thegooddoctor
2/19/2021
My absolute top favourite fantasy story. Once again, Niven demonstrates his commitment to exploring the logical development of a concept. He never did do a lot of fantasy, and this one is his very best.
As a committed SF fan of more than a half-century, this story forces me to admit that fantasy can occasionally be as compelling as science fiction. As you might surmise from my 'handle', I even remember back to the Before Times, when Hugo and Nebula Awards were reserved exclusively for science fiction. [With apologies to all of you fantasists out there.]
My rating system starts with a rating of one star for a story/novel that I ranked "C -". Ratings move up 1/2 star with each step, up to 5 stars (equivalent to a ranking of A+). I reserve 1/2 star for works rated D and lower. Unfortunately, there is no "zero stars" to warn readers away from the vilest of the vile.