by Larry Niven

isbn: 0345333926
subject: SF, Fiction and Literature
finished: 9/10/2002

Although it contains no memorable personalities, Ringworld does have some memorable characters including an arguably extremely lucky young woman, a Kzin (sentient, warlike cat) with a chip on its shoulder, and a manic-depressive Puppeteer -- a manipulative two-headed alien. Even so, the characters are upstaged by Niven's principal creation: the Ringworld itself, a ring of matter whose shape and size is comparable with the ring described by the Earth's orbit. The plot is driven first by a need to explore the Ringworld and then a need to escape it. The is a fun book. It's a bit slow in places, particularly towards the end, but the writing is good and usually the flow of ideas is rapid enough to keep things entertaining.