Ringworld

By: Larry Niven

Narrated by: Tom Parker

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel, Ringworld remains a favorite among science fiction readers and listeners.

The artifact is a vast circular ribbon of matter, some 180 million miles across, with a sun at its center. Pierson’s puppeteers—strange, three-legged, two-headed aliens—discovered this “Ringworld” in a hitherto unexplored part of the galaxy. Curious about the immense structure, but frightened by the prospect of meeting the builders, they set about assembling a team to explore it:

Louis Wu, human—old and bored with having lived too fully for too many years, seeking an adventure, and all too capable of handling it.

Nessus, puppeteer—a trembling coward from a species with an inbuilt survival pattern of nonviolence. This particular puppeteer, however, is insane.

Speaker-to-Animals, kzin—large, orange-furred, and carnivorous. The kzin are one of the most savage life-forms known.

The party’s expedition, however, goes disastrously wrong when their ship crash-lands and its motley crew faces a daunting trek across thousands of miles of Ringworld territory.

©1970 Larry Niven (P)1996 Blackstone Audiobooks

Old book, new enjoyment

I read this book and loved it when it first was published in the 70's (or was it 80's? lol, I'm getting old). It was fun to hear it again.

Now 'That' was Science Fiction!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes indeed.

What did you like best about this story?

It inspires wonder and adventure. IMP just what anyone reading (or listening) to SciFi is hoping to find.

What does Tom Parker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have listened to many books. Of all, this guy is truly outstanding. I am going to look through his repertoire and listen to more. Even if it is not SciFi.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh in a few places of course. I didn't feel the need to cry and wasn't hoping to find that. The book was written in 1970 and is a wonderful generator of creative thinking.

Any additional comments?

You know it is hard to find what they call "contemporary" SciFi to have the mind warping adventure and scientific wonder I find in these, I guess 'classic' works. Is it because it's harder to generate that with so many topics already covered? I love to hear what others think. Or be pointed in the direction of a few top-notch writers of today.

An old classic!

Would you consider the audio edition of Ringworld to be better than the print version?

I have read to destruction at least three copies of Ringworld over the decades. It's one of the books on my "yearly treat" list--once a year, I re-read it for the sheer pleasure of it. Now, I have a copy I can't ruin as I read it!

The audio version has all the perks of the print version--excellent story, fascinating characters, a narrative that set a very high bar for most science fiction that followed--plus the twin virtues of being able to listen to it whenever I want (reading a book while driving is NEVER a good idea, but listening ...) AND the copy is indestructible.

I'll keep my printed copies safe for now and, instead, add this to my yearly listening playlist!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ringworld?

I continue to be impressed at the various characters Larry Niven manages to weave together, along with all the back-story of the Known Space series. The very fact of the Ringworld itself is one of the most memorable moments in the book--an artifact that can frighten even the mighty puppeteers!

What does Tom Parker bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Oddly enough, it's his enunciation and pronunciation that I am happiest with. Reading the words puts certain tones and audible-cues into your head, including the occasional mispronunciation. Parker's various characterizations are excellent (especially for Speaker and Nessus) as is his ability to pronounce names like Harloprillalar without stumbling!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I've read this book in a single afternoon many times. I actually enjoyed the slower pace brought about by listening to it. The trouble with re-reading a book you're familiar with is that you might skip past phrases, sentences, or even whole pages of "boring" material to get to the good stuff. Parker's rendition, combined with the simple length of audio vs. printed media, stretches out the book. It's not long, by modern standards, but as an audiobook it's riveting stuff!

Any additional comments?

The sequel is high on my list of Things To Purchase With My Next Credit. Of course, that list is LONG. :)

Interesting World building. Mediocre plot

Larry Niven has great world building but it comes at the expense of his characters and plot. The narration is adequate but nothing special. Overall an interesting listen if you like somewhat hard sci fi concepts and are ok with a so-so plot and characters.

Star Trek TOS extended edition

pocked with very dated references. this writer, at least, avoids coloring every sci-fi story with military paint. a trope I'm quite tired of reading. the exploration was interesting but I could easily tell it was written in the 60's.

Poor Narration, Interesting Story

As many others have noted the characters aren't well developed and tend to follow stereotypes. The ideas in the book are fun and you can see the impact of "ring worlds" through other series like Halo.

The narrator made it difficult for me to understand what was going on. His voice was crisp, but everyone sounded the same. I often missed when the 20 year old spoke because it sounded the same as the 200 year old man or the large cat creature.

Dated Sci-fi

Some of the ideas, such as the ring world, were interesting, but most have already been out-paced by current technology. The story was very slow with little action, and there was almost no meaningful character development. The story’s abrupt ending leaves the reader either unsatisfied or happy to be done with the book.

Classic

Ringworld classic. Defines a ringworld for all to fowoll. Great story, pacing, and characters. 5 stars all the way.

Great geographical description of Ring

Terrible narrator of the story. Voice modulation was extremely difficult to listen to all the way.

Great story, with a slow start

What did you love best about Ringworld?

I loved how Larry Niven describes how such a world could exist. And, how he gave a feeling of largeness about the whole thing. The different cultures, and the interesting tech. Some areas felt a little jumpy, like he forgot to connect a few dots, but overall the book was great!