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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The relentless exploitation of the known universe series continues. In this technically competent and pacey narrative Niven and his henchman Lerner expand the story of the New Terrans and bring in a replacement character for the now damaged Sigmund Ausfaller. After the events of the last volume Ausfaller is not quite the man he once was and cannot be trusted by Nessus to act as an appropriate scout for the Puppeteers. Enter one of the best characters to ever have his back-story over expanded, Louis Wu.
I won't spoil the plot but needless to say this unfolding narrative mess takes place well before we meet Louis again in Ringworld and takes some of the throw-away hints of his life and expands them to the nth degree to provide an entry point into the story. So we meet Louis in disguise as a drug addled mercenary on Wunderland and in dire need of a deus ex machina aid. Enter Nessus and the plot, such as it is, swings into action. After a few pages though the ghost of old EE "Doc" Smith settled onto my shoulder and the hoary old tropes of 1930s space opera descended upon me. Boarding space craft after nuking them? Check! Convoluted booby traps and plot twists? Check! Ham fisted political shenanigans? Check! The lists goes on and on and whilst this is a readable book, in fact I finished it in a single setting, it has just booted more of the heart out of the Known Universe and made it a less magical place. Frankly Larry my own eight year old imagination filled in the gaps around Louis Wu a damn sight better than this book or any of this series has.
But of course you can safely ignore this review, because I, like so many other sci-fi readers of a certain age will buy anything with "Larry Niven" in the author bar on reflex. But please, for the sake of our memories and the sake of your own reputation. Stop now.
I won't spoil the plot but needless to say this unfolding narrative mess takes place well before we meet Louis again in Ringworld and takes some of the throw-away hints of his life and expands them to the nth degree to provide an entry point into the story. So we meet Louis in disguise as a drug addled mercenary on Wunderland and in dire need of a deus ex machina aid. Enter Nessus and the plot, such as it is, swings into action. After a few pages though the ghost of old EE "Doc" Smith settled onto my shoulder and the hoary old tropes of 1930s space opera descended upon me. Boarding space craft after nuking them? Check! Convoluted booby traps and plot twists? Check! Ham fisted political shenanigans? Check! The lists goes on and on and whilst this is a readable book, in fact I finished it in a single setting, it has just booted more of the heart out of the Known Universe and made it a less magical place. Frankly Larry my own eight year old imagination filled in the gaps around Louis Wu a damn sight better than this book or any of this series has.
But of course you can safely ignore this review, because I, like so many other sci-fi readers of a certain age will buy anything with "Larry Niven" in the author bar on reflex. But please, for the sake of our memories and the sake of your own reputation. Stop now.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By B. Vallance
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The 'Known Space' universe of Larry Niven is quite excellent.
The 'Fleet of Worlds' series by Niven and Lerner is also very good, but this final book in the series which leads up to the classic 'Ringworld' is, a book too far in the series and does not mesh very well with the future (Ringworld)
The creation of fictional alien species is very difficult and successful attempts are rare, other than humans that look slightly different. Larry Niven did very well with the Puppeteer species a long time ago with their herd instincts and constant fear and paranoia. Niven & Lerner did an outstanding job with the underwater group minds of the Gw'oth in earlier novels.
In this one, instead of being alien, they both behave as if they were humans. The authors have destroyed their previous outstanding work in this sloppy novel.
There are also serious editing errors in Ch.40 (Significant chunks of text repeated, slightly changed).
Sorry (from an admirer) but this is NOT up to standard.
The 'Fleet of Worlds' series by Niven and Lerner is also very good, but this final book in the series which leads up to the classic 'Ringworld' is, a book too far in the series and does not mesh very well with the future (Ringworld)
The creation of fictional alien species is very difficult and successful attempts are rare, other than humans that look slightly different. Larry Niven did very well with the Puppeteer species a long time ago with their herd instincts and constant fear and paranoia. Niven & Lerner did an outstanding job with the underwater group minds of the Gw'oth in earlier novels.
In this one, instead of being alien, they both behave as if they were humans. The authors have destroyed their previous outstanding work in this sloppy novel.
There are also serious editing errors in Ch.40 (Significant chunks of text repeated, slightly changed).
Sorry (from an admirer) but this is NOT up to standard.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This series of collabarative books act as glue for Larry Nivens earlier works set in known Space.
The Piersons Puppeteers have raised a group of humans to use as scouts and explorers while they steer their entire solar system out of the galaxy.
These orphan humans become more and more suspicious of the puppeteers motives and things eventually come to a head.
Each book presents a secret history of events that explain how and why various other novels came to occur.
As such it really has very little dramatic impact unless you have read larry nivens known space series.
Most of these books and this one is no exception lead up to the Ringworld novels.
Rather than being a prequel - its a more or less throw away fluff piece with little of Nivens magic touch.
As such it reads as a rather derivative piece where L.N has lent his name and universe to Mr Lerner.
I did enjoy all the books in this series but while reading them I was acutely aware that it was only because they reminded me of all of Nivens best works.
If you are a huge niven fan you will enjoy this - if not dont bother.
The Piersons Puppeteers have raised a group of humans to use as scouts and explorers while they steer their entire solar system out of the galaxy.
These orphan humans become more and more suspicious of the puppeteers motives and things eventually come to a head.
Each book presents a secret history of events that explain how and why various other novels came to occur.
As such it really has very little dramatic impact unless you have read larry nivens known space series.
Most of these books and this one is no exception lead up to the Ringworld novels.
Rather than being a prequel - its a more or less throw away fluff piece with little of Nivens magic touch.
As such it reads as a rather derivative piece where L.N has lent his name and universe to Mr Lerner.
I did enjoy all the books in this series but while reading them I was acutely aware that it was only because they reminded me of all of Nivens best works.
If you are a huge niven fan you will enjoy this - if not dont bother.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Betrayer of Worlds (Fleet of Worlds)
Rock on Niven
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Published 19 months ago by A. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great gift
I purchased this item for a present for my Dad
as this was part of a series I feel Amazon would benefit from ensuring that all books in a series were together under one... Read more
as this was part of a series I feel Amazon would benefit from ensuring that all books in a series were together under one... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Gibberish79
5.0 out of 5 stars
no betrayal here
Once again Larry Niven produces a great tale set in known space. If you like Niven then you'll enjoy this book.
Published 23 months ago by Mr. R. Davies
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