Mote in God's Eye, The

Author:

Niven, Larry; Pournelle, Jerry

Publication date:

1974-10

Publication type:

Novel

Published:

cloth, Simon & Schuster, 1974; coth, Weidenfeld & Nicolson (British), paper, Orbit

Opus No.:

Setting:

Motie

ISBN:

0-86007-906-6

Characters:

Rod Blaine; Sally Fowler; Horace Bury; Kevin Renner; Moties

Awards:

Hugo nominee, Nebula nominee

Summary:

First contact: Humans intercept an alien spacecraft and its dead pilot which have been travelling at near-light speed for over 100 years. An expedition to the alien's home system results in the first meeting between the humans and the aliens, dubbed the Moties.

At first the Moties seem friendly and helpful but closer investigation into their culture and history reveals some extremely dangerous facts.

This is an excellent book, the technical details and descriptions of the Moties are very believable and the plot is great, "keeps you guessing right to the end". Highly recommended.

Notes:

Collaboration, co-written with Jerry Pournelle, set in Pournelle's Codominium universe. See the sequel, Gripping Hand, The

Reprints:

Japanese, paper, 1974, Tokyo Sogensha Co., Ltd.;
Italian, cloth, as La Strada Delle Stelle, Cosmo;
as De Splitter Im Auge Gottes, paper and hardback from Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, 1977;
as De Splinter In Gods Oog, paper, Elsevier, Amsterdam;
as La Poussiere Dans L'Oeil De Dieu, paper, Albin Michel, 1981;
SFBC, August 1993;
QPB, 1987, trade paperback, exact reproduction of original hardback, minus ISBN;
Easton Press, leather bound gilt edge hardcover, June 1992.