Ringworld

I don't know what specifically the problem is but there's something weird about the author's style. The characters seem shallow and the universe seems awfully small for a tale of such galactic proportions.

I revisited the classic and it still stands the test of time. Some of the Science no longer holds but the story and the fantastical world he created does. Witty, fast paced and populated with real aliens it's still worth the retread

Having read the original story many many years ago, I thought that I would find the graphic novel interesting. It was more frustrating for me to read because of the style. I also think I enjoyed my personal visualization of the world that is described better than I appreciate this book's illustrations.

In the first volume, "Ringworld", Larry Niven introduced us to Puppeteers, Kzin, Louis Wu, and the magnificent artifact known as the "Ringworld". Now, 23 Earth-years later, we return to that artifact for a journey which, while answering some of the questions left from the first trip, opens new vistas and winds along new paths to a conclusion one must experience to understand. Truly a classic story from a master storyteller - Larry Niven. If you've not read "Ringworld", doing so will help set the stage for "Ringworld Engineers", but is not an absolute necessity. And for those who have, "Ringworld Engineers" is a must-read.

The book itself is great but the Kindle version suffers from a big lack of editing. There are missing words and phrases presumably due to inadequate OCR processing which should have been caught by an editor. Since it took until this year (2015) to finally get a Kindle version, I was very disappointed to find so many errors. (And why is Ringworld Throne STILL not available in Kindle format!?!?!?)

Being a longstanding Niven fan who only recently got back into reading books again it is wonderful to have the 'new' bits available. I last read Niven in the 70s and he has been quite prolific since. I look forward to his other series once I get through the Ringworld series.

First for reference, a small digression. In his excellent "The Real Story", Stephen R. Donaldson has a small afterword (almost as interesting as the book itself) in which he talks about the creative process and how ideas work for him. He has an interesting comment to the effect that he needs two central ideas to really make a book work, generally somthing fantastic and somthing mundane. His says that while he wanted to do a book about a fantasy hero who didn't believe in his surroundings for some time, he couldn't make it really click until he combined it with the idea that this hero should be a leper. Most of his books, from Mordant to The Gap, show this pattern.
I thought this was facinating because I reread Ringworld at about the same time as I reread The Real Story, and while Ringworld is a fun read, it's clearly a one-idea book. Now, the one idea - the Ringworld - is a great one. Just look at how big it is. Unfortunately, though, that's all there is. What Niven's done is taken this facinating premise and filled it with stock characters and cranked out an acceptable plot based around this one idea. Other than the Ringworld, there isn't anything there, which is a shame.
So what we end up with is somthing that is a reasonably enjoyable and eminantly readable, but hardly engrossing or really satisfying. This isn't to say I don't reccomend the book, because as lighter filler between more substantial books, it's quite a good read. Maybe just a notch or two below Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, but still easily amongst good "classic" sci-fi. For a book with it's reputation, though, it certainly hasn't cracked the top tier. Stephen R. Donaldson he is not.

Interesting sci-fi classic and worthwhile read, but not sure if it I'd call it one of the true must reads of the genre. Fairly fast moving plot with exciting twists and fun problem solving, but nothing special in terms of character development (although alien species are fleshed out and given unique personalities). Probably most notable for the concept of a ringworld and the fun thought of experiment of how something like that would actually work.

I rate pretty much everything by this author five stars. And have for five decades. (His latter-career collaborations with other authors have to stand or fall on their own merits, however.) It is definitely pretty cool to be able to reread these again as Kindle e-books.

Ringworld is one of the classics in scifi. The concept is amazing and clearly inspiring of so many later works. The issue is - the writing style is wonky. It's not a smooth read. It's good - but not clear. Ohh well. Read it and enjoy!

One of the best science fiction novels ever - I recently re-read Ringworld and loved it just as much as the first time - and have re read all the novels in the series and I still find them exciting and not at all repetitious Ringworld is, in my opinion justifiably considered a classic,.

Niven creates a world that is essentially a large ring the size of earth's orbit around the sun if I remember correctly and then starts you thinking about the ramifications of that. Rigging the "birthright lottery" to produce someone very lucky and the consquences of that are really interesting.

Niven is a wonderful writer of "hard" science fiction. This is certainly a good example. The size is unblievable and then what you have to do because of the size is a whole new pattern of thought. Great read for someone who likes science and wants to stretch their mind with new ideas.

So I accidentally read the most recent Ringworld books before reading the original. It was still a fantastic read. I think at this point Niven was just finally sinking into "his style". The book is dry at parts, but Niven does a wonderful job of bringing subtle detail and the minutae of life in space to life. An excellent read for anyone who enjoys sci-fi.

Overall this book was great. I am used to reading more modern sci fi that was written just in the last few years so it can seem slightly outdated at times but that didnt take away from the overall story.

Read this years ago when first published. I remember enjoying it then as I did this time around. The first book "Ringworld" and the third book "Ringworld Throne" are also good. Niven's known space series are good reading and his characters interesting. The ringworld has a host of species which all add to the main story. Try this trilogy if you enjoy science fiction with meat.

I just finished the second book in The Ring world series, and was very disappointed. The writing was very disconnected, and I had a hard time keeping interest. This book had so much potential, but did not hold up.

The gluing is poor and sticks the pages together at some points making those areas unreadable before/after ripping the pages away from the glue.
The only time it has prevented me from understanding is between pages 222-223

Bringing forth a genuine sense of classic sci-fi wonder and imagination, Ringworld is a joy to read. As a fan of Arthur C. Clarke I can say that this book evokes similar instances of wonderment as I felt upon my first readings of "Rendezvous with Rama" or "The fountains of paradise" both of which are considered classic, fantastical Clarke visions of the future and what lies beyond our star. Indeed, I you are a fan of Clarke's or even Isaac Asimov's work you will find similar pleasure in reading Larry Niven's Ringworld. It comes highly recommended and my particular copy reached me in fair, if slightly well loved condition.

In his usual style, Larry Niven has taken us again into the realm of the Ringworld. The main difference I saw in this installment, is the profligate use of the fugue mechanism in multiple timelines. Still an easy and interesting read.

A little bit dated in language and science, a little more dated in gender roles, but still a towering achievement of imagination and a great yarn. Well worth the read, even 46 years after it was first published.