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Footfall
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Book Review

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Plot Summary of Footfall
"Aliens come calling and in all our innocence (read...ignorance) we welcome them...only to find that they do not see life as we do at all. They have honor, commitment and a sense of pride in their heritage. I was left feeling that maybe we ought to 'give our surrender' and be who we know we should be....and not go where our impulses "lead us". I named my dog Harpanet after this book.
"

Karen Landes, Resident Scholar

"A large alien spaceship arrives at Earth after stopping (unknown to the Earth) at Saturn for several years. The aliens do not negotiate - they attack and quickly conquer the Earth. They are herd creatures with their own ethics, and they have as much trouble understanding humans as humans do them.

They demand only that humans all live in peace, and use force to make sure this happens. Meanwhile they are trying to decide whether to stay in this system or continue through space, where they have become adjusted to living.

Although the Earth surrendered the aliens do not interfere much with humans. Humans manage to take a prisoner and learn much about them from him. Eventually humans prepare to counter-attack; this involves the building of a revolutionary spacecraft."

Alan Tompkins, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Footfall
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - fighter (air/space) pilot
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male Alien
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Domed/Underground City
Earth setting: - 20th century
Spaceship setting: - alien spaceship
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Footfall
The Unveiling by Radha Crowley
Dark Light by Ken MacLeod
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin
The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau
City of Pearl by Karen Traviss


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Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Alan Tompkins  

SCHOLARS:
Topaz  Karen Landes  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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