I have looked for and wanted to read this book ever since reading about it in an introduction to one of Niven's short story books. He mentioned it as one of his favorite books he'd written, which seemed to me to be a pretty good endorsement. So when I was once again scanning the shelves as I was browsing a bookstore, I was excited to see it - one battered old copy - sitting up there on the Powell's shelf. I snatched it, and soon thereafter read it on a trip to the east coast.

As expected, the book was excellent. A wonderful collaboration between [a:Jerry Pournelle|39099|Jerry Pournelle|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1216417671p2/39099.jpg] and [a:Larry Niven|12534|Larry Niven|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1182720933p2/12534.jpg], it is everything good sci-fi should be: clever, suspenseful, insightful. The moties serve as both a foil for ourselves, and a backdrop to test what we as a society will do in extreme situations. It's also full of all kinds of great sci-fi gadgetry, physics that is well-balanced and integrated into the story. The aliens are fascinating creatures, and their development and characteristics explore the what-ifs about what could have happened if our own evolutionary ancestors took a different path, veered left instead of right. And behind all that, there's a quick, suspenseful, well-written plot that ushers you through everything the book encompasses.