Words fail me ...
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... as they obviously did the authors. Still, I'll try. Flat; insipid; and lightweight all point toward the disaster that is Fleet of Worlds. I found nothing there that had not been either explicit or implicit in previous works with the possible exception of the Puppeteers' supposed "final" destination - and even this was suggested as a possibility rather than a fact. If you must read this effort - and believe me, it was an effort - go to the library.
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They're too Human!
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A reasonable addition to the 'Known Space' universe but the Aliens are just too human in behavoiur and attitudes.
They were distinctly alien in the other books
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Average read
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Fleet of Worlds, in my opinion, was more enjoyable than some of Niven's work. I liked it better than the last two Ringworlds, or his books about the fire god magic. The scene is set well enough. Familiarity with Known Space is not really necessary. The characters feel similar to a lot of other Niven protagonists. Not a bad thing, but they are not unique in the same way some of his earlier heroes are.
The plot is OK and there is some interest maintained in the Puppeteer culture. All in all, an average read.
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Never enough fiction about the puppeteers but.....
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Pacey novel dealing with the human refugees on the fleet of worlds alluded to by the Hindmost in Ringworld Engineers. Simply structured conspiracy, betrayal, conflict and escape narrative which neatly delivers an excellent page turning story with lovely descriptive nuances about the fleet of worlds and the lives of the human travellers.
My only gripes are about the characterisations of the Puppeteers themselves, to me they felt too human, they are utterly alien and pictured in their home setting, so why did they come across as more human than the human refugees? Assigning human emotions and motives to alien creations is a mistake all too often made by Science Fiction writers as a short cut to enable the reader to empathise with or at least understand the motives of alien characters but it's the last mistake I'd have expected Larry Niven to make after his utterly compelling alien characterisations of the past, from Moties to Puppeteers in other "known universe" tales.
Additionally, in an attempt to contextualise the puppeteers, some of their glamour has been removed, they don't come across as quite as god like as they appear in other novels and tales and for me that slightly diminishes the whole body of their stories. I liked them inhumanly powerful, conservative, careful and ruthless. These pseudo human aliens were a bit too wet for my tastes.
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Secrets of the Puppeteers - before the Ringworld's discovery
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It's always a pleasure to learn a little more about Known Space and especially the fearsomely clever but cowardly Puppeteers.
This is a satisfying and typically pacy romp through that world. I was left with two nagging doubts. Do Niven and Lerner achieve the difficult job of persuading us that it is believable that Humans could compete against superior numbers and intelligence? Is the Puppeteers Fleet of Worlds exodus really the least risk even for a cowardly herd of herbivores?
Still the sheer exuberance of the story telling and the beautiful ideas that spin out make this an entertaining read
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