the Halo arrays). Naturally, I was curious to see what Ringworld would make of this concept, having done it 31 years earlier, and on a much larger scale.
Honestly, it's pretty good! Ringworld interweaves both interesting sci-fi concepts and interpersonal conflicts, as the plot involves the human protagonist (Louis Wu) working together with his girlfriend (Teela Brown) and two aliens to explore the Ringworld. It reads as an exciting adventure in a bizarre landscape. The story definitely has its tense moments, but overall the tone is fun and exciting.
The portrayal of the main character's girlfriend initially irked me a little, since she comes off as an airhead. However, this ends up partially explained by her unusual life experience as the book goes on, and (in an odd way) she's probably the most powerful of the main characters. This justification didn't totally jive with me, and perhaps it would have worked better if there were more positively-portrayed female characters. I also found it suspicious that all two of the women characters were romantic interests.
At the same time, I liked how the two aliens' genders were portrayed as... well... alien! One of them (Nessus, the puppeteer) is nominally referred to as "he" or "it", but his gender may be more equivalent to what humans would call "female". Meanwhile, the other alien (Speaker, the Kzin) is definitely male, but his species' gender arrangements is distinctly non-human as well.
Overall, I found Ringworld to be a fascinating and enjoyable read.
Honestly, it's pretty good! Ringworld interweaves both interesting sci-fi concepts and interpersonal conflicts, as the plot involves the human protagonist (Louis Wu) working together with his girlfriend (Teela Brown) and two aliens to explore the Ringworld. It reads as an exciting adventure in a bizarre landscape. The story definitely has its tense moments, but overall the tone is fun and exciting.
The portrayal of the main character's girlfriend initially irked me a little, since she comes off as an airhead. However, this ends up partially explained by her unusual life experience as the book goes on, and (in an odd way) she's probably the most powerful of the main characters. This justification didn't totally jive with me, and perhaps it would have worked better if there were more positively-portrayed female characters. I also found it suspicious that all two of the women characters were romantic interests.
At the same time, I liked how the two aliens' genders were portrayed as... well... alien! One of them (Nessus, the puppeteer) is nominally referred to as "he" or "it", but his gender may be more equivalent to what humans would call "female". Meanwhile, the other alien (Speaker, the Kzin) is definitely male, but his species' gender arrangements is distinctly non-human as well.
Overall, I found Ringworld to be a fascinating and enjoyable read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, Sexism, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Xenophobia, Trafficking, and War
Extreme May/December relationship: The protagonist Louis Wu is ~220 years old, but remains physically in his 20s due to the magic of "boosterspice". Meanwhile, his girlfriend Teela Brown is 20. Such relationships seem to happen occasionally in their culture, but the experience gap between them makes this seem pretty sketchy to me.
Sexual content: Between the protagonist and his girlfriend. Typically used as a backdrop to some verbal discussion, ending with a fade-to-black.
Sexism: Overall, the female characters were not treated evenly with the male ones. Apart from the fact that there were way less of them, they tended to be portrayed as airheaded, highly emotional, and they were all romantic interests.
Mental illness: Nessus has one, but his "craziness" arguably makes him better suited to his task of exploring the Ringworld.
Addiction: Some characters exhibit addiction to a wireheading device (the "tasp").
Vomit: Occurs during an aerial stunt. Not described in detail.
Trafficking, War (mention): The questionable practices of the warlike Kzin species. Not described in detail.
Sexual content: Between the protagonist and his girlfriend. Typically used as a backdrop to some verbal discussion, ending with a fade-to-black.
Sexism: Overall, the female characters were not treated evenly with the male ones. Apart from the fact that there were way less of them, they tended to be portrayed as airheaded, highly emotional, and they were all romantic interests.
Mental illness: Nessus has one, but his "craziness" arguably makes him better suited to his task of exploring the Ringworld.
Addiction: Some characters exhibit addiction to a wireheading device (the "tasp").
Vomit: Occurs during an aerial stunt. Not described in detail.
Trafficking, War (mention): The questionable practices of the warlike Kzin species. Not described in detail.