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)

Top notch, classic Sci - Fi

Read this twice in my youth so when it recently appeared on Audible I took the opportunity to re-visit it. After a dubious start I found myself sinking into the story and was soon hooked. Still a fantastic story all these years later. Good old straight forward sci-fi with all the elements.
Really enjoyed it.

Excellent Reading

This massive novel is a tour de force of first contact stories. The reader does it justice, using accents and inflections sparingly and when appropriate. I first read this book when I was in my teens, and I've read it several times since, but it never quite came alive for me the way it did with this reading. This 24-hour read actually felt too short to me. Highly recommended!

Sci-fi classic done right

I really enjoyed listening to The Mote in God's Eye; the story line still has relevance, and the first encounter scenario was well done. Worth a second listen!

Good Listen

The narrator is fine, it takes a few minutes to get used to his style but it is not bothersome after you get used to it. The book itself is a fascinating listen for the first 3/4. The last 1/4 which ties up some of the loose ends has less action but a little more intrigue and politics. Overall I really enjoyed this book and finished it in days.

Asimov meets Clarke

This is the first of Larry Niven's books. As an avid SF buff I am surprised that I have never experience his writing. This is a very good book. It has shades of the best writes that I have read. A little Asimov, Wells, Heinlein, and Clarke.
I am very glad I took the chance and got this book the story line is good and stays simple enough to follow easily, but has twists and turns to keep you wondering what will happen next.
A definite listen

One of my dad's favorites and now one of mine

My dad showed me this book when I was younger but I never got around to reading it. It was one of his favorite books and now I can see why. This is science fiction at its best. The imagination and detail that are in this book is mind blowing. This should be required reading.

THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE

I really like this story. Very interesting concepts presented yet related to our current world issues. Very good listen.

Classic sci-fi

This is one of the sci-fi classics. Space battle, politics, and ethical questions are all over this book. If you enjoy those types of stories, then this should be a very enjoyable listen.

Just OK

I was looking forward to this book because I have enjoyed Larry Niven's other books, but this one just seemed to wander around a bit. I knew it was a bit dated when I got it and I was able to get around the the 20th century technology. In the end it just kind of fizzled. I didn't realize I had reached the end of the book until I heard "epilogue". I was thinking these was another part to go.

Slow start but then gripping to the end

Much as others have said, it's start seems long -- primarily to establish universe but, to modern tastes, this could have been condensed.

Once it gets going, the reader is left wondering how things will end.

(very mild & encoded spoiler follows)
A very clever literary device is used: about 5 chapters before the end, the grand secret is revealed and explained to a sub group so the reader knows what to hope the rest will discover. This prunes the last quarter for edge of the seat horror as the reader wants to scream at the characters to realise the danger.
(end spoiler)

I loved the subtle ”internal conversation” insights the reader was given behind different characters' masks though they proceed a little tricky to spy on occasions (especially near the end).

I'm sure others have noted that modern day tablets are described in shocking accuracy (accepting hand writing, on board storage and processing + network access to greater storage and processing)!

All in all, great sci-fi.
-- Crazy Eddie ;-)