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The Moat Around Murchison's Eye
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Moat Around Murchison's Eye
"Thirty years ago the Empire of humans found, investigated and decided to use a blockade of space ships to prevent the spread of an alien culture called the Moties, who inhabited a single star system and were only just discovering faster-than-light travel. This was the subject of the novel "The Mote in God's Eye" by the same authors.

Now because of a change in the stellar neighbourhood the Moties will be able to leave their home system and spread across the galaxy, which will be bad for mankind because they combine great ingenuity with rapid and unstoppable population increase. Horace Bury, a wealthy trader, and his pilot Kevin renner (who is actually a serving member of the Imperial Space Navy) have spent the last thirty years travelling the Empire checking that no Moties have escaped; now they return to the Motie system to try to prevent the expected breakout. Their only real weapon is a symbiotic worm which can stop the continuous cycle of population increase that has caused so many problems.

Immediately they enter the Motie system they are taken prisoner. Their plans have to be revised to find a solution that will be acceptable to both the Empire and the Moties. "

Alan Tompkins, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Moat Around Murchison's Eye
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

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




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

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - spy
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male Alien
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - politician/elected ruler
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Terrain - Space, need spacesuit
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society
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
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
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Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Alan Tompkins  

SCHOLARS:
Topaz  Karen Landes  


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