The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle is a tale of the first meetings of life between humans and another intelligent life form (the Moties) in the year 3000.
The greatest aspect of science fiction is the ability to show us ourselves in a new light. Beyond the methods used to setup first contact, and the endless debates about if the Moties are a threat to the Empire, is the misunderstandings and realizations about the humans by the Moties that are the most interesting. The book is a bit long on empire politics, but no where near the extent of the Dune series.
You might like it if…
- You like science fiction (and not space operas).
- You are interested in sociology.
Buy it on Amazon: The Mote in God’s Eye
The Weekly Book Review is seen here every week. The reviews are of books off of my own shelf, and limited in length.