The Mote in God's Eye

By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle

Narrated by: L J Ganser

Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Writing separately, Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle are responsible for a number of science fiction classics, such as the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ringworld, Debt of Honor, and The Integral Trees. Together they have written the critically acclaimed best-sellers Inferno, Footfall, and The Legacy of Heorot, among others.

The Mote In God's Eye is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre. No lesser an authority than Robert A. Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read".

©1991 Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• All-Time Best Science Fiction Novels (Locus Magazine)

Good Classic Sci-Fi

If you could sum up The Mote in God's Eye in three words, what would they be?

Solid political storyline.

What did you like best about this story?

I'm always impressed by Sci-Fi writers who can both accurately write about the political landscape of their time and who can predict the type of technology we will use in the future.

Have you listened to any of L J Ganser’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't.

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

Yes.

A Classic

Would you consider the audio edition of The Mote in God's Eye to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed both

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the Moties.

What does L J Ganser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I enjoyed the narration.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

I loved this story when I first read it years ago and still do. Wish the story line had continued through more stories Available on Audible.

Sort of interesting story, but meh delivery

This book was ok. It's an interesting setting and concept, but the story-telling is not great. I'm not meaning the vocal performance, they did fine. The author is good at coming up with an interesting concept, but not at telling an interesting story. The point of view jumps around in disorienting ways. There's no real conflict for the first 2/3 of the book. I was listening like "maybe they'll wipe out humanity... oh well." It took a surprising amount of effort just to keep up with which characters were which. The author is too focused on the space opera and not enough on the human (or motey) drama and story.

Oldie but goldie

I read this book in paper format more than 30 years ago, but I had forgotten how good it really is. When I saw it available in audible format I jumped at the chance to listen to a previous good read.

Some of the reviews I have read are very hard on the book, but I believe that the are looking in the wrong place. What makes this book so interesting and unique, at least to me, was the idea that humans could encounter aliens so different that all of our assumptions would be wrong. How do two species interact when one is general and adaptive in nature and the other is differiented. That is at the core of this story; at least for me.

The process of meeting, all of the mistaken assumptions and the final realization as to just how different the species are is, I believe, a very interesting story with, for new readers, an unknown conclusion.

But listeners should know that this story is from 1974 and hence some of the story line is 35 years out of date. I believe that to be the cause of some of the bad reviews. Perhaps those listeners did not know the copyright date and might have been more charitable to the male-centered character of the story.

All in all I think this is a nearly great book with more than adequate reading.

ALIUMS!

A good book about alien contact and it goes into the depth to which we would likely misunderstand anything that would be alien. Well written with a fair amount of societal and structural understanding. Not as much of a War In Space book as I was concerned about, good mix of military and social sci-fi. Recommended with only slight reservations.

Reader sounds like Zap Branigan

Story is ok (I'm not that far into it but I liked Jerry Pournelle so much after hearing him on This Week in Tech (podcast) with Leo Laporte, that I came over and bought one of his books. )

Only bad (or good) thing is that the guy reading it sounds exactly like Zap Branigan from Futurama.

Generally enjoyed it.

I enjoyed this book though it felt a bit thin on character description and some inter-character relationships were telegraphed right from the beginning with no surprises. But the world (or universe, if you will) created by Niven and Pournelle is fresh and original with many surprises to be found in the details of The Moties and the concept of a wholly alien, non-humanoid species developing space travel.

An enjoyable listen

I must admit I battled to get started, but once through the first few chapters, I really got into the story. I see scope for a great movie.

Must read for any sci fi Geek!

Well written
Great details - "sciencie" the way I like it
Part of the "known universe"
Entertaining and
Fun

Some of the best hard sci fi out there

I once walked into a bookstore and asked the bookseller, "Can you show me where you keep the greatest book ever written." He showed me this book. While I am not entirely sure it is number one, it is one of the best hard sci novels ever. Do it. Now.