Preview
  • The Ringworld Engineers

  • The Ringworld Series, Book 2
  • By: Larry Niven
  • Narrated by: Richard Powers
  • Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (2,373 ratings)

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The Ringworld Engineers

By: Larry Niven
Narrated by: Richard Powers
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Publisher's summary

It’s been 20 years since the quixotic and worldsweary Louis Wu discovered the Ringworld. Now he and SpeakertoAnimals are going back, captives of the Hindmost, a deposed puppeteer leader.

With Louis’ help, the Hindmost intends to regain his status by bringing back such extraordinary treasures from the Ringworld that his fellow puppeteers will have to be impressed. But when they arrive, Louis discovers that the Ringworld is no longer stable - and will destroy itself within months. To survive, he must locate the control center of the legendary engineers who built the planet.

His quest becomes a wild and gripping venture blended with the mysteries and spectacular technologies that only Larry Niven can conjure.

©1980 Larry Niven (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The Ringworld Engineers has all the imaginativeness, convincing detail, and narrative vivacity that have come to be associated with the works of Larry Niven. Furthermore, it answers a lot of questions that have been tantalizing his readers for a long time. Most highly recommended!” (Poul Anderson)

What listeners say about The Ringworld Engineers

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Porn in Space!

Any additional comments?

I am a huge Niven fan, and grew up reading his short stories and known space books. It was one of the great highlights of my young life and had a major impact on leading me into the scientific careers I have worked in over the years. However, something went sideways when he started writing sequels to Ringworld.

Somehow, Larry Niven developed an obsession with sex, nudity, and ritualistic cross-species sex. I am not at all a prude. I enjoy sexual material as much as the next guy, but not as a primary plot device in hard science fiction.

These plot-killers grew slowly over the first two sequels and began to obscure the true story. In Engineers, the story somehow survived between bouts of sex. But in Throne, the story pretty much disappeared beneath a sea of absurd and unnecessary lecherous writing.

I have tried several times to slog through these sequels, but always end up giving up somewhere within Thrones. It breaks my heart to say this about one of my literary heroes, but I would not recommend reading the Ringworld saga beyond the first, and truly amazing, book: "Ringworld".

I WOULD, however highly recommend any of the early Known Space novels. I would also say that Larry Niven is one of the all time great short story authors, so be sure to pick up all of his early short story collections, such as Neutron Star, Convergent Series, A Hole In Space, and several others.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible imagination of Niven!!

A science fiction lover's dream. Original thinking, mind boggling science, Incredible character, a great performance.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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aliens or ring world

louie and speaker again on ring world but more exploring its wonderful exciting thrilling sad happy if you liked the 1st this is great too

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Better than the first one

This might not be the most popular opinion, but this is such a fun and exciting story that it actually makes the first book (which I did enjoy) look mediocre in comparison. The first book will lead you to believe that the ringworld is an empty and desolate place, but here it is revealed that is everything but. It is a vast and marvelous world full of strange wonders and fascinating inhabitants. A word of warning, however, if you found the risque nature of the first title off-putting...well...let's just say sex actually plays an strange but interesting role in the culture of the Ringworld's inhabitants...and there is a decent amount of it. So if that's not really your thing, it might not be for you. Personally I didn't mind it at all though. I think it's done tastefully.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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A Sci-Fi classic but showing it's age - again

Written 10 years after Ringworld it's better but still showing it's age and I find Niven's use of sex in this novel rather odd, bordering on creepy and nonsensical. Still, a good read if you've nothing else and it's fun going back to books I read when I was a kid.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book, Great narrator

this is a great sequal to Ringworld and the narrator does a great job of bringing all the characters to life

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I love Larry Niven!!!

physics AND an imagination - A perfect combination. I've never been let down by any novel by Larry Niven.

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Loved it!

I enjoyed this one every bit as much as the first novel. I thought the narrator did a very good job despite the other reviews I read to the contrary. Looking forward to listening to the next sequel!

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Just as awesome as the first book!

Read Ringworld, Book 1, and then you have to read this book 2 Engineers. Awesome.

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Tres bien!!

Good stuff! The narrator has respect for the source material and that's necessary for a story like this. Thanks, Larry Niven!

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