Digital List Price: | $7.99 |
Kindle Price: | $6.35 Save $1.64 (21%) |
Sold by: | Amazon.com Services LLC |
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Audible sample Sample
Follow the authors
OK
The Mote in God's Eye (Mote Series Book 1) Kindle Edition
"As science fiction, one of the most important novels ever published."
- San Francisco Chronicle
"Possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read."
- Robert A. Heinlein
"A superlatively fine novel…no writer has ever come up with a more appealing, intriguing, and workable concept of aliens."
- Columbus Dispatch
"A spellbinder, a swashbuckler…And, best of all, it has a brilliant new approach to that fascinating problem -- first contact with aliens."
- Frank Herbert
"One of the most engrossing tales I've read in year…fascinating."
- Theodore Sturgeon
"Intriguing and suspenseful…the scenes in which the humans and aliens examine one another are unforgettable."
- Minneapolis Tribune
“Nobody does it better than Niven and Pournelle”
- Tom Clancy
“The team of Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven is one of the best in science fiction.”
- The Washington Times
“Few writers have a better pedigree”
- Los Angeles Times
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 31, 2011
- File size1328 KB
Customers who bought this item also bought
- "Nitwit ideas are for emergencies. You use them when you've got nothing else to try. If they work, they go in the Book. Otherwise you follow the Book, which is largely a collection of nitwit ideas that worked."Highlighted by 539 Kindle readers
- "Species evolve to meet the environment. An intelligent species changes the environment to suit itself. As soon as a species becomes intelligent, it should stop evolving."Highlighted by 391 Kindle readers
- No, the ceremonial entrance wasn't exaggerated. Men who had that kind of power should be reminded of it.Highlighted by 201 Kindle readers
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
In the Mote the humans find an ancient civilization--at least one million years old--that has always been bottled up in their cloistered solar system for lack of a star drive. The Moties are welcoming and kind, yet rather evasive about certain aspects of their society. It seems the Moties have a dark problem, one they've been unable to solve in over a million years.
This is the first collaboration between Niven and Pournelle, two masters of hard science fiction, and it combines Pournelle's interest in the military and sociology with Niven's talent for creating interesting, believable aliens. The novel meticulously examines every aspect of First Contact, from the Moties' biology, society, and art, to the effects of the meeting on humanity's economics, politics, and religions. And all the while suspense builds as we watch the humans struggle toward the truth. --Brooks Peck
Review
Frank Herbert A spellbinder, a swashbuckler...And, best of all, it has a brilliant new approach to that fascinating problem -- first contact with aliens.
Robert Heinlein Possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read.
San Francisco Chronicle As science fiction, one of the most important novels ever published.
Theodore Sturgeon One of the most engrossing tales I've read in years...fascinating.
Minneapolis Tribune Intriguing and suspenseful...the scenes in which the humans and aliens examine one another are unforgettable.
From the Publisher
From the Back Cover
THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE is their acknowledged masterpiece, an epic novel of mankind's first encounter with alien life that transcends the genre.
About the Author
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle were the joint winners of the 2005 Robert A. Heinlein Award.
Jerry Pournelle (right), a past winner of the John W. Campbell Award, has collaborated with Niven on numerous bestsellers. He has also written such successful solo novels as Janissaries and Starswarm. He lives in Studio City, California.
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle were the joint winners of the 2005 Robert A. Heinlein Award.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
A.D. 3017
"Admiral's compliments, and you're to come to his office right away," Midshipman Staley announced.
Commander Roderick Blaine looked frantically around the bridge. where his officers were directing repairs with low and urgent voices, surgeons assisting at a difficult operation. The gray steel compartment was a confusion of activities, each orderly by itself but the overall impression was of chaos. Screens above one helmsman's station showed the planet below and the other, ships in orbit near MacArthur, but everywhere else the panel covers had been removed from consoles, test instruments were clipped into their insides, and technicians stood by with color-coded electronic assemblies to replace everything that seemed doubtful. Thumps and whines sounded through the ship 89 somewhere aft the engineering crew worked on the hull.
The scars of battle showed everywhere, ugly bums where the ship's protective Langston Field had overloaded momentarily. An irregular hole larger than a man's fist was burned completely through one console, and now two technicians seemed permanently installed in the system by a web of cables. Rod Blaine looked at the black stains that had spread across his battle dress. A whiff of metal vapor and burned meat was still in his nostrils or in his brain, and again he saw fire and molten metal erupt from the and wash across his left side. His left arm was still bound across his chest by an elastic bandage, he could follow most of the previous week's activities by the stains it carried.
And I've only been aboard an hour! he thought. With the Captain ashore, and everything a mess. I can't leave now! He turned to the midshipman. "Right away?"
"Yes, sir. The signal's marked urgent."
Nothing for it, then, and Rod would catch hell when the Captain came back aboard. First Lieutenant Cargill and Engineer Sinclair were competent men, but Rod was Exec and control was his responsibility, even if he'd been away MacArthur when she took most of the hits.
Rod's Marine orderly coughed discreetly and pointed to the stained uniform. "Sir, we've time to get you more decent?"
"Good thinking." Rod glanced at the status board to be sure. Yes, he had half an hour before he could take a boat down to the planet's surface. Leaving sooner wouldn't get him to the Admiral's office any quicker. It would be a relief to get out of these coveralls. He hadn't undressed since he was wounded.
They had to send for a surgeon's mate to undress him. The medic snipped at the armor cloth embedded in his left arm and muttered. "Hold still, sir. That arm's cooked good." His voice was disapproving. "You should have been in sick bay a week ago."
"Hardly possible," Rod answered. A week before, MacArthur had been in battle with a rebel warship, who'd spored more hits she ought to have before surrendering. After the victory Rod was prize master in the enemy vessel and there weren't facilities for proper treatment damage from there. As the armor came away he something worse than week-old sweat. Touch of gangrene, maybe.
"Yessir." A few more threads were cut away. The synthetic was as tough as steel. "Now it's gonna take surgery, Commander. Got to cut all that away before the regeneration stimulators can work. While we got you in sick bay we can fix that nose."
"I like my nose," Rod told him coldly. He fingered the slightly crooked appendage and recalled the battle when it was broken. Rod thought it made him look older, no bad thing at twenty-four standard years; and it was the badge of an earned, not inherited, success. Rod was proud of his family background, but there were times when the Blaine reputation was a bit hard to live up to.
Eventually the armor was cut loose and his arm smeared with Numbitol. The stewards helped him into a powder-blue uniform, red sash, gold braid, epaulettes; all wrinkled and crushed, but better than monofiber coveralls. The stiff jacket hurt his arm despite the anesthetic until be found that he could rest his forearm on the pistol butt.
When he was dressed he boarded the landing gig from MacArthur's hangar deck, and the coxswain let the boat drop through the big flight elevator doors without having the spin taken off the ship. It was a dangerous maneuver, but it saved time. Retros fired, and the little winged flyer plunged into atmosphere.
NEW CHICAGO: Inhabited world, Trans-Coalsack Sector, approximately 20 parsecs from Sector Capital. The primary is an F9 yellow star commonly referred to as Beta Hortensis.
The atmosphere is very nearly Earth-normal and breath-able without aids or filters. Gravity is 1.08 standard. The planetary radius is 1.05, and mass Is 1.21 Earth-standard, indicating a planet of greater than normal density. New Chicago is inclined at 41 degrees with a semi-major axis of 1.06 AU, moderately eccentric. The resulting variations in sesonal temperature have confined the inhabited areas to a relatively narrow band in the south temperate zone.
There is one moon at normal distance, commonly called Evanston. The origin of the name is obscure.
New Chicago is 70 percent seas. Land area is mostly mountainous with continuing volcanic activity. The extensive metal industries of the First Empire period were nearly all destroyed in the Secession Wars; reconstruction of an industrial base has proceeded satisfactorily since New Chicago was admitted to the Second Empire in A.D. 2940.
Most inhabitants reside in a single city which bears the same name as the planet. Other population centers are widely scattered, with none having a population over 45,000. Total planet population was reported as 6.7 million in the census of 2990. There are iron mining towns in the mountains, and extensive agricultural settlements. The planet is self-sufficient in foodstuffs.
New Chicago possesses a growing merchant fleet, and is located at a convenient point to serve as a center of Trans-Coalsack interstellar trade. It is governed by a governor general and a council appointed by the Viceroy of Trans-Coalsack Sector, there is an elected assembly, and two delegates have been admitted to the Imperial Parliament.
Rod Blaine scowled at the words flowing across the screen of his pocket computer. The physical data were current but everything else was obsolete. The rebels had changed even the name of their world, from New Chicago to Dame Liberty. Her government would have to be built all over again. Certainly she'd lose her delegates; she might even lose the right to an elected assembly.
He put the instrument away and looked down. They were over mountainous country, and he saw no signs of war. There hadn't been any area bombardments, thank God.
It happened sometimes: a city fortress would hold out with the aid of satellite-based planetary defenses. The, Navy had no time for prolonged sieges. Imperial policy was to finish rebellions at the lowest possible cost in lives -- but to finish them. A holdout rebel planet might be reduced to glittering lava fields, with nothing surviving but a few cities lidded by the black domes of Langston Fields; and what then? There weren't enough ships to transport food across interstellar distances. Plague and famine would follow.
Yet, he thought, it was the only possible way. He had sworn the Oath on taking the Imperial commission. Humanity must be reunited into one government, by persuasion or by force, so that the hundreds of years of Secession Wars could never happen again. Every Imperial officer had seen what horrors those wars brought; that was why the academies were located on Earth instead of at the Capital.
As they neared the city he saw the first signs of battle. A ring of blasted lands, ruined outlying fortresses, broken concrete rails of the transportation system; then the almost untouched city which had been secure within the perfect circle of its Langston Field. The city had taken minor damage, but once the Field was off, effective resistance had ceased. Only fanatics fought on against the Imperial Marines.
They passed over the ruins of a tall building crumpled over by a falling landing boat. Someone must have fired on the Marines and the pilot hadn't wanted his death to be for nothing....
They circled the city, slowing to allow them to approach the landing docks without breaking out all the windows. The buildings were old, most built by hydrocarbon technology, Rod guessed, with strips torn out and replaced by more modern structures. Nothing remained of the First Empire city which had stood here.
When they dropped onto the port on top of Government House, Rod saw that slowing hadn't been required. Most city windows were, smashed already. Mobs milled in the streets, and the only moving vehicles were military convoys. Some people stood idly, others ran in and out of shops. Gray-coated Imperial Marines stood guard behind electrified ziot fences around Government House. The flyer landed.
Blaine was rushed down the elevator to the Governor General's floor. There wasn't a woman in the building, although Imperial government offices usually bristled with them, and Rod missed the girls. He'd been in space a long time. He gave his name to the ramrod-straight Marine at the receptionist's desk and waited.
He wasn't looking forward to the coming interview, and spent the time glaring at blank walls. All the decorative paintings, the three-d star map with Imperial banners floating above the provinces, all the standard equipment of a governor general's office on a Class One planet, were gone, leaving ugly places on the walls.
The guard motioned him into the office. Admiral Sir Vladimir Richard George Plekhanov, Vice Admiral of the Black, Knight of St. Michael and St. George, was seated at the Governor General's desk. There was no sign of His Excellency Mr. Haruna, and for a moment Rod thought the Admiral was alone. Then he noticed Captain Cziller, his immediate superior as master of MacArthur, standing by the window. All the transparencies had been knocked out, and there were deep scratches in the paneled walls. The displays and furniture were gone. Even the Great Seal -- crown spaceship, eagle, sickle and haminer -- was missing from above the duralplast desk. There had never in Rod's memory been a duralplast desk in a governor general's office.
"Commander Blaine reporting as ordered, sir."
Plekhanov absently returned the salute. Cziller didn't look around from the window. Rod stood at stiff attention while the Admiral regarded with an unchanging expression. Finally: "Good morning, Commander."
"Good morning, sir."
"Not really. I suppose I haven't seen you since I last visited Crucis Court. How is the Marquis?"
"Well when I was last home, sir."
The Admiral nodded and continued to regard Blaine with a critical look. He hasn't changed, Rod thought. An enormously competent man, who fought a tendency to fat by exercising in high gravity. The Navy sent Plekhanov when hard was expected. He's never been known to excuse an officer, and there was a gun-room rumor that he'd had the Crown Prince -- now Emperor -- stretched over a mess table and whacked with a spatball paddle back when His Higness was serving as a midshipman in Plataea.
"I have your report here, Blaine. You had to fight your way to the rebel Field generator. You lost a company of Imperial Marines."
"Yes, sir." Fanatic rebel guardsmen had defended the generator station, and the battle had been fierce.
"And just what the devil were you doing in a ground action?" the Admiral demanded. "Cziller gave you that captured cruiser to escort our assault carrier. Did you have orders to go down with the boats?"
"No, sir."
"I suppose you think the aristocracy isn't subject to Navy discipline?"
"Of course I don't think that, sir."
Plekhanov ignored him. "Then theres this deal you made with a rebel leader. What was his name?" Plekhanov glanced at the papers. "Stone. Jonas Stone. Immunity from arrest. Restoration of property. Damn you, do you imagine that every naval officer has authority to make deals with subjects in rebellion? Or do you hold some diplomatic commission I'm not aware of, Commander?"
"No, sir." Rod's lips were pressed tightly against his teeth. He wanted to shout, but be didn't. To hell with Navy tradition, he thought. I won the damned war.
"But you do have an explanation?" the Admiral demanded.
"Yes, sir."
"Well?"
Rod spoke through tightening throat muscles. "Sir. While commanding the prize Defiant, I recieved a signal from the rebel city. At that time the city's Langston Field was intact, Captain Ckiller aboard MacArthur was fully engaged with the satellite planetary defenses, and the main body of the fleet was in general engagement with rebel forces. The message was signed by a rebel leader. Mr. Stone promised to admit Imperial forces into the city on condition that he obtain full immunity from prosecution and restoration of his personal property. He gave a time limit of one hour, and insisted on a member of the aristocracy as guarantor. If there were anything to his offer, the war would end once the Marines entered the city's Field generator house. There being no possibility of consultation with higher authority, I took the landing force down myself and gave Mr. Stone my personal word of honor."
Plekhanov frowned. "Your word. As Lord Blaine. Not as a Navy officer."
"It was the only way he'd discuss it, Admiral."
"I see." Plekhanov was thoughtful now. If he disavowed Blaines word, Rod would be through, in the Navy, in government, everywhere. On the other hand, Admiral Plepkhanov would have to explain to the House of Peers. "What made you think this offer was genuine?"
"Sir, it was in imperial code and countersigned by a Navy intelligence officer."
"So you risked your ship -- "
"Against the chance of ending the war without destroying the planet. Yes, sir. I might point out that Mr. Stone's message described the city prison camp where they were keeping the Imperial officers and citizens."
"I see." Plekhanov's hands moved in a sudden angry gesture. "All right. I've no use for traitors, even one who helps us. But I'll honor your bargain, and that means I have to give official approval to your going down with the landing boats. I don't have to like it, Blaine, and I don't. It was a damn fool stunt."
One that worked, Rod thought. He continued to stand at attention, but he felt the knot in his guts loosen.
The Admiral grunted. "Your father takes stupid chances. Almost got us both killed on Tanith. It's a bloody wonder your family's survived through eleven marquises, and it'll be a bigger one if you live to be twelfth. All right, sit down."
"Thank you, sir." Rod said stifily, his voice coldly polite.
The Admiral's face relaxed slightly. "Did I ever tell you your father was my commanding officer on Tanith?" Plekhanov asked conversationally.
"No, sir. He did." There was still no warmth in Rod's voice.
"He was also the best friend I ever had in the Navy, Commander. His influence put me in this seat, and he asked to have you under my command."
"Yes, sir." I knew that. Now I wonder why.
"You'd like to ask me what I expected you to do, wouldn't you, Commander?"
Rod twitched in surprise. "Yes, sir."
"What would have happened if that offer hadn't been genuine? If it had been a trap?"
"The rebels might have destroyed my command."
"Yes." Plekhanov's voice was steely calm. "But you thought it worth the risk because you had a chance to end the war with few casualties on either side. Right?"
"Yes, sir."
"And if the Marines were killed, just what would my fleet have been able to do?" The Admiral slammed both fists against the desk. "I'd have had no choices at all!" he roared. "Every week I keep this fleet here is another chance for outies to hit one of our planets! There'd have been no time to send for another assault carrier and more Marines. If you'd lost your command, I'd have blasted this planet into the stone age, Blaine. Aristocrat or no, don't you ever put anyone in that position again! Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir..." He's right. But -- What good would the Marines have been with the city's Field intact? Rod's shoulders slumped. Something. He'd have done something. But what?
"It turned out well," Plekhanov said coldly. "Maybe you were right. Maybe you weren't. You do another stunt like that and I'll have your sword. Is that understood?" He lifted a printout of Rod's service career. "Is MacArthur ready for space?"
"Sir?" The question was asked in the same tone as the threat, and it took Rod a moment to shift mental gears. "For space, sir. Not a battle. And I wouldn't want to see her go far without a refit." In the frantic hour hed spent aboard, Rod had carried out a thorough inspection, which was one reason he needed a shave. Now he sat uncomfortably and wondered. MacArthur's captain stood at the window, obviously listening, but he hadn't said a word. Why didn't the Admiral ask him?
As Blaine wondered, Plekhanov made up his mind. "Well? Bruno, You're Fleet Captain. Make your recommendation."
Bruno Cziller turned from the window. Rod was startled: Cziller no longer wore the little silver replica of MacArthur that showed him to be her master. Instead the comet and sunburst of the Naval Staff shone on his breast, and Cziller wore the broad stripes of a brevet admiral.
"How are you, Commander?" Cziller asked formally. Then grinned. That twisted lopsided grin was famous through MacArthur. "You're looking all right. At least from the right profile you do. Well, you were aboard an hour. What damage did you find?"
Confused, Rod reported the present condition of MacArthur as he'd found her, and the repairs he'd ordered. Cziller nodded and asked questions. Finally: "And you conclude she's ready for space, but not war. Is that it?"
"Yes, sir. Not against a capital ship, anyway."
"It's true, too. Admiral, my recommendation. Commander Blaine is ready for promotion and we can give him MacArthur to take for refit to New Scotland, then on to the Capital. He can take Senator Fowlees niece with him."
Give him MacArthur? Rod heard him dimly, wonderingly. He was afraid to believe it, but here was the chance to show Plekhanov and everyone else.
"He's young. Never be allowed to keep that ship as a first command," Plekhanov said. "Still and all, it's probably the best way. He can't get in too much trouble going to Sparta by way of New Caledonia. She's yours, Captain. When Rod said nothing, Plekbanov barked at him. "You. Blaine. You're promoted to captain and command of MacArthur. My writer will have your orders in half an hour." Cziller grinned one-sided. "Say something," he suggested.
"Thank you, sir. I -- I thought you didn't approve of me."
"Not sure I do," Plekhanov said. "If I had any choice you'd be somebody's exec. You'll probably make a good marquis, but you don't have the Navy temperament. I don't suppose it matters, the Navy's not your career anyway."
"Not any more, sir," Rod said carefully.
It still hurt inside. Big George, who filled a room with barbells when he was twelve and was built like a wedge before he was sixteen -- his brother George was dead in a battle halfway across the Empire. Rod would be planning his future, or thinking wistfully about home, and the memory would come as if someone had pricked his soul with a needle. Dead. George?
George should have inherited the estates and tides. Rod had wanted nothing more than a Navy career and the chance to become Grand Admiral someday. Now -- less than ten years and he'd have to take his place in Parliament.
"You'll have two passengers," Cziller said. "One you've met. You do know Lady Sandra Bright Fowler, don't you? Senator Fowler's niece."
"Yes, sir. I hadn't seen her for years, but her uncle dines at Crucis Court quite often...then I found her in the prison camp. How is she?"
"Not very good," Cziller said. His grin vanished. "We're packing her home, and I don't have to tell you to handle with care. She'll be with you as far as New Scotland, and all the way to the Capital if she wants. That's up to her. Your other passenger, though, that's a different matter."
Rod looked up attentively. Cziller looked to Plekhanov, got a nod, and continued, "His Excellency, Trader Horace Hussein Bury, Magnate, Chairman of the Board of Imperial Autonetics, and something big in the Imperial Traders Association. He stays with you all the way to Sputa, and I mean he stays aboard your ship, do you understand?"
"Well, not exactly, sir," Rod answered.
Plekhanov sniffed. "Cziller made it clear enough. We think Bury was behind this rebellion, but there's not enough evidence to put him in preventive detention. He'd appeal to the Emperor. All right, we'll send him to Sparta to make his appeal. As Navy's guest. But who do I send him with, Blaine? He's worth millions. More. How many men would turn down a whole Planet for a bribe? Bury could offer one."
"I -- yes, sir," Rod said.
"And don't look so damned shocked," Plekhanov barked. "I haven't accused any of my officers of corruption. But the fact is, you're richer than Bury. He can't even tempt you. It's my main reason for giving you command of MacArthur, so I don't have to worry about our wealthy friend."
"I see. Thank you anyway, sir." And I will show you it was no mistake.
Plekhanov nodded as if reading Blaines thoughts. "You might make a good Navy officer. Here's your chance. I need Cziller to help govern this planet. The rebels killed the Governor General."
"Killed Mr. Haruna?" Rod was stunned. He remembered the wrinkled old gentleman, well over a hundred when he came to Rod's home -- "He's an old friend of my father's."
"He wasn't the only one they killed. They had the heads strung up on pikes outside Government House. Somebody thought that'd make the people fight on longer. Make 'em, afraid to surrender to us. Well, they have reason to be afraid now. Your deal with Stone. Any other conditions?"
"Yes, sir. It's off if he refuses to cooperate with Intelligence. He has to name all the conspirators."
Plekhanov looked significantly at Cziller. "Get your men on that, Bruno. It's a start. All right, Blaine, get your ship fixed up and scoot." The Admiral stood; the interview was over. "You'll have a lot to do, Captain. Get to it."
Copyright © 1974 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Product details
- ASIN : B004YDL2CY
- Publisher : Spectrum Literary Agency, Inc. (August 31, 2011)
- Publication date : August 31, 2011
- Language : English
- File size : 1328 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 596 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #123,850 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,374 in Military Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #2,134 in Military Science Fiction (Books)
- #42,663 in Literature & Fiction (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
LARRY NIVEN is the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces. He lives in Chatsworth, California. JERRY POURNELLE is an essayist, journalist, and science fiction author. He has advanced degrees in psychology, statistics, engineering, and political science. Together Niven and Pournelle are the authors of many New York Times bestsellers including Inferno, The Mote in God's Eye, Footfall, and Lucifer's Hammer.
Dr. Jerry Pournelle (1933-2017) led an adventurous life and wrote an immense quantity of science fact and fiction for over 50 years --including the NY Times bestsellers Lucifer’s Hammer, Oath of Fealty and Footfall (with Larry Niven).
Gizmodo described Jerry as "a tireless ambassador for the future". His predictions and persuasive essays may have changed the course of American history but his view on life and growing up influenced thousands of lives.
It's not just bookworm material: Jerry's stories are fast-paced and rollicking, often with a deeper level for the careful reader. He worked well with Larry Niven and Steve Barnes as a co-author combining mystery, science, well-paced drama and outlandish predictions of the future.
Look for funny and scary aliens as antagonists and sometimes protagonists: Motie watchmakers rewiring the coffee makers, Sauron supermen, marauding cannibals and the comet-surfing Gil character in Lucifers Hammer; intelligent water creatures like the Starswarm saving the day, even elephant conquerors like the Fipth surrendering to humans in Footfall, or the deadly-fast Grendels known as the supercreatures from Legacy of Heorot.
Within Jerry’s stories his themes ranged from politics to military Science Fiction, artificial intelligence to individual acts of courage that save the world.
In 1980, Jerry predicted that by the year 2000 anyone in Western Civilization would be able to get the answer to any question that can be answered; that happened a bit faster than anyone thought it would. His Co-Dominium universe (The Mote in Gods Eye, Gripping Hand) predicted the fall of the USSR as well as the invention of the iPad. His Langston Field and faster-than-light travel via the Alderson Drive may prove correct as well.
Jerry's column in BYTE was the longest running column in the computer industry. It began in 1980 and continued past the turn of the Century on one of the world’s first blogs, ChaosManor™. Starting on ARPANET, Jerry engaged fans one-on-one to create thought-leading communities. The work continues today with nearly 300 Chaos Volunteers and a subject matter expert advisor available on almost any matter from astrophysics to astronomy.
Jerry was a full time writer of technology, science fact and fiction.
He was President of the Science Fiction Writers of America and active in the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His essays on future prediction and adventurous tales of fiction appeared in Galaxy Magazine (A Step Farther Out), Analog (A Spaceship for the King), Soldier of Fortune, Twin Circle, and The Atlantic.
Pournelle was known for his paleo-conservative political views, which were sometimes expressed in his fiction. He was one of the founders of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy, which developed some of the Reagan Administration's space initiatives, including the earliest versions of what would become the Strategic Defense Initiative.
Prior to college, Jerry was a signalman in the Korean War at age 16, leaving West Point early to run a New York City playhouse. In 1953–54, Pournelle attended the University of Iowa and later obtaining two advanced degrees at University of Washington (GO HUSKIES!).
His seminal work began as an Aerospace Psychologist for the Human Factors Laboratory at Boeing in Seattle; then a Boeing systems analyst. After completing a second PHD in Political Science he worked in systems analysis and operations research at Aerospace Corporation in Southern California. Since that time, he was a political science professor at Pepperdine University; managed political campaigns; acted as a Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles; consulted to the California Board of Regents; and Science Correspondent for the National Catholic Press, which led to being a full time writer.
Mostly Jerry tells stories of clear good guys with difficult decisions and magical engineering solutions to complex problems. His four sons and daughter have recently launched the ChaosManor™ imprint to support Jerry's widow, Roberta. The mission is to help smart kids find their path and achieve their purpose.
Look for new eLEGACY editions throughout 2020 that update the classics to include fan art, liner notes and secrets to unlocking what drove this prolific writer and dreamer.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the writing style elegant and thought out. They also describe the storyline as original and interesting. Readers say the content is thought provoking. However, some find the book dated and the plot fizzles out. Opinions are mixed on the characters, pacing, and plot. Some find the characters great, while others say they're cliche.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the storyline original, well-told, and unique. They also appreciate the surprising yet topical hard science, alien life and culture, and a road trip. Readers also say the authors have provided a firm ending that leaves the ultimate fates of the characters.
"...Robert Heinlein's breathless praise, "Possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read!"..." Read more
"...These are the questions this book deals with. It is a work of science fiction, but also a work of philosophy...." Read more
"...I thought the story itself had an interesting premise, but I can't give it any more stars than 3 for the complete lack of cultural forward thinking..." Read more
"...- the ending of the book is very clever and very different from what one could expect after reading most of other (and lesser) SF books on "First..." Read more
Customers find the story interesting, real, and well-told. They also say the novel is long-winded but interesting.
"...Overall, this was a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking read. I found a nice audiobook recording that really enhanced the entire experience...." Read more
"...is that it is worth the read both for the story itself, which is fascinating, and especially for the way the tale is told. It's a well-crafted book." Read more
"...It is also written to a level of narrative and dialogue that most H.S. graduates can grasp...." Read more
"...The Moties are interesting and original as far as aliens go, but also a little bit too human in surprising and implausible ways...." Read more
Customers find the writing style crisp, clear, and believable. They also say the story is rich and consistent, and the strategies employed seem realistic.
"...It’s a brilliantly crafted storyline of great detail and depth...." Read more
"...There are moments of great detail, where we see the lives of the principles, without being told what is happening...." Read more
"...Still holds up well. An amazing effort, very well done" Read more
"...I think the book is well-written and for the most part the setting seems internally consistent...." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, with a real story and a celebration of a fundamental human trait. They also appreciate the depth of research and complex universe.
"...Overall, this was a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking read. I found a nice audiobook recording that really enhanced the entire experience...." Read more
"...The Mote In God's Eye" is very, very good. It is an engrossing allegory for the unchecked expansion of humanity, in terms of both gross population..." Read more
"...it is eminantly re-readable, and it casts light on areas of human thought and behavior that could use some (or a lot) of correction..." Read more
"...technology, sociology, biology and more, as well as a celebration of a fundamental human trait, hope, and how that might indeed be alien to..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the characters in the book. Some find them great, while others find them cliche.
"...This is good science fiction, but also good writing. Rich character development, where even the flattest characters have their round points, and..." Read more
"...If there was one drawback, it is the aforementioned characters, who are not really that memorable but rather just serve their roles to propel the..." Read more
"Adventure, political maneuvering, And excellent portrayal of a non-human alien species...." Read more
"...None of the human characters are particularly interesting or memorable...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it fast, while others say it's too slow.
"...That aside, this book just drags. There are two segments, spanning roughly 50-60% and then 85-95%, that are interesting and exciting...." Read more
"One of my fav sci fi books. Solid plot, character development and pacing. Believable characters, unlike many 2 dimensional characters." Read more
"...The plot progressed very slowly and many of the pages could have been omitted and none of the story lost...." Read more
"...It is a little bit slow, and it is never really full of action even at its busiest, but you don't even really notice, especially once they meet the..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the plot. Some find it complex, approachable, and intelligent. However, others say it lags and they find themselves wading through too much ponderous detail. They also find many plot holes that distract from the flow of the book. Overall, readers find the book hard to put down sci-fi.
"...Some of this was a bit complex, and I was trying to figure out the various roles of characters (and there are many) and their society...." Read more
"...'s "masterpiece", "Stranger in a Strange Land", namely lots of wordy exposition and clunky dialogue expounding the author's seemingly profound but..." Read more
"...The Good:This is a fantastic story, well told and very accessible, regardless of the reader's tech savvy or understanding of physics...." Read more
"...a story firmly within the space opera sub-genre, there is nothing operatic going on here...." Read more
Customers find the book dated, with some technology that didn't age well. They also say the story didn't hold up, and the plot fizzled out.
"...So, yeah, the book is dated. Big deal. The message contained in it far outweighs the drawbacks...." Read more
"...And they have a secret. Some of the book is dated , having been written awhile ago. Still holds up well. An amazing effort, very well done" Read more
"...But, it's frankly just so old fashioned and lacking in imagination that it's too hard to read. Even the naming of the spacecraft is old fashioned...." Read more
"...The Moties are interesting and original as far as aliens go, but also a little bit too human in surprising and implausible ways...." Read more
Reviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Read it
At 560 pages in length, this book is a bit longer than your typical science fiction read. However, I felt like once I got going and understood the premise, I was at pretty much a steady pace (even though I was reading another book alongside this one).
This one has many of the hallmarks of a classic science fiction: set in a future with humans hurtling through space seeking knowledge, the potential for first contact with an alien existence, futuristic technological advancements, and dynamics between a human and alien civilization.
I will readily admit that there was quite a bit to take in during the first about one hundred pages or so. The duo author combo of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournell pack quite a bit of exposition and backstory into the early portions of the novel. Some of this was a bit complex, and I was trying to figure out the various roles of characters (and there are many) and their society. I suppose this exposition was essential to later developments, but I don’t think the reader should be concerned too much if they feel a bit lost, as things clear up later on in the plot.
I say this because I think one of the most essential aspects is the human/ Motie dynamics that come later on. The build up to the humans encountering this alien experience and first contact is brilliantly set up as the crew travel through space via their ship, the MacArther. The fascinating perspective is how the two civilizations try to figure each other out and communicate with each other. There is a sort of proverbial chess match between the humans and the Moties, a gray area where they both want to find out about each other without giving the other side too much information.
With this, the book raises several questions that are examined and explored: Are the Moties a hostile species, or do they have benevolent intentions? How intelligent are they? How much can either side—the humans or the Moties—trust each other, or benefit from each other? The novel digs deep into these questions, especially in the later portions.
Without giving too much away, there is a big shift at one point in this book that I didn’t see coming that really propels things forward.
If there was one drawback, it is the aforementioned characters, who are not really that memorable but rather just serve their roles to propel the story forward. It is a small drawback, however, because I think that the plot, themes explored, and questions investigated make up for this.
Overall, this was a fun, engaging, and thought-provoking read. I found a nice audiobook recording that really enhanced the entire experience. I’m interested in looking more into these authors, and maybe picking up the sequel, The Gripping Hand.
Anyway, when browsing some group messages on Goodreads I first saw mention of "Mote" and, recognizing the authors names from "Hammer," decided to take a look. The rather legendary recommendation from Robert Heinlein kind of sealed the deal.
During the reading of the book, I read more people's thoughts on it, and found everything from best ever to cheesy and outdated. The reviews that called it outdated annoyed me more than deterred me. The book was written in the early 1970s, so allowances must be made. Do you hold it against Moby Dick that they don't have iPhones? So, yeah, the book is dated. Big deal. The message contained in it far outweighs the drawbacks. The story takes place about a thousand years from now, and it frequently mentions the characters using their "pocket computers." In 1972 or so, the authors prognosticated this as being cutting edge tech. I found this amusing, as a mere 40 or so years after its publication, I was reading it on MY "pocket computer," a Kindle Fire. Some reviewers found it sexist that there was only one female human character, and she was very outdated due to her beliefs (the "good girls don't need birth control" comment was often cited). Well, in the early 1970s, lots of women felt that way, especially daughters of senators, which she was. The only gripe from other readers that I agreed with fully was the Scottish guy, who was a carbon copy of Scotty from "Star Trek," complete with corny accent and nearly identical dialog ("I kenna DO it, Captain!") It seemed a stretch since the characters from other nationalities, the Russians for example, didn't have attempts made to imitate their accents.
So much for the negatives. In my opinion the pros of this book so far outweigh the cons there's really almost no reason to bother, but I want to be fair.
So the basic story, and I don't want to give too much away (read: MINOR SPOILER ALERT), is about the human empire's, which is intergalactic at this point, first contact with an intelligent life form. I found the storytelling of this book masterful. The authors tell a story about how amazing First Contact might be. But the authors plant very tiny seeds, which germinate slowly while you read, that all might not be as well as it seems. It just have me creepy chills as I read, that things rarely go so well without SOMETHING going wrong. It was almost a "Star Trek" meets "Jurassic Park" scenario. If that seems an out-there analogy, consider that most of Michael Crichton's books were about mankind's constant arrogant blunders into disaster by repeatedly failing to consider all possible outcomes and assuming that we can control every aspect of our environments. That's all I'll say on the matter of the storyline.
So, overall impression is that it is worth the read both for the story itself, which is fascinating, and especially for the way the tale is told. It's a well-crafted book.
I must be blunt or this will drag on…
The problem is — it’s science fiction -or- a fairytale, perhaps a parable.
Who could take such a thing seriously!
What it is, is a cautionary tale of stunning scope in several different directions. It’s a brilliantly crafted storyline of great detail and depth. It is also written to a level of narrative and dialogue that most H.S. graduates can grasp.
It neatly skewers our human society of — right now — in the 2020s. Anticipating the social drift we all mark as having started in the mid-1980s.
Politically Incorrect or not, we have drifted to emphasize in bold-double-underscore, sympathy for every contingent imaginable at any cost.
No One can afford ‘any cost’ for very long.
The story places us on a ship with a microcosm of oversimplified social factions; the Military, the Industrial, the diverse Cultural, the Theoretically Certain Intellectual, the Common Worker/Crewman, the Religious, and the Ruthless!
I did not see this the first few times I read it — almost 50 years later, now I do.
I am listening to the Audible Edition, paused, as I write this...
Like it or not — you must read this. Not because it's fun or well done, or that it's part of a tremendous series worth reading over and over -- but because it speaks clearly of problems we live with today in the spring and summer of 2022!!!