The reason I put off reading this book for so long, is the fact that
the back cover to every edition I've ever seen tells a potential reader
almost nothing about the book itself. Instead, it contains a quote
from the author regarding his idea for a sort of half dyson sphere.
This makes me wonder, do the characters of the story really have
any purpose other than to gasp in awe of the nifty bits of the
cosmos? If the point of the book is to explore concepts, am I not
better off reaching for some kind of science journal? Why do I
need funny looking aliens to hold my attention on an idea which, by
itself, is somewhat interesting?
I remember enjoying reading Ringworld about 20 years ago. In fact, I think this is the
last excellent Sci Fi that Niven wrote. Yes his characters are a bit wooden but they
were at least interesting. Much lighter on the politics than his later stuff. I think
he shot his wad with Ringworld and has not been the same since. All of the Ringworld
sequels were awful as far as I am concerned.
This isn't the only book I've had concerns like this about.
Historically, I've been an avid Michael Crichton reader, but despite
the fact I probably learned quite a bit about the airline industry, I
can't remember the name of a single character in Airframe, just a
few years later...
-Brian<italic>
<nofill>
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