The Integral Trees

1

In the period 1965 to 1974, Niven produced a string of good sf novels and short stories, which I still reread. However, [b:The Mote in God's Eye 56651841 The Mote in God's Eye (Moties, #1) Larry Niven https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1610499913l/56651841.SY75.jpg 2190500], published in 1974, was a turning point in his career. His first collaboration with Jerry Pournelle, it may stand as his best novel, though Pournelle's influence is so strong (and not in every respect beneficial) that to compare it with his solo work is to compare apples with oranges. But after 1974 his powers seemed to decline, subsequent collaborations with Pournelle were less successful, and since 1978 the quality of his solo writing has declined in general.I found this novel in the local library soon after it was first published in the UK. Dedicated to Robert Forward, it has something of the childlike quality of [b:Dragon's Egg 128754804 Dragon's Egg Robert L. Forward https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1697731601l/128754804.SX50.jpg 2530528], but reminds me more of James Blish's pantropy stories (“Surface Tension” and others).I found it quite entertaining on first reading, but it lacks the power of his earlier work, and seems too lightweight to justify much rereading. He was sufficiently intrigued by the unusual scenario to want to write a book about it, but the story never rises much above comic-book level. Unfortunately, it's been true of most of his fiction since 1978 that he's lacked emotional involvement with his characters, who therefore possess some of the appearance of life, without its vital spark. Sometimes they've seemed mechanical and lacking in individuality. That's not the problem here: there's an initially promising array of diverse characters. But their personalities are superficial, they don't seem to develop at all, and they don't engage the sympathy of the reader at all deeply.In the first part of his career, Niven specialised in the creation of non-human characters, at which he succeeded with imagination and humour. Initially he also made earnest and creditable attempts to create individual and believable human characters. However, over twenty years the quality of his characterisation has deteriorated steadily. It's as though he doesn't meet real people any more.(Review originally written in 1984)