3rd in the Ringworld series. Very well done.
Great windup to the Ringworld series
In the this, the third Ringworld volume, Niven loses his way into a fantastical universe. Much more difficult to finish than his earler volumes, this book is of interest to Ringworld fanatics only.
Well... you get some closure, but of the three books, this was definitely my least favorite. I don't know if the "big idea" behind the book has just been finished off or what, but this one wasn't nearly up to the level of the first two (well, the first one was GREAT - 2nd OK and I thought I'd gotten all the closure I really needed).
I hate to say this about a Niven book, but this one is hardly worth the read.
I hate to say this about a Niven book, but this one is hardly worth the read.
This is kind of a mess, actually. The story doesn't go anywhere for a long time; it starts with Louis and Chmeee heading in separate directions and the Hindmost still locked in his ship. There is a long subplot where Varavirgillin leads an assortment of Ringworld hominids against vampires. We drop in on Louis a few times before the Hindmost convinces him to join forces again. But the whole thing is just scattered without a sense of forward motion or solid threat. The vampire war means litte except as an excuse to get some people to the Rim wall. The Protectors are a threat except for the ones that help, there's an invasion that is handily defeated except they are still sitting off in space where they can't be touched. Louis gets rejuvenated again, so I guess that's something. It's too bad since the first two were so good.
