ed.rybicki
1/2/2014
I agonise over whether I should give this 4 stars, or the 3.5 I gave it... or whether I should make it a favourite or not...and the answer is "No".
If Niven had written this alone, possibly. But it is Pournelle's influence which - sadly - causes me to not like this as much as I might have.
Kingdoms in a future galactic history? Really?? Along with all that pseudo-aristocracy; I am sorry, it just does not ring true. It's as if they had hired Poul Anderson to assist Neal Asher, it does not work that well for me.
Which is a huge pity, because the Moties are FANTASTIC. So too the concept of being secluded in their solar system by an accident of physics, and being doomed to an endless and recurring cycle of boom-and-bust.
Still a good book to read - as is its successor and its successor; just don't expect too much from the characterisation.
Which is a pity.
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