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Fleet of Worlds #4
Betrayer of Worlds
Fleeing the supernova chain reaction at the galactic core, the cowardly Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds have---just barely---survived. They’ve stumbled from one crisis to the next: The rebellion of their human slaves. The relentless questing of the species of Known Space. The spectacular rise of the starfish-like Gw’oth. The onslaught of the genocidal Pak.
Catastrophe looms again as past crises return---and converge. Who can possibly save the Fleet of Worlds from its greatest peril yet?
Louis Wu? Trapped in the Wunderland civil war, all he wants is to go home---but the only possible escape will plunge him into unknowable danger.
Ol’t’ro? The Gw’oth ensemble mind fled across the stars to establish a colony world free from tyranny. But some problems cannot be left behind, and other problems---like the Fleet of Worlds itself---are racing straight at them.
Achilles? Despite past disgrace, the charismatic Puppeteer politician knows he is destined for greatness. He will do anything to seize power---and to take his revenge on everyone who ever stood in his way.
Nessus? The insane Puppeteer scout is out of ideas, out of resources, with only desperation left to guide him.
Their hopes and fears, dreams and ambitions are about to collide. And the winner takes . . . worlds.
Catastrophe looms again as past crises return---and converge. Who can possibly save the Fleet of Worlds from its greatest peril yet?
Louis Wu? Trapped in the Wunderland civil war, all he wants is to go home---but the only possible escape will plunge him into unknowable danger.
Ol’t’ro? The Gw’oth ensemble mind fled across the stars to establish a colony world free from tyranny. But some problems cannot be left behind, and other problems---like the Fleet of Worlds itself---are racing straight at them.
Achilles? Despite past disgrace, the charismatic Puppeteer politician knows he is destined for greatness. He will do anything to seize power---and to take his revenge on everyone who ever stood in his way.
Nessus? The insane Puppeteer scout is out of ideas, out of resources, with only desperation left to guide him.
Their hopes and fears, dreams and ambitions are about to collide. And the winner takes . . . worlds.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2010
51 people are currently reading
1257 people want to read
About the author
Larry Niven
687 books3,304 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 90 reviews
December 21, 2013
I didn’t like this as well as the three preceding ones in the series that represents a prequel to 1970’s Ringworld. But in for a penny, in for a pound. It still satisfies my craving for space opera with big stakes for competing or cooperating alien races and fascinating technologies. If you’ve been reading the series, you will want to read this. It brings Louis Wu on the scene for the first time, a central figure on the later exploratory mission to Ringworld. If you have not read from this prequel series, it’s probably best to start with one or two of the earlier ones before reading this one. That said, material in the rest of this review will be spoilers for those books.
As in the previous books, the core focus of this tale lies in the complex relationship between humans and the Puppeteer species, the two-headed, ostrich-like herbivores who are technologically advanced but cowardly in outlook . A working balance of power and compromise has been established between the Puppeteers and the former slave population of humans they raised on their “Fleet of Worlds”, five planets under acceleration away from the supernovae storm at the galactic core. The human planet broke away as New Terra, but they work with the Puppeteers to deal with threats of species in path of migration. The threat from the aquatic species, the Gw’oth, is on the agenda here.
In the previous books, the Gw’oth were introduced as an aquatic species with tubeworm-like arms in a starfish configuration that could achieve high intelligence by joining together to make a hive-mind. Nice try on a truly alien alien, Larry, but they just didn’t capture my imagination. And ultimately they seem almost human in the way they manipulate and work to dominate other species to assure their survival. Here they are provoked by threats carried out by the dastardly, power-hungry Puppeteer Achilles. The Gw’oth’s propensity to reverse-engineer any technology they encounter leads them to attain quite an upper hand.
The Puppeteer Nessus is the main character most worthy of our empathy and concern, and well known from his appearance in numerous novels in the broader set of books set in the “Known Space” universe. He is a security agent skilled in working with the “regular” humans of Known Space and the New Terrans (while keeping their knowledge of each other secure). Nessus tracks down Louis Wu, son of the brilliant inventor of the nanotech autodoc, and manipulates him to help deal with the threats to the Fleet of Worlds. We know he will develop into an engaging hero in the Ringworld saga, but here he is fairly bland and not very engaging. We do come to see how he has the “right stuff” to team effectively with Nessus and help cut through the madness of interspecies warfare.
With my recent read of “Ringworld’s Children” from the “regular” Ringworld series, I am now in a position to read “The Fate of Worlds”, the merger and culmination both series. The end of a long satisfying ride begun decades ago.
As in the previous books, the core focus of this tale lies in the complex relationship between humans and the Puppeteer species, the two-headed, ostrich-like herbivores who are technologically advanced but cowardly in outlook . A working balance of power and compromise has been established between the Puppeteers and the former slave population of humans they raised on their “Fleet of Worlds”, five planets under acceleration away from the supernovae storm at the galactic core. The human planet broke away as New Terra, but they work with the Puppeteers to deal with threats of species in path of migration. The threat from the aquatic species, the Gw’oth, is on the agenda here.
In the previous books, the Gw’oth were introduced as an aquatic species with tubeworm-like arms in a starfish configuration that could achieve high intelligence by joining together to make a hive-mind. Nice try on a truly alien alien, Larry, but they just didn’t capture my imagination. And ultimately they seem almost human in the way they manipulate and work to dominate other species to assure their survival. Here they are provoked by threats carried out by the dastardly, power-hungry Puppeteer Achilles. The Gw’oth’s propensity to reverse-engineer any technology they encounter leads them to attain quite an upper hand.
The Puppeteer Nessus is the main character most worthy of our empathy and concern, and well known from his appearance in numerous novels in the broader set of books set in the “Known Space” universe. He is a security agent skilled in working with the “regular” humans of Known Space and the New Terrans (while keeping their knowledge of each other secure). Nessus tracks down Louis Wu, son of the brilliant inventor of the nanotech autodoc, and manipulates him to help deal with the threats to the Fleet of Worlds. We know he will develop into an engaging hero in the Ringworld saga, but here he is fairly bland and not very engaging. We do come to see how he has the “right stuff” to team effectively with Nessus and help cut through the madness of interspecies warfare.
With my recent read of “Ringworld’s Children” from the “regular” Ringworld series, I am now in a position to read “The Fate of Worlds”, the merger and culmination both series. The end of a long satisfying ride begun decades ago.
February 15, 2024
Amid infinite blackness, stars blazed, diamond bright. To starboard, a nebula glimmered.
The universe still existed. A bit of the tension he had not admitted to having drained from his body.
Which of these stars were in Known Space? Not knowing made his skin crawl.
Larry Niven was my introduction to grand old hard science fiction, especially with novels like Ringworld and The Mote in God's Eye (which was co-written with Jerry Pournelle and actually takes place in the latter’s CoDominium universe, as opposed to Niven’s Known Space universe).
I really liked Ringworld. I remember when reading it at the time, just how impossible it was to try and imagine what I was reading. Walls 1,000 miles tall? What would that even look like? Not to mention the horizon…
Betrayer of Worlds is touted as “the Prequel to Ringworld”, but more than that it is book four in the “Fleet of Worlds” series. That’s to say, you really can’t just read this as a standalone prequel, you need to read the whole series, starting with Fleet of Worlds. Some readers may disagree with me (this is, for example, the book where we first meet Louis Wu), but for the reader to appreciate the plot I would not advise reading it in isolation. The series is quite good, so you may as well read them all, and in order.
I am subtracting a star here for a very specific reason. From the outset of the series the authors have provided ample reason to dislike the Puppeteers (those manipulative gobshites). The fact that the plot is mostly driven by Puppeteer politics occasionally left me cold. Much like the attitude of the New Terrans, I couldn’t give two hoots what happened to the Concordance.
Even so, it is a lot of fun. I thought this one wasn’t quite as convoluted as some of the other entries in the series. I found it well paced and read through it quite quickly.
Proof of past Concordance ruthlessness lay along the Fleet’s path, not many years’ flight ahead. The alien artifact was enormous; [they] could not fail, in time, to discover it.
Without a doubt, they would send an expedition to explore the ring world. They must never learn of Hearth’s prior involvement there.
Given the penchant of the Puppeteers to manipulate and connive behind the scenes, the culmination of events in Betrayer Of Worlds is somewhat ironic.
Now: I am at a bit of a crossroads. Should I re-read Ringworld and its sequels and risk tainting the golden hue of nostalgia? Or should I just jump right into Fate of Worlds, which supposedly wraps up both storylines (of the Ringworld arc as well as the Fleet of Worlds arc).
The universe still existed. A bit of the tension he had not admitted to having drained from his body.
Which of these stars were in Known Space? Not knowing made his skin crawl.
Larry Niven was my introduction to grand old hard science fiction, especially with novels like Ringworld and The Mote in God's Eye (which was co-written with Jerry Pournelle and actually takes place in the latter’s CoDominium universe, as opposed to Niven’s Known Space universe).
I really liked Ringworld. I remember when reading it at the time, just how impossible it was to try and imagine what I was reading. Walls 1,000 miles tall? What would that even look like? Not to mention the horizon…
Betrayer of Worlds is touted as “the Prequel to Ringworld”, but more than that it is book four in the “Fleet of Worlds” series. That’s to say, you really can’t just read this as a standalone prequel, you need to read the whole series, starting with Fleet of Worlds. Some readers may disagree with me (this is, for example, the book where we first meet Louis Wu), but for the reader to appreciate the plot I would not advise reading it in isolation. The series is quite good, so you may as well read them all, and in order.
I am subtracting a star here for a very specific reason. From the outset of the series the authors have provided ample reason to dislike the Puppeteers (those manipulative gobshites). The fact that the plot is mostly driven by Puppeteer politics occasionally left me cold. Much like the attitude of the New Terrans, I couldn’t give two hoots what happened to the Concordance.
Even so, it is a lot of fun. I thought this one wasn’t quite as convoluted as some of the other entries in the series. I found it well paced and read through it quite quickly.
Proof of past Concordance ruthlessness lay along the Fleet’s path, not many years’ flight ahead. The alien artifact was enormous; [they] could not fail, in time, to discover it.
Without a doubt, they would send an expedition to explore the ring world. They must never learn of Hearth’s prior involvement there.
Given the penchant of the Puppeteers to manipulate and connive behind the scenes, the culmination of events in Betrayer Of Worlds is somewhat ironic.
Now: I am at a bit of a crossroads. Should I re-read Ringworld and its sequels and risk tainting the golden hue of nostalgia? Or should I just jump right into Fate of Worlds, which supposedly wraps up both storylines (of the Ringworld arc as well as the Fleet of Worlds arc).
February 17, 2011
The Known Space universe is a place I've become very impressed with recently. It is full of aliens and ideas I'd never seen before and I like it.
Larry Niven and Edward Lerner have teamed up again for a sequel to Destroyer of Worlds (2009) [US] [UK] and another prequel to Ringworld (1970) [US] [UK]. Betrayer of Worlds (2010) [US] [UK] is the fourth in this series and as far as I'm aware, also the final installment...for now. :)
Ringworld has made famous the idea of worlds circling a star, a result of Niven imagining a more efficient version of the Dyson Sphere. This idea has permutated the genre showing up in Iain M. Banks' Culture series, Alistair Reynolds' House of Suns, and even Halo (the video game).
Betrayer of Worlds begins with Nathan Graynor (a.k.a. Louis Wu), who is someone people who've read the original Ringworld will recognize. I've yet to read the original, but I did just find it at a used bookstore, so expect a review of that sometime (just don't hold your breath).
Nathan Graynor ended up on the planet Wunderland after a series of unpleasant occurrences, one of which landing him in a hospital, addicted to painkillers.
It is in these set of circumstances that Nathan/Louis is found by Nessus, a member of one of the craziest species of aliens/creatures I've probably ever encountered in my readings. They have two heads, two hearts, two mouths, and hooves. They are also prone to extreme bouts of paranoia and easily apt to catatonia under the smallest amounts of pressure or fear. They are the Puppeteers. So named by humans because of their tendency to do whatever they possibly can to reduce their paranoia - involving no small amount of scheming and conniving to get their way.
At first, I was afraid that the tendency of the Puppeteers toward paranoia would be too comical or take too much away from the story, but it really just ends up being a funny aspect that plays well into the world and plot. Really well done.
After searching, with futile results, for Louis' famous fathers (step and natural), his last option is their offspring, Louis, hoping he will have similar skills to save Nessus and the rest of the Puppeteers from possible disaster caused by the sociopathic, Achilles, who has possibly brought the Puppeteers into conflict with another alien species, the Gw'oth.
The Gw'oth are another interesting species who have developed in technology in a fraction of the time of any other advanced species, having the ability to reverse-engineer almost anything and then improving greatly thereon. The Gw'oth don't play a huge role in the story, outside of the looming threat, but they do add something I don't think I've ever seen in a naming scheme, the second apostrophe. A major player of the Gw'oth, Ol't'ro, is a 16-plex mind that is the leader of a colony planet of the Gw'oth. I really just wanted to show you his name though. :)
There's lots of good space action and only limited reference to the technology used, probably because most of it's been explained already, but I know that scares some people away. The focus is mainly on the story, the action, the "betrayals" as mentioned in the title and it's certainly entertaining.
A lot of the story revolved around the hulls of the ships, the indestructible General Products hulls, which I thought was a bit odd and I really wish the Gw'oth played a bigger part, but other than that I quite enjoyed Betrayer of Worlds and definitely need to get back to the story's roots with Ringworld and its sequels.
Why Should You Read Betrayer of Worlds?
Betrayer of Worlds gives a lot of backstory to a universe made famous by Larry Niven. It's entertaining enough in its own right, but for fans of the world/universe, it's really worth it. Betrayer of Worlds stands on its own with a fully-contained story, although it does reference plenty of earlier events, so beware of spoilers if you plan on only grabbing this one.
3.5 out of 5 stars
Larry Niven and Edward Lerner have teamed up again for a sequel to Destroyer of Worlds (2009) [US] [UK] and another prequel to Ringworld (1970) [US] [UK]. Betrayer of Worlds (2010) [US] [UK] is the fourth in this series and as far as I'm aware, also the final installment...for now. :)
Ringworld has made famous the idea of worlds circling a star, a result of Niven imagining a more efficient version of the Dyson Sphere. This idea has permutated the genre showing up in Iain M. Banks' Culture series, Alistair Reynolds' House of Suns, and even Halo (the video game).
Betrayer of Worlds begins with Nathan Graynor (a.k.a. Louis Wu), who is someone people who've read the original Ringworld will recognize. I've yet to read the original, but I did just find it at a used bookstore, so expect a review of that sometime (just don't hold your breath).
Nathan Graynor ended up on the planet Wunderland after a series of unpleasant occurrences, one of which landing him in a hospital, addicted to painkillers.
It is in these set of circumstances that Nathan/Louis is found by Nessus, a member of one of the craziest species of aliens/creatures I've probably ever encountered in my readings. They have two heads, two hearts, two mouths, and hooves. They are also prone to extreme bouts of paranoia and easily apt to catatonia under the smallest amounts of pressure or fear. They are the Puppeteers. So named by humans because of their tendency to do whatever they possibly can to reduce their paranoia - involving no small amount of scheming and conniving to get their way.
At first, I was afraid that the tendency of the Puppeteers toward paranoia would be too comical or take too much away from the story, but it really just ends up being a funny aspect that plays well into the world and plot. Really well done.
After searching, with futile results, for Louis' famous fathers (step and natural), his last option is their offspring, Louis, hoping he will have similar skills to save Nessus and the rest of the Puppeteers from possible disaster caused by the sociopathic, Achilles, who has possibly brought the Puppeteers into conflict with another alien species, the Gw'oth.
The Gw'oth are another interesting species who have developed in technology in a fraction of the time of any other advanced species, having the ability to reverse-engineer almost anything and then improving greatly thereon. The Gw'oth don't play a huge role in the story, outside of the looming threat, but they do add something I don't think I've ever seen in a naming scheme, the second apostrophe. A major player of the Gw'oth, Ol't'ro, is a 16-plex mind that is the leader of a colony planet of the Gw'oth. I really just wanted to show you his name though. :)
There's lots of good space action and only limited reference to the technology used, probably because most of it's been explained already, but I know that scares some people away. The focus is mainly on the story, the action, the "betrayals" as mentioned in the title and it's certainly entertaining.
A lot of the story revolved around the hulls of the ships, the indestructible General Products hulls, which I thought was a bit odd and I really wish the Gw'oth played a bigger part, but other than that I quite enjoyed Betrayer of Worlds and definitely need to get back to the story's roots with Ringworld and its sequels.
Why Should You Read Betrayer of Worlds?
Betrayer of Worlds gives a lot of backstory to a universe made famous by Larry Niven. It's entertaining enough in its own right, but for fans of the world/universe, it's really worth it. Betrayer of Worlds stands on its own with a fully-contained story, although it does reference plenty of earlier events, so beware of spoilers if you plan on only grabbing this one.
3.5 out of 5 stars
January 16, 2020
An addictive series about Niven’s universe. In it, stories that were published ages ago, as in the 1960’s are ingeniously connected to what’s happening in this series. This series is best read after the ringworld series and after the earlier story collections about known space.
November 27, 2013
(One more Known Space book to end a Niven jag. And none more fitting than this direct prequel to the classic Ringworld which closes the loop of the Ringworld and Fleet of World series.)
Betrayer of Worlds is all about the Puppeteers and the Gw'oth. The Puppeteers are the favorite "sock" puppets in Fleet of Worlds. They were targets of the revolting humans of Nature Preserve 4, and of the fearsome Pak protectors in earlier books. Here, their flight from the exploding galactic core comes athwart with the emerging Gw'oth, intelligent starfish who are in the midst of their own civil war.
The Gw'oth exhibit an exponential development aided by their ability to form super minds through physical melding. The ensemble mind Ol't'ro has colonized a world along the path of the Fleet of Worlds migration. As several parties head his way, Ol't'ro must apply a chessman's precise strategic and tactical response to escape disaster. Among those headed his way: an armada from the Gw'oth homeworld regime seeking to re-conquer the secessionists, Achilles, the Puppeteer magalomaniac in search of his lost glory, the peripatetic scout, Nessus, seeking information his race can use to subvert the Gw'oth, and with Nessus, the human, Louis Wu, newly rehabilitated from painkiller addiction. Both Ausfaller and Alice Jordan from the Known Space chronology of previous and subsequent books have cameo appearances.
The authors set up a thrilling action sequence as all the parties converge on one lonely planet carrying planet-busters and fusion suppressors. The writing is quite typically spare and active, and the story progresses free of non-sequiturs and head-scratchers. The relationship between Alice and Louis is developed with stronger emphasis on human emotion, a sharp contrast to the sex-based hook-up of Louis and Teela in Ringworld. The first part of the book is spent reviewing previously visited threads, helpful to understand the context of the rest of the book, but repetitive to those who have read the whole series.
The resolution is once again satisfying in its stunning simplicity. Well worth the journey. Changing my rating to 5 stars based on this re-read.
(And with this, the only remaining books on the Niven re-read list are the Motie novels. Time for a break and discover new SF writers.)
Betrayer of Worlds is all about the Puppeteers and the Gw'oth. The Puppeteers are the favorite "sock" puppets in Fleet of Worlds. They were targets of the revolting humans of Nature Preserve 4, and of the fearsome Pak protectors in earlier books. Here, their flight from the exploding galactic core comes athwart with the emerging Gw'oth, intelligent starfish who are in the midst of their own civil war.
The Gw'oth exhibit an exponential development aided by their ability to form super minds through physical melding. The ensemble mind Ol't'ro has colonized a world along the path of the Fleet of Worlds migration. As several parties head his way, Ol't'ro must apply a chessman's precise strategic and tactical response to escape disaster. Among those headed his way: an armada from the Gw'oth homeworld regime seeking to re-conquer the secessionists, Achilles, the Puppeteer magalomaniac in search of his lost glory, the peripatetic scout, Nessus, seeking information his race can use to subvert the Gw'oth, and with Nessus, the human, Louis Wu, newly rehabilitated from painkiller addiction. Both Ausfaller and Alice Jordan from the Known Space chronology of previous and subsequent books have cameo appearances.
The authors set up a thrilling action sequence as all the parties converge on one lonely planet carrying planet-busters and fusion suppressors. The writing is quite typically spare and active, and the story progresses free of non-sequiturs and head-scratchers. The relationship between Alice and Louis is developed with stronger emphasis on human emotion, a sharp contrast to the sex-based hook-up of Louis and Teela in Ringworld. The first part of the book is spent reviewing previously visited threads, helpful to understand the context of the rest of the book, but repetitive to those who have read the whole series.
The resolution is once again satisfying in its stunning simplicity. Well worth the journey. Changing my rating to 5 stars based on this re-read.
(And with this, the only remaining books on the Niven re-read list are the Motie novels. Time for a break and discover new SF writers.)
November 3, 2011
Three and a half stars, interesting plot but I clearly was missing some context. The cover of the book said it was a prequel to Ringworld, but from the reviews on the back cover, there's another book (Fleet of Worlds) that I obviously missed.
The usual set of talking heads with no bodies. Even when the main human male falls for a women, he thinks about her with his brain instead of his other head. I just don't find those kinds of characters complete; it's like they're big ten year olds or something.
I like how Niven is trying to tie together all the different races in Known Space, but I suspect I would have gotten more out of it had I read the other book. I do appreciate the attempt to characterize different aliens and how they'd think, especially _insane_ aliens. The aliens don't seem much more driven by their mating drive as the humans. Too bad there aren't any Kzinti in here to take great offence and slash a few others up.
And I have to say it, as much as I enjoy the plot, what kind of SF writer would come up with not one, not two, but THREE different alien races without sentient females? (The other two races are not in this book, just the Puppeteers/Citizens.)
The usual set of talking heads with no bodies. Even when the main human male falls for a women, he thinks about her with his brain instead of his other head. I just don't find those kinds of characters complete; it's like they're big ten year olds or something.
I like how Niven is trying to tie together all the different races in Known Space, but I suspect I would have gotten more out of it had I read the other book. I do appreciate the attempt to characterize different aliens and how they'd think, especially _insane_ aliens. The aliens don't seem much more driven by their mating drive as the humans. Too bad there aren't any Kzinti in here to take great offence and slash a few others up.
And I have to say it, as much as I enjoy the plot, what kind of SF writer would come up with not one, not two, but THREE different alien races without sentient females? (The other two races are not in this book, just the Puppeteers/Citizens.)
January 5, 2018
Betrayer of Worlds is the fourth book in the Fleet of Worlds prequel series to Ringworld. Out of the four books, it's the laziest one and was rather boring.
Nessus, the Puppeteer, decides to rescue a young Louis Wu from the dangerous civil war raging on Wunderland. He tells Louis he needs him to help stop a plot by Achilles, a power hungry Puppeteer, to destroy the Gw'oth, an alien race that has a colony right in the middle of the Puppeteer homeworld flight path.
Betrayer follows where Destroyer of Worlds ends. However, Sigmund has a smaller role. Louis is promoted to main interesting human character, but unfortunately he is not very interesting.
Neither are really any of the characters in the book. It's surprising, since some of them have been around for multiple books and have established backstories and personalities. All the characters are flat on the page. Even Nessus, my favorite, felt like a pale imitation.
Much of the Fleet of World series involves a lot of ret-conning. Ringworld was written in 1970, and since then Niven has had new ideas about the characters, and he's tried to put it all in the Fleet of World series with an attempt to match it up to the original source material.
It works with the alien characters, since they are generally mysterious, but the human characters it doesn't work so well. Louis Wu, as an adult, is the main protagonist of Ringworld.
In Betrayer of Worlds he goes on a grand adventure with Nessus when he is younger, but his memory gets wiped at the end, so that's why in Ringworld Louis has no idea. Very convenient. Louis's parentage is also ret-conned a lot in the series, but it didn't seem as bad as making up a whole adventure to be forgotten.
The writing style felt especially choppy and short. I don't know if Niven was maybe less involved in the writing in this one, and Lerner took on most of the duties? At times it was really hard to read because there was no flow. Just short, punctuated sentences.
I'll be glad to finally get to the last book in this Ringworld extended series. Known Space is a great universe, but it doesn't seem like Niven wants to explore new characters and places so much, and instead keeps recycling back what he has already used.
Nessus, the Puppeteer, decides to rescue a young Louis Wu from the dangerous civil war raging on Wunderland. He tells Louis he needs him to help stop a plot by Achilles, a power hungry Puppeteer, to destroy the Gw'oth, an alien race that has a colony right in the middle of the Puppeteer homeworld flight path.
Betrayer follows where Destroyer of Worlds ends. However, Sigmund has a smaller role. Louis is promoted to main interesting human character, but unfortunately he is not very interesting.
Neither are really any of the characters in the book. It's surprising, since some of them have been around for multiple books and have established backstories and personalities. All the characters are flat on the page. Even Nessus, my favorite, felt like a pale imitation.
Much of the Fleet of World series involves a lot of ret-conning. Ringworld was written in 1970, and since then Niven has had new ideas about the characters, and he's tried to put it all in the Fleet of World series with an attempt to match it up to the original source material.
It works with the alien characters, since they are generally mysterious, but the human characters it doesn't work so well. Louis Wu, as an adult, is the main protagonist of Ringworld.
In Betrayer of Worlds he goes on a grand adventure with Nessus when he is younger, but his memory gets wiped at the end, so that's why in Ringworld Louis has no idea. Very convenient. Louis's parentage is also ret-conned a lot in the series, but it didn't seem as bad as making up a whole adventure to be forgotten.
The writing style felt especially choppy and short. I don't know if Niven was maybe less involved in the writing in this one, and Lerner took on most of the duties? At times it was really hard to read because there was no flow. Just short, punctuated sentences.
I'll be glad to finally get to the last book in this Ringworld extended series. Known Space is a great universe, but it doesn't seem like Niven wants to explore new characters and places so much, and instead keeps recycling back what he has already used.
January 18, 2011
Originally posted at: http://jawasreadtoo.wordpress.com/201...
I am reviewing a copy provided by the publisher.
Nathan Graynor has been to war and survived only to become an addict. Nessus is an alien that requires the assistance of a very specific person, but decides his son might do just as well. When Nessus rescues Nathan from a miserable fate, he also cures the physical ailments caused by withdrawal on a machine invented by his father and informs the ex-soldier that his real name is Louis Wu.
The Ringworld, a collection of planetary bodies traveling through space to avoid a natural disaster years before it happens, is under threat of a war that might or might not happen. Nathan, now Louis, must draw on a sketchy history of his family’s reputation for genius, his own inherent intelligence, and his ability to trust Nessus to save thousands of innocents from potential destruction.
Betrayer of Worlds is a prequel to Larry Niven’s long-running Science Fiction series, Ringworld. It has the potential to be a great starting point for novice Niven readers like myself, who might be overwhelmed with the daunting number of Ringworld titles already published. Despite the description as a prequel, Betrayer of Worlds has the feel of an established series. The prose has a relaxed and easy delivery of tricky, in-universe things—such as Puppeteers, Resistance, aristos, etc—without compromising the fluid manipulation and introduction of the same terms for new readers.
This relieved the already convoluted and complicated plot largely involving Puppeteer politics, which relies heavily on ponderous scientific outcomes. Louis and Nessus frequently agonize cerebrally over the minutiae of time, distance, and speed between different types of starships and whether perceived aggressive behavior is only a combination of paranoia and bad timing. There are frequent moments in the narrative where Louis retreats into his genius to solve problems that sometimes resolve themselves. Add to that a vengeful, constantly thwarted villain making one desperate move after the next and the plot becomes a series of anticlimactic moments in which the heroes finally manage to prevent nothing.
This new reader couldn’t help but wonder if any one of these characters (Nessus, Achilles, Sigmund Ausfaller, Louis Wu, etc…) have recurring roles in other Ringworld novels (or even if the Puppeteers and the Ringworld itself are consequential by way of existing familiarity, “Oh no, the Puppeteers are at it again.”). The implication is one that favors fans of the series rather than newcomers who are not very invested in their outcomes yet. Fans might take this as just another adventure, but I found it difficult to appreciate beyond the basic premise—how does Louis prevent a war?
The only major disappointment other than my inability to connect to the characters or the environment, which doesn’t necessarily make this a bad novel, is knowing that the book is not just written by Larry Niven. It’s co-authored by Edward M. Lerner, a physicist who no doubt had his hand in the numerous abstract problem solving found in abundance in Betrayer of Worlds. Surely, without having read anything other than excerpts of Niven’s work (and a short story or two), I’m not in the best place to judge who wrote which sections, or how the practical aspects of the partnership were handled, but I can’t help feeling Lerner had a large involvement in the science of this book. Mostly that’s an opinion drawn around the idea that many of the more tense moments throughout the book were entirely reliant on science and not, as I would have presumed, Puppeteer politics, although that is definitely there. The co-authorship by itself isn’t bad; many authors work smoothly together, enough that it normally wouldn’t matter. Although in this case, superficially, it means I still haven’t read a Niven novel that’s purely Niven!
Despite this, I’m glad for Lerner’s involvement because I felt, even if I was confused at times, that for such a politically consequential novel, the true consequence and drama was in the science itself. The strength of Betrayer of Worlds was in its science, tempered by the strange novelty of Niven’s Puppeteers. In fact, I think I liked the aliens more than I did the humans. While I would have loved to appreciate the Ringworld more, that’s an element that presumed reader familiarity and something best left to previous novels.
As much as there is to enjoy about this novel (inter-species tension, threat of war, scientific-based drama, aliens that almost defy description), there were some stylistic choices I found distracting. The narrative frequently explained itself, which I assume is meant to engage less astute readers, or is meant to display each character’s ability to understand the subtle sparring contained within different forms of communication (verbal, physical, etc…). For example:
I can see how this would be helpful—even necessary—to some readers, but I felt that it unnecessarily undermined reader intelligence by presuming an inability to follow along properly. As did the frequent division of chapters into parts that proved more disruptive to my reading experience than helpful. I found them a bit jarring and without any extra effect an ordinary chapter break wouldn’t already accomplish. Within the scope of what the novel was doing well and where I felt disconnected, this was less detrimental and more of a quiet bother.
Overall, Betrayer of Worlds works as part of an existing whole. I’d imagine it’s much more fulfilling for Ringworld fans than newcomers, but there is still something in the suspense that made for good reading. And who knows? I may become more invested if I decide to start from the beginning.
I am reviewing a copy provided by the publisher.
Nathan Graynor has been to war and survived only to become an addict. Nessus is an alien that requires the assistance of a very specific person, but decides his son might do just as well. When Nessus rescues Nathan from a miserable fate, he also cures the physical ailments caused by withdrawal on a machine invented by his father and informs the ex-soldier that his real name is Louis Wu.
The Ringworld, a collection of planetary bodies traveling through space to avoid a natural disaster years before it happens, is under threat of a war that might or might not happen. Nathan, now Louis, must draw on a sketchy history of his family’s reputation for genius, his own inherent intelligence, and his ability to trust Nessus to save thousands of innocents from potential destruction.
Betrayer of Worlds is a prequel to Larry Niven’s long-running Science Fiction series, Ringworld. It has the potential to be a great starting point for novice Niven readers like myself, who might be overwhelmed with the daunting number of Ringworld titles already published. Despite the description as a prequel, Betrayer of Worlds has the feel of an established series. The prose has a relaxed and easy delivery of tricky, in-universe things—such as Puppeteers, Resistance, aristos, etc—without compromising the fluid manipulation and introduction of the same terms for new readers.
This relieved the already convoluted and complicated plot largely involving Puppeteer politics, which relies heavily on ponderous scientific outcomes. Louis and Nessus frequently agonize cerebrally over the minutiae of time, distance, and speed between different types of starships and whether perceived aggressive behavior is only a combination of paranoia and bad timing. There are frequent moments in the narrative where Louis retreats into his genius to solve problems that sometimes resolve themselves. Add to that a vengeful, constantly thwarted villain making one desperate move after the next and the plot becomes a series of anticlimactic moments in which the heroes finally manage to prevent nothing.
This new reader couldn’t help but wonder if any one of these characters (Nessus, Achilles, Sigmund Ausfaller, Louis Wu, etc…) have recurring roles in other Ringworld novels (or even if the Puppeteers and the Ringworld itself are consequential by way of existing familiarity, “Oh no, the Puppeteers are at it again.”). The implication is one that favors fans of the series rather than newcomers who are not very invested in their outcomes yet. Fans might take this as just another adventure, but I found it difficult to appreciate beyond the basic premise—how does Louis prevent a war?
The only major disappointment other than my inability to connect to the characters or the environment, which doesn’t necessarily make this a bad novel, is knowing that the book is not just written by Larry Niven. It’s co-authored by Edward M. Lerner, a physicist who no doubt had his hand in the numerous abstract problem solving found in abundance in Betrayer of Worlds. Surely, without having read anything other than excerpts of Niven’s work (and a short story or two), I’m not in the best place to judge who wrote which sections, or how the practical aspects of the partnership were handled, but I can’t help feeling Lerner had a large involvement in the science of this book. Mostly that’s an opinion drawn around the idea that many of the more tense moments throughout the book were entirely reliant on science and not, as I would have presumed, Puppeteer politics, although that is definitely there. The co-authorship by itself isn’t bad; many authors work smoothly together, enough that it normally wouldn’t matter. Although in this case, superficially, it means I still haven’t read a Niven novel that’s purely Niven!
Despite this, I’m glad for Lerner’s involvement because I felt, even if I was confused at times, that for such a politically consequential novel, the true consequence and drama was in the science itself. The strength of Betrayer of Worlds was in its science, tempered by the strange novelty of Niven’s Puppeteers. In fact, I think I liked the aliens more than I did the humans. While I would have loved to appreciate the Ringworld more, that’s an element that presumed reader familiarity and something best left to previous novels.
As much as there is to enjoy about this novel (inter-species tension, threat of war, scientific-based drama, aliens that almost defy description), there were some stylistic choices I found distracting. The narrative frequently explained itself, which I assume is meant to engage less astute readers, or is meant to display each character’s ability to understand the subtle sparring contained within different forms of communication (verbal, physical, etc…). For example:
A second guard jetted over to help Sr’o. You are too important, his solicitousness declared. We cannot allow you to injure yourself. (p. 132)
”I met him in Human Space. I didn’t trust him then and I don’t trust him now. Since I’ve been on New Terra, I’ve had Puppeteer experts monitoring him constantly.” Sigmund sighed. “Louis, I’m sure you’re right. You know Achilles better than anyone on this planet.”
The unspoken dare: tell me what Achilles will do next. (p. 187)
I can see how this would be helpful—even necessary—to some readers, but I felt that it unnecessarily undermined reader intelligence by presuming an inability to follow along properly. As did the frequent division of chapters into parts that proved more disruptive to my reading experience than helpful. I found them a bit jarring and without any extra effect an ordinary chapter break wouldn’t already accomplish. Within the scope of what the novel was doing well and where I felt disconnected, this was less detrimental and more of a quiet bother.
Overall, Betrayer of Worlds works as part of an existing whole. I’d imagine it’s much more fulfilling for Ringworld fans than newcomers, but there is still something in the suspense that made for good reading. And who knows? I may become more invested if I decide to start from the beginning.
December 26, 2018
A complete bust. This series is pointless and does nothing to add to the Known Space, other than make the reader depressed and angry at the wasted time.
March 31, 2013
Betrayer of Worlds is a great example of science fiction popcorn: delicious, and you can't stop once you've started. Continuing that analogy, while it's a good snack between meals, it wouldn't stand on its own so well, and here too, where this shines is as a character study of the pre-Ringworld Louis Wu, and a further exploration of the character of Nessus.
Niven is of course the master of ultra-mega-big idea SF, and the Fleet of Worlds series as a whole does do an excellent job explaining what was going on with the Pak fleet and with the Puppeteer homeworlds.
Where this volume is less successful, to me, is in conveying the motivations of the G'woth - they are questioned and an explanation is given, but I'm not sure I buy the answer. "Keep your enemies closer" is well known advice, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Additionally, the relationship between Louis and Alice feels thin.
The series is good, and this is a good installment. Recommended.
Niven is of course the master of ultra-mega-big idea SF, and the Fleet of Worlds series as a whole does do an excellent job explaining what was going on with the Pak fleet and with the Puppeteer homeworlds.
Where this volume is less successful, to me, is in conveying the motivations of the G'woth - they are questioned and an explanation is given, but I'm not sure I buy the answer. "Keep your enemies closer" is well known advice, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Additionally, the relationship between Louis and Alice feels thin.
The series is good, and this is a good installment. Recommended.
November 30, 2014
This is the story of Louis Wu and how he came to be mixed up in the Fleet of Worlds' business. If you've read the Ringworld series, you'll already know of him; I hadn't, so he was completely new to me and that was fine. Nessus brought him in to find Louis' stepfather, who we've met before in this series - but it turned out to be not-that-easy, of course.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, go and read the three books in this series that come before it - I think it's pointless reading this book on its own, and it will make much more sense if you've got that history behind you.
Like the others, it's not a long read at just under 400 pages. I recommend it! Might have to go and dig out the four Ringworld books published in the 1970s now, and see what all the fuss is about - it sounds interesting. Niven has never disappointed me.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, go and read the three books in this series that come before it - I think it's pointless reading this book on its own, and it will make much more sense if you've got that history behind you.
Like the others, it's not a long read at just under 400 pages. I recommend it! Might have to go and dig out the four Ringworld books published in the 1970s now, and see what all the fuss is about - it sounds interesting. Niven has never disappointed me.
April 25, 2018
About the same as the rest of the Tetrology - I'm not really sure any of them were great - but then I admit I'm kind of just ripping through them all by Audio book so I can sit down and enjoy Ringworld #5 and put the entire damn series to bed.
Because I do love Known Space, i rather enjoy Larry Niven, I like that nothing is black and white - good/evil, that people have actual wants/needs in his stories and that's what drives plot. But... he's really not a great writer, I'm not sure what influence and how much writing Edward Lerner is doing verse Niven with these books, I feel like there's less Niven but it's not like Lerner is coming in with an increased quality of prose if that's the case.
The book is fine, it was full of ideas, as always. I'm not sure why there was a need to bring in Louis Wu, it felt unnecessary that he needed to be tied in with everything else that has happened, he was a fine character from Ringworld and built up over 4 books. So there's this whole adventure and, conveniently, because Louis obviously knows none of this in Ringworld, he has to have his mind wiped at the end. The book loses me because now it's trying way to hard, as opposed to the last three, to tie up the last loose ends of Known space.
As always, it's okay to leave threads un-bound. Even when you're really good at sewing it up tight (looking at you Sanderson...) it can still be problematic. And when you're not good at it, it's kind of pathetic.
LET IT GO.
Anyways, I'm REALLY REALLY excited to read the last book and get my Known Space Achievement badge.
Because I do love Known Space, i rather enjoy Larry Niven, I like that nothing is black and white - good/evil, that people have actual wants/needs in his stories and that's what drives plot. But... he's really not a great writer, I'm not sure what influence and how much writing Edward Lerner is doing verse Niven with these books, I feel like there's less Niven but it's not like Lerner is coming in with an increased quality of prose if that's the case.
The book is fine, it was full of ideas, as always. I'm not sure why there was a need to bring in Louis Wu, it felt unnecessary that he needed to be tied in with everything else that has happened, he was a fine character from Ringworld and built up over 4 books. So there's this whole adventure and, conveniently, because Louis obviously knows none of this in Ringworld, he has to have his mind wiped at the end. The book loses me because now it's trying way to hard, as opposed to the last three, to tie up the last loose ends of Known space.
As always, it's okay to leave threads un-bound. Even when you're really good at sewing it up tight (looking at you Sanderson...) it can still be problematic. And when you're not good at it, it's kind of pathetic.
LET IT GO.
Anyways, I'm REALLY REALLY excited to read the last book and get my Known Space Achievement badge.
December 17, 2018
A DAMN fantastic Known Space entry. This being (I believe) my 14th Known Space book to read (including the 2 short story anthologies, "Neutron Star" and "Tales From Known Space"), I even surprise myself to state that it is actually one of my favorite. Almost surely my favorite of the "... Of Worlds" series. Right up there with Ringworld and The Ringworld Engineers. Perhaps I loved it so much because it finally involved my two favorite Known Space characters, Louis Wu and Nessus.
Now I can't wait for Fate of Worlds... A book that will be truly bittersweet in that it will be my final Known Space book (The only other one I haven't read is "The Patchwork Girl", and I know that I'll get to that book before I end up getting "Fate of Worlds"), which will leave me with just a few short stories of Known Space left to pick out of the other short story anthologies that are mostly filled with stories I've already read in the main two listed above. Bittersweet indeed, but I'm excited about it.
Highly, highly recommended for the Known Space fan like me... but if you've gotten this far into Known Space novels, you've most likely have read almost all of them like me, so you don't have to hear it from me! Enjoy like I did!
Now I can't wait for Fate of Worlds... A book that will be truly bittersweet in that it will be my final Known Space book (The only other one I haven't read is "The Patchwork Girl", and I know that I'll get to that book before I end up getting "Fate of Worlds"), which will leave me with just a few short stories of Known Space left to pick out of the other short story anthologies that are mostly filled with stories I've already read in the main two listed above. Bittersweet indeed, but I'm excited about it.
Highly, highly recommended for the Known Space fan like me... but if you've gotten this far into Known Space novels, you've most likely have read almost all of them like me, so you don't have to hear it from me! Enjoy like I did!
January 22, 2020
A good (kind of) ending to a solid series. Though a good adventure in itself, it pulls together the many narrative threads woven through the first three books to make for a fine, well rounded story. The characters are good, and used to good effect, with no one feeling tacked on for no reason other than to expand the page count. Likewise, it sets the stage nicely for the classic Ringworld, which I have no choice now other than to reread for the first time in 20 years, and the other books thereafter, leading to Niven and Lerner's Fate of Worlds climax. It has been a while since I read a series that kept me coming back for more, not because I was just wanting to finish the thing, but because I was interested in what was going to happen next. These four books have made me want to come back, and thank God for them.
January 30, 2021
A co-written prequel to the #Ringworld saga, with a lot of conceptual gymnastics to use many of Larry Niven’s Known Space set pieces (general products hulls, puppeteers) that seem to be showing their 70s age - not adapting or being fleshed out with more detail. I used to like Niven for the ‘hard’ aspect of his sci fi - that there was some nominal physics and science behind the plot - but the best part of this work seems to be the somewhat sympathetic characters (Luis Wu, Nesses). These days, there are no lack of universes to spend your time in. Aside from nostalgia for my elementary school reading habits, this might be a pass. Definitely not as interesting as vintage Niven pitting single hero-dude against fantastic / loner circumstances (fighting aliens, riding ramships to the galactic core).
July 9, 2018
This fourth installment of the Ringworld prequels was so immensely satisfying and enjoyable. Having read all the original Ringworld books already, it was great to see Louis Wu emerge as the new main character. The events of this book create a totally seamless transition to the events of Ringworld 1. There’s also a HUGE reveal at the end of Betrayer which completely reframes the original Ringworld series (but I won’t spoil it). Before reading the fifth and final book of this series, Fate Of Worlds, you simply must read Ringworld 1 through 4 (although 3 sucks). Chronologically they occur before Fate Of Worlds, and Fate serves as the finale of BOTH series. So that’s exactly what I’m doing next—rereading Ringworld 1-4 and saving Fate Of World as the awesome payoff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2022
The saga continues maintaining its standard of adventurous epic clashes between the personalities and 3 alien superpowers.
Kinda really hoping Putin (or China, or one of our vast array of idiots [u know like Trump/Musk/Biden or Bojo the clown]) doesn’t unleash ww3 before I can finish the next book in the series…
Rant mode…
If not …well it’s been nice to have existed ,
and if you are an emergent life-form archeologist somehow reading this in the geologically far future …”Hi, (I really hope you are robots or Cephalopods) but please try not to mess up this planet again - especially by overpopulation as it was really beautiful before we ruined it. IMHO Our tribal and religious beliefs lead to conflict and resource wars. “
Kinda really hoping Putin (or China, or one of our vast array of idiots [u know like Trump/Musk/Biden or Bojo the clown]) doesn’t unleash ww3 before I can finish the next book in the series…
Rant mode…
If not …well it’s been nice to have existed ,
and if you are an emergent life-form archeologist somehow reading this in the geologically far future …”Hi, (I really hope you are robots or Cephalopods) but please try not to mess up this planet again - especially by overpopulation as it was really beautiful before we ruined it. IMHO Our tribal and religious beliefs lead to conflict and resource wars. “
March 24, 2024
The Fleet of Worlds is in Crisis. The G'woth an alien race once threatened by the puppeteers, have set up colonies in the path of the fleet. Since Beowulf Sheaffer can't be found, his kid Carlo Wu is adjucted to take his place in solving the problem. Meanwhile a Puppeteer set on revenge is setting up for a power play.
I have been familar with the stories of Known space for many decades. This series, answers many questions and fill in lots of details. They are also very interesting, with plot twists and well thought out of puzzles to be figured out.
I have been familar with the stories of Known space for many decades. This series, answers many questions and fill in lots of details. They are also very interesting, with plot twists and well thought out of puzzles to be figured out.
February 26, 2011
This review initially appeared at Dreams and Speculations. Thanks to TJ for having me as a guest reviewer!
Summary:
Louis Wu is dragooned by the alien Nessus into trying to help his species, the Puppeteers, from the possible menace of another species, the Gw'oth. Meanwhile all sorts of machinations are going on within the various species, with potentially disastrous results for all of them.
Brief Version:
I was expecting a grand space opera/adventure. What I got was something that tried to be that but instead left me cold, with no connection to characters and caring little for the outcome.
Review:
The publishers claim that this book can stand alone. It proclaims itself a "Prelude to Ringworld," but there is no mention on the jacket that there are three other books that fall in the same category, all of them covering events chronologically preceding this one. While it is true that enough back story is given that events and references (mostly) make sense, that back story cannot help but feel frankly tedious. And sometimes there just wasn't enough explanation for various characters' motivations or desires to make sense. I think the publishers would have been better marketing this as the fourth in a series, allowing relationships and character nuances to therefore develops organically - and readers like myself, coming in late, be damned.
This review is necessarily biased by the fact that I have read no other Ringworld book. I have no doubt that those who have read the other prequels, or even those who have read the original series, would be more forgiving of its flaws and more understanding of subtleties that no doubt passed me by. Nonetheless, a discussion of the plot and some of the characters:
It's a fairly complex plot, with multiple changes in viewpoint and numerous crosses and double-crosses. There are humans, Puppeteers (they prefer Citizens) and the Gw'oth; there are stationary planets as well as the Fleet of Worlds belonging to the Puppeteers; there are spies, and mercenaries, and politicians. Bad things happen. Some good things happen, but not many. With few exceptions, though, there was little development of motivation for the Evil Deeds. Additionally, the plot sometimes bypassed 'fast-paced' straight to 'chaotic and jumpy'.
It was the characters that seriously let me down. Louis Wu, aka Nathan Graynor, is a seriously boring lead human. He's meant to be the one that the reader can genuinely identify with... but he was so dull. He largely lacks motivation and personality; he's haunted by family memories that are poorly explained; and he mopes a lot. He also gets off a drug addiction so annoyingly fast that it simply screamed Plot Device.
The Puppeteers - so named by humans, apparently, because their double heads look like sock puppets! - could have been very interesting indeed. I don't recall ever reading about a species whose distinguishing characteristic is ingrained cowardice: cowardice such that they flee a disaster still many thousands of years into their future. But... this is a species with space-faring capabilities; a species whose only limbs are their (three) legs - they manipulate things with their lips and tongues. It is totally unclear to me how they developed any technology at all with those two characteristics; perhaps it's covered in another book, but it made them quite implausible to me. I did like that they took classical human names when interacting with our species - it was a nice touch - but there was so little presented of their society that really, I did not care.
The main redeeming feature of this book are the Gw'oth, as a society. Wily undersea critters that I imagine look a bit like anemones - they certainly have wavy tentacle bits - they are divided in this story between two planets, one a traditional monarch-ruled society, the other essentially a science-based, Enlightenment-type place. In the latter, the Gw'otesht - essentially a gestalt of made of numerous individuals - are finally accepted as legitimate members of society. This species is genuinely intriguing, and their motivations and desires made the most sense of all.
Two other things bugged me about Betrayer of Worlds. First, the madey-uppy slang. It felt forced and silly. Second, the women, and lack thereof. The first female who gets any real amount of page-space falls into bed with Louis. There's a female merc, and some female Gw'oth who have a genuine, if cameo, role. And the place of women or reproduction in Puppeteer society is totally opaque; there's a mention of Companions, who might become Brides if necessary, but that's it.
So... yeh. I finished it, but I will admit that I skimmed for the last hundred or so pages; I wanted to know how it resolved - and there were some surprises, which pleased me - but overall, the writing did not warrant a thorough read and the required use of my time.
Rating: 6 of 10
I acknowledge being biased by my lack of knowledge about the rest of the series. However, that should not make as much of a difference as it did to feeling a connection - or emotion at all - towards the characters. It should, in a good book, make me itch to go read the rest of the series. Sadly, the writing and characterisation let what could have been quite a good story down. I may one day track down the original Ringworld, and if it's amazing I might try the others, but they by no means go to the top of my (teetering, slightly perilous) to be read pile.
Summary:
Louis Wu is dragooned by the alien Nessus into trying to help his species, the Puppeteers, from the possible menace of another species, the Gw'oth. Meanwhile all sorts of machinations are going on within the various species, with potentially disastrous results for all of them.
Brief Version:
I was expecting a grand space opera/adventure. What I got was something that tried to be that but instead left me cold, with no connection to characters and caring little for the outcome.
Review:
The publishers claim that this book can stand alone. It proclaims itself a "Prelude to Ringworld," but there is no mention on the jacket that there are three other books that fall in the same category, all of them covering events chronologically preceding this one. While it is true that enough back story is given that events and references (mostly) make sense, that back story cannot help but feel frankly tedious. And sometimes there just wasn't enough explanation for various characters' motivations or desires to make sense. I think the publishers would have been better marketing this as the fourth in a series, allowing relationships and character nuances to therefore develops organically - and readers like myself, coming in late, be damned.
This review is necessarily biased by the fact that I have read no other Ringworld book. I have no doubt that those who have read the other prequels, or even those who have read the original series, would be more forgiving of its flaws and more understanding of subtleties that no doubt passed me by. Nonetheless, a discussion of the plot and some of the characters:
It's a fairly complex plot, with multiple changes in viewpoint and numerous crosses and double-crosses. There are humans, Puppeteers (they prefer Citizens) and the Gw'oth; there are stationary planets as well as the Fleet of Worlds belonging to the Puppeteers; there are spies, and mercenaries, and politicians. Bad things happen. Some good things happen, but not many. With few exceptions, though, there was little development of motivation for the Evil Deeds. Additionally, the plot sometimes bypassed 'fast-paced' straight to 'chaotic and jumpy'.
It was the characters that seriously let me down. Louis Wu, aka Nathan Graynor, is a seriously boring lead human. He's meant to be the one that the reader can genuinely identify with... but he was so dull. He largely lacks motivation and personality; he's haunted by family memories that are poorly explained; and he mopes a lot. He also gets off a drug addiction so annoyingly fast that it simply screamed Plot Device.
The Puppeteers - so named by humans, apparently, because their double heads look like sock puppets! - could have been very interesting indeed. I don't recall ever reading about a species whose distinguishing characteristic is ingrained cowardice: cowardice such that they flee a disaster still many thousands of years into their future. But... this is a species with space-faring capabilities; a species whose only limbs are their (three) legs - they manipulate things with their lips and tongues. It is totally unclear to me how they developed any technology at all with those two characteristics; perhaps it's covered in another book, but it made them quite implausible to me. I did like that they took classical human names when interacting with our species - it was a nice touch - but there was so little presented of their society that really, I did not care.
The main redeeming feature of this book are the Gw'oth, as a society. Wily undersea critters that I imagine look a bit like anemones - they certainly have wavy tentacle bits - they are divided in this story between two planets, one a traditional monarch-ruled society, the other essentially a science-based, Enlightenment-type place. In the latter, the Gw'otesht - essentially a gestalt of made of numerous individuals - are finally accepted as legitimate members of society. This species is genuinely intriguing, and their motivations and desires made the most sense of all.
Two other things bugged me about Betrayer of Worlds. First, the madey-uppy slang. It felt forced and silly. Second, the women, and lack thereof. The first female who gets any real amount of page-space falls into bed with Louis. There's a female merc, and some female Gw'oth who have a genuine, if cameo, role. And the place of women or reproduction in Puppeteer society is totally opaque; there's a mention of Companions, who might become Brides if necessary, but that's it.
So... yeh. I finished it, but I will admit that I skimmed for the last hundred or so pages; I wanted to know how it resolved - and there were some surprises, which pleased me - but overall, the writing did not warrant a thorough read and the required use of my time.
Rating: 6 of 10
I acknowledge being biased by my lack of knowledge about the rest of the series. However, that should not make as much of a difference as it did to feeling a connection - or emotion at all - towards the characters. It should, in a good book, make me itch to go read the rest of the series. Sadly, the writing and characterisation let what could have been quite a good story down. I may one day track down the original Ringworld, and if it's amazing I might try the others, but they by no means go to the top of my (teetering, slightly perilous) to be read pile.
September 19, 2019
3.5 starts out of 5 - I read a hardbound from the library over the past few evenings after picking it up by chance at the library. It was appealing because it's been quite a while since I've read any classic style science fiction. Well worth the read, but not quite up to Ringworld, and not even in the same class as Mote in God's Eye. Still, I may pick up another one of the Fleet of Worlds books some day.
February 18, 2020
Well, I was just never able to get into this book. That is probably more my fault then the authors. I had not read the first 3 in the series and just picked this up and gave it a shot. Needless to say, that didn't work out well. I found it difficult to follow and never really made any kind of connection with the characters. So the lesson here is that if you like science fiction, these are not stand alone books and should be read in sequence.
April 14, 2018
A worthy continuation of the Fleet of Worlds series. Well-paced action and further elaborations on alien societies. Giving it 3 stars instead of 4 simply because there were several instances of "Why did they do that? That was stupid. That character wouldn't have done that." Though I guess it's a tribute to the character development that I felt I know them enough to make such judgements....
August 28, 2018
Very enjoyable, though not quite as good as the one before it. I could tell that they had to bend over backward a bit to get the stories to line up with the first of the Ringworld set. I enjoyed the further adventures in Known Space! Now I have to decide whether I'm going to re-read the Ringworld trilogy, just so I can get to the last Niven/Lerner book set after Ringworld...
October 20, 2020
Very much an old-school Niven book! I had a great time reading this. So exciting to have old-style Niven back!
I have to go read Ringworld again after this, to see how Louis Wu the Louis Wu story fits together, along with Achilles and Nessus.
Recommended; I'm looking forward to the next (alas, last) book in the Fleet of Worlds series.
I have to go read Ringworld again after this, to see how Louis Wu the Louis Wu story fits together, along with Achilles and Nessus.
Recommended; I'm looking forward to the next (alas, last) book in the Fleet of Worlds series.
October 8, 2025
This is a great example of complex world building. However, it is so complex, it was hard to keep track of all the political intrigue. Sometimes the storyline jumped abruptly in time, context, or perspective, and even occasionally going backwards to repeat an even from another perspective. This was hard to follow, which was probably exacerbated by listening to an audio book instead of reading it.
September 29, 2017
Worst of the tetralogy. You have to read it to get the last book but it has little to recommend it except for setting up the grand finale.
January 9, 2018
Nice, but not as good as the earlier volumes.
February 6, 2018
Now that I have finished this series, may need to go back and read the Ringworld series.
May 5, 2018
Very good and interesting continuation of the series. New developed characters which allow for more books in the future
October 25, 2018
Moves the story forward. Still tying things together. I did enjoy it but the series is getting tedious for me. Not so much a criticism on the book rather how long series impact me. I love the stories but slogging through a series gets old.
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