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The Gripping Hand
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Gripping Hand
"The sequel to The Mote in God's Eye, The Gripping Hand takes place 25 years later. Horace Bury and Kevin Renner uncover evidence that the Moties, who have been blockaded in their own solar system, might soon have a way to break out. Fortunately, a "cure" for the Motie breeding problems might make that irrelavent. When humans arrive in the Mote system, they find a fractured society full of factions vying for supremacy."
viking bob, Resident Scholar



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

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Political power play Yes
Political plotlets - preventing/managing clash/war between govts/kingdoms
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - spy
Age: - 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount

Setting
Terrain - Domed/Underground City - Asteroid
Planet outside solar system? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - descript of touching personal anatomy - impregnation/reproduction
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Gripping Hand
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The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. LeGuin
Star of Gypsies by Robert Silverberg
Horizon Storms by Kevin J. Anderson


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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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