Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle ISBN: 0-671-74192-6 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1991 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.32 (113 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Possibly the greatest SF novel I've ever read...
Comment: Starting on an unusual note; The Mote In God's Eye is the only SF book I have ever bought before reading. This may seem stupid, but I'm very glad I did it. Niven and Pournelle have succeeded in knocking Frank Herbert's Dune off my mental 'Best Books Ever!' list's top spot.
It's a fascinating tale of mankind's first contact with an utterly alien race - and for once, these aliens aren't all-powerful conquerers of worlds with but one weakness. Indeed, in many respects the Moties have problems similar to human difficulties...although that's not to say the Moties are at all similar to human beings. Oh no.
I won't go into depth about the alien society - that might spoil the book for you! The human society, however, is nearly as interesting as the alien.
At this point, I think back to comments I've heard about the book - that the human society is still plagued with today's problems (but of course - human society will not change radically in 1000 years, merely adjust to accept technological changes. And, of course, as the authors mention, an advanced human society will not evolve as natural selection can no longer apply [civilised societies care for the weaker members]). Another comment that sticks in my mind is that planets which belong exclusively to one ancestral faction from Earth are absurd. I beg to differ - those with similar cultural heritages would stick together, and countries would, I believe, launch individual colonisation programs, meaning that all the colonists on one world might indeed share their cultural heritage. And as a final note on the subject, the worlds with a single 'nationality' are few and far between; more than 200 worlds are colonised by mankind.
But back to the book. The expedition by the human science/military team is made up of a mixture of characters - an extremist admiral, who puts the safety of the Empire before his own beliefs, a captain belonging to the royalty, an exasperatingly narrow-minded science minister, and a reclusive astrologer are just a few of these.
The novel contains just the right amount of mystery and revelation to keep you trapped and spellbound right the way through - even up to the very last few pages. In conclusion, the Moties and the novel they reside within are well worth a look. More than that, they deserve many hours of your undivided attention.
Rating: 5
Summary: Deserves its accolades
Comment: Though I'm an inveterate Heinlein fan, in my personal list of best all time SF novels, this one is at the top. The story is gripping and the ideas are thought-provoking.
I think a couple of the negative reviewers may have read over some parts too quickly and missed some of the details. I found the future human society quite believable. Everything old is new again, and their society is actually more akin to Victorian England than modern day America.
The aliens' psychology and motivation are beautifully structured, and their society and history have depth. You'll first be sympathetic to them, then scared, and then... well, I'll let you judge yourself.
The climax is intense, and caps the book well. It also sets up the sequel, which is a decent read, but not nearly up to the standards of this book.
If someone from Hollywood is reading, this book would make a great movie. It would certainly be light years better than another goofy Aliens sequel.
Rating: 4
Summary: the middle was awesome!
Comment: I didn't think that the beginning was all that great. Though, oddly enough, once I finished the book I actually liked the beginning. The middle of this book is where you begin to see how amazing it is. The aliens are extremely cool and I loved the whole multi-species and "intelligence through instinct" ideas. I gave Mote four stars because of the ending; it was a bit of a let down, though I don't know how they could have ended it better.
In general, the characters were great. I thought that the authors did a really good job of portraying people in power. I often find that authors seem to think that merely telling the reader that a character is in a position of power is enough to BELIEVE the character in that position. Niven and Pournell really make you understand why the characters are where they are.
I would recommend Mote for the characters and the kick *ss aliens.
 |
Title: Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle ISBN: 0449208133 Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 12 May, 1985 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Footfall by Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven ISBN: 0345323440 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 12 April, 1986 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: The Gripping Hand by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle ISBN: 0671795740 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
 |
Title: Ringworld by Larry Niven ISBN: 0345333926 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 12 September, 1985 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven ISBN: 0345334302 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 12 November, 1985 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
