SOJALS rating:

Superb (5/5)

I first read this in 1974 and most recently on the 16th January 2002

Pierson's puppeteers are an ancient, technologically advanced alien race. They use They broke off contact with humanity hundreds of years before, as they began their flight to escape the inevitable, but far in the future, death of this galaxy.

Now a puppeteer has reappeared and invites our protagonist, Louis Wu, to join him on an expedition to an ancient artifact hundreds of light-years from Earth. With Louis will travel a dangerously-aggressive alien Kzin "Speaker-To-Animals" and a young human women, Teela Brown.

Louis is an adventurer, Speaker-To-Animals is an ambassador to humans but the lovely Teela's only qualification for this expedition is that she is believed, by the puppeteers, to be lucky and thus an asset to trip.

The artifact is of course the Ringworld, perhaps the largest artifact in the universe, and with living space equivalent to millions of Earths. However, this artifact is strangely inactive. It's down to Louis, Speaker and Teela to find out why it's there and whether it's safe.

It was so great reading this once again, much better than I had expected. The book is brimming over with brilliant ideas and with Niven's succinct writing and dialogue, it's a roller-coaster of adventure and discovery.