Destiny's Road

I've read so many Niven stories I can't remember them all. This was one of the most satisfying, on a par to my mind with the Ringworld series. Jemmy is a lovable character who always means well and has to be pushed to do bad. In the end he gives back in the most meaningful sense of the term, by freeing his people from a tyranny imposed by the colony planet's founders. I agree with others here that the dialogue was sometimes hard to follow. But reading back over it didn't take a lot of energy and I was soon set right. Likewise with puzzling out a few typos. I especially loved the last few pages. I hope we see more of Destiny, down the road.

This is one of those books that amazes, but only on the second read. On the first read it was a bit confusing and I felt cheated. It is a fast paced book with the environment and situations constantly changing. A year later I gave it another try and all the pieces fell into place and was amazed at how much I enjoyed it.

As I read all those negative reviews, I wondered to myself what book these people read. Yes, there are many characters, but not for one second did I have trouble distinguishing them. Yes, the dialogue is at times dense and fast-paced. I guess some people don't like that. I do. I respect Niven because he makes the reader do some thinking, instead of spelling every minor thing out, and because of this, Destiny's Road is 300-some pages instead of 600-some pages. Now, to the plot: I have no problems here. Everything fit together logically and beautifully. What I enjoyed most was the feel of the book. Destiny truly feels like an alien world, not Earth made-over. Very few books accomplish that intangible quality. Also, the protagonist, Jemmy, is a fascinating character whom we get to watch mature and break out of a little world to find a much bigger, more wonderous one. I did not want the story to end, although the ending is perfect. This is an excellent, satisfying book that you should make time for.

I have seen a lot of bad reviews on this book, and I can't understand them. This is Niven's best work since The Legacy of Heorot. It is action-packed and also gives us a grand tour of a future society, complete with technological marvels but emphasizing them less than Niven's previous work. I highly recommend it.

I do not find it surprising that the opinion other reviewers have of this work appears to vary inversely with their familiarity with Niven's other books. The book differs sharply from what we've come to expect from the author in two respects. First, there is little of his trademark technology speculation (such as Ringworld). In fact, Jemmy Bloocher's world differs little from late 18th century America. The technology that does appear in it is only surprising in the context of how little of it exists. Secondly, Niven adopts a straightforward narrative style where the reader must infer the emotions and motivations of the characters from their actions. I found this style compelling, and Niven uses it expertly to craft complicated characters. The 27 year hiatus (that has been bemoaned by many) exists because nothing extremely relevant to the story occurs during it. I think the disorientation that many have complained of feeling when encountering this time-warp was intentionally created, beautifully executed, and highly realistic. This is a very different Niven, but one I strongly recommend.