Hi all,
Book of the Month:
“The Mote in God’s Eye” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Hope you all enjoyed our blast off away from domestic space for last month’s selection “Ancillary Justice”. While a bit slow to start, Leckie has built a rich and complex universe to couch her space opera. Much like the robot novels we’ve been reading recently, the main characters are struggling with individuality and personhood in the face of conflict. It’s an achievement for a first-time author. We just wish she did more with the networked ancillaries, but hey, just wanting more of the story isn’t really a bad thing, is it?
For this month’s selection, we’ll stay out in space among alien races with the 1974 novel “The Mote in God’s Eye” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Both authors were prolific around the 70’s and this collaboration would be the start of a fruitful partnership. Robert Heinlein calls “Mote” “[t]he best novel about human beings making first contact with intelligent but utterly non-human aliens I have ever seen, and possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read.” Pretty high praise from the guy that wrote “Starship Troopers” and “Stanger in a Strange Land” among MANY other stories about alien contact.
From the Goodreads description: “In 3016, the 2nd Empire of Man spans hundreds of star systems…Intelligent beings are finally found from the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The ancient civilization, at least one million years old are kind yet evasive with a dark problem they have not solved in over a million years.”
It’s a classic and it’s one that’s been on our radar for a long time. Glad we’re finding an opportunity to check it out!
To join a Book Club meeting, all you will need is YOURSELF. If you haven’t had a chance to finish the book, we still would love for you to join us in the discussion.
