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Ringworld: The Graphic Novel #1
Ringworld: The Graphic Novel, Part One
A modern science fiction classic, Larry Niven's Ringworld won the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel in 1970. Now this SF classic is adapted into a thrilling manga adventure by Robert Mandell and Sean Lam.
In The Graphic Novel, Part One , two-hundred-year-old human Louis Wu is recruited by a two-headed alien named Nessus to join him, a catlike warrior alien named Speaker, and the infinitely lucky human Teela Brown to explore an alien artifact.
They find a Ringworld, a ribbon millions of miles long built around a distant sun. The civilization has fallen into savagery, though, and after crashing into the Ringworld, Louis must come up with a clever plan to get back to known space, hundreds of light years away.
In The Graphic Novel, Part One , two-hundred-year-old human Louis Wu is recruited by a two-headed alien named Nessus to join him, a catlike warrior alien named Speaker, and the infinitely lucky human Teela Brown to explore an alien artifact.
They find a Ringworld, a ribbon millions of miles long built around a distant sun. The civilization has fallen into savagery, though, and after crashing into the Ringworld, Louis must come up with a clever plan to get back to known space, hundreds of light years away.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
88 people are currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Larry Niven
687 books3,301 followersLaurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths.
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
November 14, 2022
This was a great graphical version of the sci-fi classic by Niven. It is drawn in manga-style ans features our favorite passengers of the Lying Bastard on their ill-fated, not to say less than lucky despite Teela, voyage to the amazing Ringworld. This volume breaks off in the middle of the story just as Speaker-to-Animals gets zapped by the killer sunflowers. Argh!
The second volume seems to be at collector status because prices on Amazon and so forth are north of $30! For a manga? Really?
The second volume seems to be at collector status because prices on Amazon and so forth are north of $30! For a manga? Really?
July 13, 2014
The book reminded me of why I liked the original novel. You get exactly what the title says. This is a black and white graphic novel or manga style book of Niven's Ringworld. I read the soft cover version in an evening, and found it sort of like a visual cliff notes of Niven's story. All of the major plots of the novel are covered.
It starts with an overview of the human-kzin war and proceeds to the Puppeteer, Nessus, recruiting Louis Wu and others on a secret mission, which is to explore Ringworld. They first visit the Puppeteer home worlds, and then proceed to Ringworld, where they crash. They then take off in flying vehicles to reach the rim wall. They have a disastrous encounter with some of the hairy natives, and then escape to continue their quest for the rim wall.
Part 1 ends at the point where the Kzin's (Speaker's) flycycle is attacked, which from my copy of Niven's Ringworld is at page 200 of 342, so this graphic novel covers a bit over 1/2 of the story.
I'm over 60 years old, and read Ringworld long ago. I had no problem with the size of the text or reading it in this form. I found the book a nice quick summary that brought to mind all of the story elements I had enjoyed. I found Nessus reminded me for some reason of Jar Jar Binks, but otherwise I liked how the characters were drawn. A couple of panels I found confusing, but otherwise they flow smoothly.
A very nice addition at the end of the book is a timeline of Ringworld events and a summary of the various 'Worlds of Known Space'. I really enjoyed reading these.
Look, this is not a novel, it's a comic book, so the depth of a novel is not there. I found it a nice reminder of why I liked Ringworld to begin with, and am now sitting down to reread the novel. I wonder what a young person who has never read Ringworld would make of this book?
It starts with an overview of the human-kzin war and proceeds to the Puppeteer, Nessus, recruiting Louis Wu and others on a secret mission, which is to explore Ringworld. They first visit the Puppeteer home worlds, and then proceed to Ringworld, where they crash. They then take off in flying vehicles to reach the rim wall. They have a disastrous encounter with some of the hairy natives, and then escape to continue their quest for the rim wall.
Part 1 ends at the point where the Kzin's (Speaker's) flycycle is attacked, which from my copy of Niven's Ringworld is at page 200 of 342, so this graphic novel covers a bit over 1/2 of the story.
I'm over 60 years old, and read Ringworld long ago. I had no problem with the size of the text or reading it in this form. I found the book a nice quick summary that brought to mind all of the story elements I had enjoyed. I found Nessus reminded me for some reason of Jar Jar Binks, but otherwise I liked how the characters were drawn. A couple of panels I found confusing, but otherwise they flow smoothly.
A very nice addition at the end of the book is a timeline of Ringworld events and a summary of the various 'Worlds of Known Space'. I really enjoyed reading these.
Look, this is not a novel, it's a comic book, so the depth of a novel is not there. I found it a nice reminder of why I liked Ringworld to begin with, and am now sitting down to reread the novel. I wonder what a young person who has never read Ringworld would make of this book?
November 14, 2021
On a very (and I mean, very) basic level science fiction can be divided into two categories – Star Wars – like and Black Mirror – like. I’m a huge fan of the latter and not much of one of the former, but this book is allegedly a genre classic and in graphic adaptation it seemed worth checking out.
Was it, though? Well, turns out it really, really wasn’t for me, not only the contents, but the execution – this freaking thing is manga. I don’t like manga, this book has done nothing to change my mind. The people all look the same, weird, basic, near expressionless. On top of it, the art was black and white, which every so often works, but most of the time just looks like someone wanted to save on a colorist. Why would you draw this grand space adventure without color? Seriously?
The plot seemed pretty basic too – an intrepid forever 25 but really 200-year-old space adventurer, two funky looking aliens and a babe go have a space adventure and discover the titular ringworld. There’s some mildly amusing banter along the way. That’s about it. Somehow Nivel had spun out worlds and worlds of sequels and prequels out of it, but then again that’s Star Wars all over for you.
So, no, this reviewer didn’t love the book and it had absolutely nothing to do with sexism – the thing so many other reviewers on GR seem to be having a conniption about, because this reviewer (being an intelligent mature adult who understands historical context) isn’t going to b*tch and moan about the depiction of women in the book. This was 50 years ago; things were different 50 years ago. Things haven’t changed all that much, really. Just look at the recently (finally) freed Britney, who perpetuated for years under a medieval-like in its paternalism protectorship of her father. Women still get paid less than men for the same jobs. Burn your bra on the modern battlefield, don’t go analyzing old books from your present-day hyperwoke perspective – you will find them wonting. The world (literary and otherwise) didn’t start with you and owes absolutely nothing to your modern delicate sensibilities. Contextualize, people, contextualize.
Ok, soapbox away, back to review, to conclude it with…no, not impressed, not with the art, not with the story, don’t care to read more. It goes by quickly, but that’s about it. And still no to manga.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
Was it, though? Well, turns out it really, really wasn’t for me, not only the contents, but the execution – this freaking thing is manga. I don’t like manga, this book has done nothing to change my mind. The people all look the same, weird, basic, near expressionless. On top of it, the art was black and white, which every so often works, but most of the time just looks like someone wanted to save on a colorist. Why would you draw this grand space adventure without color? Seriously?
The plot seemed pretty basic too – an intrepid forever 25 but really 200-year-old space adventurer, two funky looking aliens and a babe go have a space adventure and discover the titular ringworld. There’s some mildly amusing banter along the way. That’s about it. Somehow Nivel had spun out worlds and worlds of sequels and prequels out of it, but then again that’s Star Wars all over for you.
So, no, this reviewer didn’t love the book and it had absolutely nothing to do with sexism – the thing so many other reviewers on GR seem to be having a conniption about, because this reviewer (being an intelligent mature adult who understands historical context) isn’t going to b*tch and moan about the depiction of women in the book. This was 50 years ago; things were different 50 years ago. Things haven’t changed all that much, really. Just look at the recently (finally) freed Britney, who perpetuated for years under a medieval-like in its paternalism protectorship of her father. Women still get paid less than men for the same jobs. Burn your bra on the modern battlefield, don’t go analyzing old books from your present-day hyperwoke perspective – you will find them wonting. The world (literary and otherwise) didn’t start with you and owes absolutely nothing to your modern delicate sensibilities. Contextualize, people, contextualize.
Ok, soapbox away, back to review, to conclude it with…no, not impressed, not with the art, not with the story, don’t care to read more. It goes by quickly, but that’s about it. And still no to manga.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
May 16, 2021
I've read Ringworld many years ago and instead of re-reading it for a book club I decided to try this out.
I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but the graphical depictions of the aliens was more comedic then I think was intended and it made the story hard(er) to take serious. Otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward rendering of the first half of the book.
I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but the graphical depictions of the aliens was more comedic then I think was intended and it made the story hard(er) to take serious. Otherwise, it's a fairly straightforward rendering of the first half of the book.
October 6, 2014
Original review by John posted at Layers of Thought.
Niven’s classic award-winning 1970 science fiction story turned into a graphic novel.
Description: It is 2850 and space adventurer Louis Wu is celebrating his 200th birthday. Thanks to boosterspice he still has the physique and mental agility of a twenty year old, and he has wealth that allows him to do almost anything that he wants. But he feels like he has done it all already and he is bored.
Enter Nessus, a two-headed alien Pierson’s Puppeteer. He offers Louis the chance to join him on a mysterious and dangerous mission well beyond the boundaries of Known Space, using a secret new ship that can travel thousands of times faster than anything humans have experienced. Louis cannot refuse. They are joined by two additional carefully selected crew members, a fearsome catlike warrior Kzin and a human that has been genetically bred for good luck.
Initially they travel to Nessus’ home world where they are told that the mission’s destination is a strange ring-shaped world that circles a star. They are to explore the artificially created ringworld that is some 600 million miles in circumference and a million miles wide. The flat inner surface of the world is equivalent to some three million Earth-sized planets and it may potentially be habitable.
When their space ship crash-lands on the ringworld and they are apparently stranded, their adventures have only just begun.
John’s thoughts: Where to start with this one? I’d have to say that this graphic novel version of a classic science fiction story has probably not been created with me in mind. I’ve read the original book and loved it – and the graphic novel can’t really add anything. Indeed, one of the great things about the original was the depth and the detail of the story. In this format there is no chance of replicating that depth and many parts of the story leap ahead far too quickly for my liking.
I’d also have to say that the graphic representation of Nessus is quite disappointing – though goodness knows he is near impossible to satisfactorily translate into graphic form. I think he is one of those creations that just works better in your imagination than it possibly can in pen and ink. Louis Wu too doesn’t jive at all with how I pictured him.
That being said it is a great story and I’m sure that many newcomers to Niven’s novel will enjoy it. I’d rate the book 3 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction in graphic novel format; I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has read the original. Any potential readers should be warned that this is only “part one” and covers just the first half of Ringworld. It isn’t a standalone story so don’t expect any logical conclusions to the plot at the end of this book.
A closing thought – I do love some graphic novels (Watchmen and Britten and Brulightly are two of the most highly-rated books that I have ever reviewed), but reading a graphic novel version of something you’ve already read in full and loved is probably not a great idea. It seems to me that you’re always going to be left wanting more.
Niven’s classic award-winning 1970 science fiction story turned into a graphic novel.
Description: It is 2850 and space adventurer Louis Wu is celebrating his 200th birthday. Thanks to boosterspice he still has the physique and mental agility of a twenty year old, and he has wealth that allows him to do almost anything that he wants. But he feels like he has done it all already and he is bored.
Enter Nessus, a two-headed alien Pierson’s Puppeteer. He offers Louis the chance to join him on a mysterious and dangerous mission well beyond the boundaries of Known Space, using a secret new ship that can travel thousands of times faster than anything humans have experienced. Louis cannot refuse. They are joined by two additional carefully selected crew members, a fearsome catlike warrior Kzin and a human that has been genetically bred for good luck.
Initially they travel to Nessus’ home world where they are told that the mission’s destination is a strange ring-shaped world that circles a star. They are to explore the artificially created ringworld that is some 600 million miles in circumference and a million miles wide. The flat inner surface of the world is equivalent to some three million Earth-sized planets and it may potentially be habitable.
When their space ship crash-lands on the ringworld and they are apparently stranded, their adventures have only just begun.
John’s thoughts: Where to start with this one? I’d have to say that this graphic novel version of a classic science fiction story has probably not been created with me in mind. I’ve read the original book and loved it – and the graphic novel can’t really add anything. Indeed, one of the great things about the original was the depth and the detail of the story. In this format there is no chance of replicating that depth and many parts of the story leap ahead far too quickly for my liking.
I’d also have to say that the graphic representation of Nessus is quite disappointing – though goodness knows he is near impossible to satisfactorily translate into graphic form. I think he is one of those creations that just works better in your imagination than it possibly can in pen and ink. Louis Wu too doesn’t jive at all with how I pictured him.
That being said it is a great story and I’m sure that many newcomers to Niven’s novel will enjoy it. I’d rate the book 3 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction in graphic novel format; I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has read the original. Any potential readers should be warned that this is only “part one” and covers just the first half of Ringworld. It isn’t a standalone story so don’t expect any logical conclusions to the plot at the end of this book.
A closing thought – I do love some graphic novels (Watchmen and Britten and Brulightly are two of the most highly-rated books that I have ever reviewed), but reading a graphic novel version of something you’ve already read in full and loved is probably not a great idea. It seems to me that you’re always going to be left wanting more.
September 23, 2018
I bought this graphic novel because it was really cheap, I regret it. I didn't like it at all, I was dreading to even read it and it's super short.
May 12, 2022
It felt like a lot of story jammed into a little space and still, not much happened. And this girl! "teach her a lesson," like she's a child. And have lots of sex with her. Is she a person to you or just a thing to be used? so far, unimpressed. I will read the other half tho.
October 4, 2016
Graphic novel adaptation of the first part of the first "Ringworld" novel. The plot stays true to the original source, which is good and bad. It's great to see the characters' reactions to the plotting and intrigue between alien races, especially when those aliens are portrayed in highly expressive manga-style drawings. But some parts, such as a few unnecessarily long, drawn out travel sequences, should have been shortened to keep things moving and introduce more action and conflict in this first volume.
December 9, 2020
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Ringworld graphic novel duology. I borrowed this from the library.
Story (3/5): Four beings journey to a mysterious Ringworld in hopes of having a place for sentient beings to flee to when the universe ends in 20,000 years. This is an old story redone in graphic novel format. I liked the concept behind the story but it seemed oversimplified here. I read the original book a really, really long time ago (in high school) and don’t remember much about it except I thought it was kind of boring.
Characters (1/5): I pretty much hated how the characters here were done. Nessus was not at all how I had pictured him. Louis Wu is an overconfident asshole. Speaker, the Kzin, is just always angry and has no more dimensions beyond his anger. And….don’t even get me started on Teela, she’s basically on the trip because she is lucky, super hot, and apparently Louis needed someone to have sex with anytime they take a break on their journey. They are awful characters and just well...awful.
Setting (3/5): I love the concept and setting of the Ringworld and it was portrayed okay here. We actually don’t see a lot of it in this book.
Writing/Drawing Style (2/5): The drawing in here is mediocre at best. Some of the action scenes are very hard to follow. There isn’t a lot of detail and way too much text is crammed in on the panels. The dialogue is awkward and the whole thing is generally poorly written and just didn’t translate well to graphic novel format. There is way too much over explaining as well. This is done in a manga-like format but without chapters and you read it in the standard English direction (front to back, left to right).
My Summary (2/5): Overall this was pretty bad. I finished it but I wouldn’t recommend it. The characters are poorly done and over simplified. The drawing and dialogue is awkward. The whole thing is just kind of a mess and this story doesn’t translate well into a manga-like format. I am not planning on reading the second volume and would recommend skipping this.
Story (3/5): Four beings journey to a mysterious Ringworld in hopes of having a place for sentient beings to flee to when the universe ends in 20,000 years. This is an old story redone in graphic novel format. I liked the concept behind the story but it seemed oversimplified here. I read the original book a really, really long time ago (in high school) and don’t remember much about it except I thought it was kind of boring.
Characters (1/5): I pretty much hated how the characters here were done. Nessus was not at all how I had pictured him. Louis Wu is an overconfident asshole. Speaker, the Kzin, is just always angry and has no more dimensions beyond his anger. And….don’t even get me started on Teela, she’s basically on the trip because she is lucky, super hot, and apparently Louis needed someone to have sex with anytime they take a break on their journey. They are awful characters and just well...awful.
Setting (3/5): I love the concept and setting of the Ringworld and it was portrayed okay here. We actually don’t see a lot of it in this book.
Writing/Drawing Style (2/5): The drawing in here is mediocre at best. Some of the action scenes are very hard to follow. There isn’t a lot of detail and way too much text is crammed in on the panels. The dialogue is awkward and the whole thing is generally poorly written and just didn’t translate well to graphic novel format. There is way too much over explaining as well. This is done in a manga-like format but without chapters and you read it in the standard English direction (front to back, left to right).
My Summary (2/5): Overall this was pretty bad. I finished it but I wouldn’t recommend it. The characters are poorly done and over simplified. The drawing and dialogue is awkward. The whole thing is just kind of a mess and this story doesn’t translate well into a manga-like format. I am not planning on reading the second volume and would recommend skipping this.
August 4, 2019
Okay... So I read these two graphic novels backwards. I found part 2 in a Half Price Books store quite a few months ago, and being such a HUGE HUGE HUGE Larry Niven's Known Space fan, I just absolutely had to get it. And seeing as how I had already read the entirety of all the Known Space books, let alone Ringworld... I said fuckit at just read the second part first...
Then the other day, I just happened across this copy of part 1 in a different Half Price Books. So of course I had to get it to complete the collection and go back and finish reading the graphic novel adaptation by reading the first part.
Now the same things bother me with this one as did the second part. Basically the artwork is pretty terrible, rushed, and half-assed... The story is greatly chopped up and the timing is pretty much ruined in many many cases by this adaptation. They probably should have extended this into a 4 or 5 part series, and that would have helped immensely. But it is what it is. And at least I can say that I DID like this half of the series more than the second half.
Its really pretty sup-par as far as graphic novels and comics go... buuuuuuut it's also Ringworld, and it's Known Space... so I'm instantly going to like it at least to some degree right off the bat just for that. So I'll actually give this one a 4-star rating, when it should honestly probably get more of a 3 (and to those who have no idea what Ringworld or Known Space is, they'd probably give it a 2, to be honest :/ lol)
Then the other day, I just happened across this copy of part 1 in a different Half Price Books. So of course I had to get it to complete the collection and go back and finish reading the graphic novel adaptation by reading the first part.
Now the same things bother me with this one as did the second part. Basically the artwork is pretty terrible, rushed, and half-assed... The story is greatly chopped up and the timing is pretty much ruined in many many cases by this adaptation. They probably should have extended this into a 4 or 5 part series, and that would have helped immensely. But it is what it is. And at least I can say that I DID like this half of the series more than the second half.
Its really pretty sup-par as far as graphic novels and comics go... buuuuuuut it's also Ringworld, and it's Known Space... so I'm instantly going to like it at least to some degree right off the bat just for that. So I'll actually give this one a 4-star rating, when it should honestly probably get more of a 3 (and to those who have no idea what Ringworld or Known Space is, they'd probably give it a 2, to be honest :/ lol)
May 22, 2020
Kind of an interesting story, and it does leave on a cliffhanger because it's only Part 1 of the first book. I found the story getting more exciting along the way, although I mostly couldn't stand the characters. A crew of four goes to explore a ringworld that has been discovered. The four includes Nessus, a Puppeteer (a species that looks kind of like a camel with two snakes for heads); Speaker, a Kzin (rat-cat type being), Louis Wu, a human space adventurer, and Teela, a woman. However, I didn't really like any of the characters. In particular, Speaker is angry and violent almost 100% of the time and is drawn in a creepy way; Louis is full of himself and Teela, well, the only reason she got selected for this special crew, as far as I can tell, is that she has a hot body and is apparently lucky. (What other skills could a space adventurer possibly need?)
I did find the story line interesting though. I might perhaps pick up the actual novel at some point to read it, and hopefully imagine the characters in a less grating way. Also, I hope that with the longer novel, there will be more character and world development. But, as far as a quick, couple-hour read of a graphic novel, this wasn't bad.
I did find the story line interesting though. I might perhaps pick up the actual novel at some point to read it, and hopefully imagine the characters in a less grating way. Also, I hope that with the longer novel, there will be more character and world development. But, as far as a quick, couple-hour read of a graphic novel, this wasn't bad.
December 17, 2024
**Ringworld: Graphic Novel Part One** by Larry Niven is a brilliant adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel that truly captivates its readers. It draws you in with an exciting storyline that is both imaginative and thought-provoking. The characters are well-developed and compelling, each with their own unique personalities and motivations that add depth to the narrative.
The world-building is extraordinary, painting a vivid picture of the Ringworld with its incredible scale and detail. This graphic novel does a fantastic job of bringing the awe-inspiring landscapes and intricate designs of the Ringworld to life. The artwork is stunning, with beautifully crafted panels that enhance the storytelling and immerse the reader in this futuristic universe.
Overall, **Ringworld: Graphic Novel Part One** is a must-read for fans of science fiction and graphic novels alike. It's thrilling and engaging, with a perfect blend of narrative and visual art. I, like you, am eagerly looking forward to Part Two, hoping it continues to deliver the same high-quality experience.
Happy reading! 📚✨
The world-building is extraordinary, painting a vivid picture of the Ringworld with its incredible scale and detail. This graphic novel does a fantastic job of bringing the awe-inspiring landscapes and intricate designs of the Ringworld to life. The artwork is stunning, with beautifully crafted panels that enhance the storytelling and immerse the reader in this futuristic universe.
Overall, **Ringworld: Graphic Novel Part One** is a must-read for fans of science fiction and graphic novels alike. It's thrilling and engaging, with a perfect blend of narrative and visual art. I, like you, am eagerly looking forward to Part Two, hoping it continues to deliver the same high-quality experience.
Happy reading! 📚✨
March 19, 2023
What a terrible terrible graphic novelisation of what I gather is meant to be a great story?
I gave up 33% of the way in because it was just utter crap. Was this intentionally aimed at a 12 year old audience? The artwork was childishly cartoonish, the story seemed to jump about randomly as though panels were missing from the story, there was no flow, and what the hell happened to the main character Louis in the start? He had a bald head and single plaited ponytail, then all of a sudden he was naked in bed with the female anime character with a full head of shorter messy hair, and this was the style he carried on with him. The puppeteer was an incredibly frustrating character. I get that they’re supposed to be a little crazy after moving the homeworlds, but it was just stupid looking, stupid sounding and downright frustrating! Think an ostrich with 2 snake heads and the personality of Jar Jar Binks.
What a waste of time it was reading even 1 third of this garbage.
I gave up 33% of the way in because it was just utter crap. Was this intentionally aimed at a 12 year old audience? The artwork was childishly cartoonish, the story seemed to jump about randomly as though panels were missing from the story, there was no flow, and what the hell happened to the main character Louis in the start? He had a bald head and single plaited ponytail, then all of a sudden he was naked in bed with the female anime character with a full head of shorter messy hair, and this was the style he carried on with him. The puppeteer was an incredibly frustrating character. I get that they’re supposed to be a little crazy after moving the homeworlds, but it was just stupid looking, stupid sounding and downright frustrating! Think an ostrich with 2 snake heads and the personality of Jar Jar Binks.
What a waste of time it was reading even 1 third of this garbage.
September 30, 2017
The ultimate interstellar road trip, with Louis as The Easygoing Guy, Speaker as The Jock, Nessus as The Weird Friend and Teela as The Girl With Few Lines.
Good old Ringworld. I grew up on wrinkled old Niven paperbacks and this is a worthy manga-fied novel. Not the best art, but you also have to work within your budget and timeline. There are some minor changes to the plot here and there, and Teela is less useless - some of the things Louis says and does are swapped with her - Louis slips on the raw scrith for example, not her. The oftentimes dry writing of the original is converted into charming and engaging panels.
Even though it's the kind of "cliff notes" version of Ringworld, it's still a worthwhile buy if you are a fan. If you're new to it, you may actually find it much easier to get into it because a lot of people struggle with the descriptions.
Good old Ringworld. I grew up on wrinkled old Niven paperbacks and this is a worthy manga-fied novel. Not the best art, but you also have to work within your budget and timeline. There are some minor changes to the plot here and there, and Teela is less useless - some of the things Louis says and does are swapped with her - Louis slips on the raw scrith for example, not her. The oftentimes dry writing of the original is converted into charming and engaging panels.
Even though it's the kind of "cliff notes" version of Ringworld, it's still a worthwhile buy if you are a fan. If you're new to it, you may actually find it much easier to get into it because a lot of people struggle with the descriptions.
March 21, 2022
I did not plan on reading the graphic novel version of this story, it was an accident via the library's website. I figured I would read it anyway, and if I found myself intrigued, would read the "real" thing.
I was not intrigued. Much.
I didn't care for any of the characters, the artwork was basic, I found most of the panels jarring, and the story was just fodder. I can't think of a better word to describe how incessant and jumpy the storyline was. Nor can I imagine how dumbed down this novel must be from the original work.
There are some interesting ideas suggested, but I'm not sure I want to explore any of them further.
I was not intrigued. Much.
I didn't care for any of the characters, the artwork was basic, I found most of the panels jarring, and the story was just fodder. I can't think of a better word to describe how incessant and jumpy the storyline was. Nor can I imagine how dumbed down this novel must be from the original work.
There are some interesting ideas suggested, but I'm not sure I want to explore any of them further.
November 22, 2018
It was okay. I approached this adaptation having never read Niven's classic 1970s novel, Ringworld, or its sequels, though I have read several of Niven's collaborations with Jerry Pournelle from that period.
The art is decent.
The dialogue feels stilted.
The story is chauvinist. While the adaptation team perhaps deserves kudos for faithfulness to the novel in this regard, I didn't care for the attitude.
Evaluated purely as an adventure romp, the story is too long and characters are too shallow. Two stars.
[Same review for Volume #2 of the Graphic Novel Adaptation]
The art is decent.
The dialogue feels stilted.
The story is chauvinist. While the adaptation team perhaps deserves kudos for faithfulness to the novel in this regard, I didn't care for the attitude.
Evaluated purely as an adventure romp, the story is too long and characters are too shallow. Two stars.
[Same review for Volume #2 of the Graphic Novel Adaptation]
November 14, 2020
I hope the original material was better because this is a novel I have high expectations about. Unfortunately this graphic novel/manga adaptation wasn't good. Thin story, thinner characters and nothing that got my attention I also have the second part, but I have no intention of reading it after reading this one. Let's hope I will be more lucky with the original novel!
June 13, 2021
I vaguely recall reading this when I was a teenager. I remember the cat people and the weird sci fi language and most of all I remember the immensity and the scale of the
Concept. A good revisit in a graphic form - without wading through the now dated social and racial structure of a novel of the past.
Art is on, dialogue is dated, but the concept is intact.
Concept. A good revisit in a graphic form - without wading through the now dated social and racial structure of a novel of the past.
Art is on, dialogue is dated, but the concept is intact.
February 16, 2023
Sci fi classic in graphic form.
Good black and white artwork, though many fans complained it should be in color and that nessus was too goofy. It's also a two parter? Still a Hugo quality story I've read a dozen times. The ringworld is a massive object with the potential of 3 million worlds.
Good black and white artwork, though many fans complained it should be in color and that nessus was too goofy. It's also a two parter? Still a Hugo quality story I've read a dozen times. The ringworld is a massive object with the potential of 3 million worlds.
April 18, 2024
2.5/5, more succinct adaptation
Bit of a mixed bag, the art's okay if rather minimal. It's a quicker read than the novel, but the abridging makes for some disjointed transitions where it seems like pages went missing. In that regard, I guess this is for people that prefer comics to novels or want to see visual depictions of the races, characters, settings etc.
Bit of a mixed bag, the art's okay if rather minimal. It's a quicker read than the novel, but the abridging makes for some disjointed transitions where it seems like pages went missing. In that regard, I guess this is for people that prefer comics to novels or want to see visual depictions of the races, characters, settings etc.
December 4, 2018
I'm not a big fan of the manga-style artwork but I did enjoy seeing Larry Niven's universe brought to life. I'm curious to see if Amazon moves forward with their plans to make it into a television series. I'd love to see the Kzin in action. Imagine Klingons but as badass cat people.
January 5, 2021
Revisiting Ringworld in graphic form
Well drawn art, a fantastic story, and intriguing concepts, this volume introduces us to the ancient and enormous Ringworld. Looking forward to volume two.
Well drawn art, a fantastic story, and intriguing concepts, this volume introduces us to the ancient and enormous Ringworld. Looking forward to volume two.
August 3, 2022
Yikes! I have never read the Ringworld novels but I can tell this doesn't do it justice. It is like the artist was given a different script than what the writer wrote. A real shame. The world seems like a fun one.
December 29, 2023
I read the original Ringworld novel many years ago and I enjoyed it.
I thought I'd give the graphic novel a go, but it is not great.
I mean, the artwork is fine, in a manga comic kind of way, but the novel doesn't seem to have transferred well to this medium.
I thought I'd give the graphic novel a go, but it is not great.
I mean, the artwork is fine, in a manga comic kind of way, but the novel doesn't seem to have transferred well to this medium.
May 22, 2019
I wish I had started with the original novel... this was terrible!!
April 24, 2021
a great story, but I don't remember it this way. Drawing is a bit amateur sometimes.
December 10, 2023
Not my preferred art style, but conveyed the story well enough. Of course it ends on a big cliffhanger!
December 20, 2023
Awesome!
March 12, 2017
I think because of the paperback format, it was a little hard to clearly see the graphics with the spine interfering with the pictures. Also, the paper quality made the pictures look poorly rendered at times so I found myself really straining to see WHAT was being portrayed. I liked this because RingWorld is one of my all time favorites but slightly disappointed in this product. A full color glossy book would have made it perfect.
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