Larry
Niven’s Ringworld is a reread for me.
This novel, originally published in 1970, tells the story of four adventurers
who explore a mysterious alien mega-structure. Set in the far future, humankind
has begun colonizing the galaxy. Humans have also encountered and interacted
with several sentient alien species.
This
is a very character-driven book. The list of protagonists consist of: Louis Wu,
a playboy who is also intelligent, philosophical and enlightened; Teela Brown,
a young woman who has a strange, possibly psychically-based, tendency to
experience nothing but good luck; Speaker to Animals, a member of an alien race
of feline-like warriors called the Kzin; and Nessus is a member of an alien
species called Pierson's Puppeteers.
The Puppeteers
are key to the plot. They are two-headed Tripods. Their extreme caution is
manifested in enormous cowardice. They are also an extremely advanced civilization
that is capable of moving entire planets over vast distances.
The
story hinges on the fact that The Puppeteers have discovered a massive,
artificial ring structure orbiting around a remote star. Its surface is so big
that its landmass would encapsulate a million Earths. Its origin, as well as
the origin of those who built it, is unknown. The Puppeteers are afraid to mount
their own expedition, thus the book’s protagonists are recruited to explore the
Ringworld. The narrative details their wanderings on the object. Upon reaching
the Ringworld, they discover that the once advanced civilization that occupied the
mega-structure has collapsed into near barbarism. The expedition proceeds to have encounters
with all sorts of amazing aliens and phenomena.
Though
it is considered, and does loosely fit into the category of hard science fiction,
this book is, above all else, fun. The characters are entertaining, and their
interactions between each other are as interesting as they are amusing. The
adventure that they partake in is grand. The description of both the Ringworld as
well as the various planets and technology encountered by the expedition is chocked
full of wonder and is imaginative. In addition to all of this, the book is
funny. Niven has a dry but active sense of humor, and all of the characters are
all amusing.
An
idea of the playful/serious/imaginative mix of the book is illustrated in the
below passage which describes Louis Wu being attacked by an individual, the
“hairy man,” followed by a mob,
“The blow was light, for the hairy man was
slight and his hands were fragile. But it hurt. Louis was not used to pain.
Most people of his century had never felt pain more severe than that of a
stubbed toe. Anaesthetics were too prevalent, medical help was too easily
available. The pain of a skier's broken leg usually lasted seconds, not
minutes, and the memory was often suppressed as an intolerable trauma.
Knowledge of the fighting disciplines, karate, judo, jujitsu, and boxing, had
been illegal since long before Louis Wu was born. Louis Wu was a lousy warrior.
He could face death, but not pain. The blow hurt. Louis screamed and dropped
his flashlight-laser. The audience converged. Two hundred infuriated hairy men
became a thousand demons; and things weren't nearly as funny as they had been a
minute ago. “
Though
the novel brings the reader into contact with incredible things and Niven has
put a lot of thought into the science, the physics, biology, astronomy, psychology,
etc., is described in enough detail to be interesting but never so much detail
to be boring. The author makes many of these fanciful events and objects
plausible. There is also a lot of monumental things going on in the universe,
such as the existence of the humongous Ringworld itself, the movements of
entire planets, galactic explosions, genetic breeding programs that can alter
the course of civilizations, etc. Big issues are addressed, such as human
evolution, free will, the fate of civilizations, the nature of human suffering,
etc. All of this is presented in fascinating and imaginative ways that are
never pretensions.
There
are philosophical themes floating around. The issue of control is present throughout
the narrative. Individuals are constantly trying to control each other, and
entire species are often attempting to control other species. As the tale
progresses, Teela Brown becomes more central to the book’s themes. Her tendency
to be “lucky” has a profound effect on those around her. Everything just falls into place in ways that
benefit her. This may be impinging on
the free will of those around her. This is not always portrayed as a good
thing. There is a libertarian tendency and a strong message championing
individual freedom here. Having read a
few of Niven’s works, I can say that in the 1980s his books displayed a more
traditionally Conservative view, which seems to have evolved from this earlier
stage.
Many
people consider this novel a science fiction classic. This book, along with
Niven’s entire Known Space series, of
which Ringworld is a part, has
achieved cult status. A Google search
reveals dozens of websites, some very extensive, devoted to the technology,
aliens, characters and philosophy of the books that make up the Known Space series. This series includes
many books, including several direct sequels to the Ringworld, of which I have
read a few. I may read or reread a few more books in the series.
The book is far from perfect. Niven’s prose never
rises above the mediocre. While the author does philosophize a lot, the philosophy
tends to be simplistic and does not show a lot of complexity or nuance. In the
end, however, this book’s virtues rise above its flaws.
This
is an intelligent and fun work of science fiction. It is populated by lively
and amusing characters and ideas. It tackles a lot of big issues in unpretentious
ways. I highly recommend this novel to anyone
who likes well thought out but entertaining stories of wonder.
