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The Gripping Hand

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The Gripping Hand

By: Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven
Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
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Summary

Robert Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read". The San Francisco Chronicle declared that "as science fiction, The Mote in God's Eye is one of the most important novels ever published". Now Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, award-winning authors of such best sellers as Footfall and The Legacy of Heorot, return us to the Mote, and to the universe of Kevin Renner and Horace Bury, of Rod Blaine and Sally Fowler.

There, 25 years have passed since humanity quarantined the mysterious aliens known as Moties within the confines of their own solar system. They have spent a quarter century analyzing and agonizing over the deadly threat posed by the only aliens mankind has ever encountered - a race divided into distinct biological forms, each serving a different function: Master, Mediator, Engineer, Warrior. Each supremely adapted to its task, yet doomed by millions of years of evolution to an inescapable fate. For the Moties must breed - or die. And now the fragile wall separating them and the galaxy beyond is beginning to crumble.

©1993 Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Fiction Historical Fiction Military Romance Science Fiction
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Dull and overlong- disappointing.
Much talking by characters whose presence in the narrative only appears to to discuss what’s happening for the benefit of the reader.
The whole first section could easily have been dropped

sadly, a dull sequel to a classic

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more of the same pls characters were a revelation in the story real interesting

more great to listen to and imagination great

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I had relatively low expectations for this sequel to one of my favourite ‘first contact’ stories. It was wriitten many years after the original, for example. I was pleasantly surprised; the plotting was good and the expansion of familiar characters from the ‘Mote In God’s Eye’ was well done. The only negative is the rather rushed ending after a long build-up; rather too many plot points left open-ended. Recommended. Beware, it won’t make a lot of sense if you haven’t read the original.

Much better than expected

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I liked part one very much because there were some exciting new concepts in it. This second book is very long winded and really just involves ships going back and forth, shooting at each other, and not much else. The revelations of the relationships within the Moti families did little to help the story.

Long-winded and without the revelations of part 1

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"The Mote In God's Eye" is deservedly considered a classic, I can't recommend it highly enough. Sadly, none of this is true of this book, which is slow, wordy and dull with too many characters, too many ships, and not enough meat. Returned it unfinished, something I very rarely do.

Bit of a let down after the first one.

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