Make sure you read Protector before you read The Ringworld Engineers. An enjoyable read just like the original. We learn much more about Ringworld and its inhabitants. ( )

Twenty-three years after Ringworld, the Puppeteer Hindmost’s favorite way of creating an expeditionary force still begins with kidnapping. Louis and the Kzin Chmee are reunited as the first two members of his new team. Power politics amongst the Puppeteers have put the Hindmost out of favor, and he hopes to regain his standing. They travel the Ringworld looking for a fabled transmuter. Chmeee and Louis are trying to figure out who built the Ringworld. But the Ringworld is no longer stable, nor a place that will be safe from the galactic core’s nova. The plot is driven by the need to re-stabilize the Ringworld and create a safe haven. Compared to Ringworld, The Ringworld Engineers focuses more on characters, although still with an action packed plot. The moral and ethical questions are no less thought provoking, but The Ringworld Engineers contains less physics, astronomy, and mathematics. The social science development includes a wide variety of humanoid creatures with unique cultures. The overall effect is a satisfying and an enjoyable addition to the Ringworld series.

http://home.comcast.net/~ktoonen/summ... ( )

Not as good as Ringworld, but having read Ringworld, I wanted to know what happened to Louis Wu and the others. "Good enough" read. ( )

Brilliant sequel but Niven should have stopped here! ( )

This sequel to Ringworld, basically back by popular demand, takes a more in depth look at what it is like to actually live there, and at the beings that actually do.

More of the construction and engineering issues are also looked at, unsurprisingly.

Louis and Speaker To Animals return.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/01/ringworld-engineers-larry-niven.html ( )