Tabby's Star (Dyson Sphere, Alien SETI Eclipse?) Flickering Again

He's not a sociopath, he's just 200 years old.
Remember how the book started. He had planned to take a single ship out into unknown space just to get away from humans.

As for Teela, he tried to leave her behind but it was made quite clear that she was an adult who was allowed to make her own decisions. She decided to go. She's not Louis' pet.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide all adverts.

I think a lot of 200 year old people are going to think that a 20 yo isn't especially adept at estimating hazards. If Teela Luck hadn't stepped in she might have stayed on Earth at his suggestion.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide all adverts.

Louis is very different between the first and second novel. He showns clear lack of empathie at the start of the novel, this could be atributed to some sort of depresion in the form of melangolia. He does not care for his friends seeking solitude he sleeps with a women purly because she reminds him of a former wife. Very early on he show lack of empathie but not only for others also himself. He Challenged speaker to animals for a duel. thAftherwards he's thinking to himself that if Nessus want's to speak up for him he might as well let him.
He is a danger to himsef and others.Most things in the first novel are self centered.
The second novel however he does a lot of good for selfless reasons no longer does he protent to be a god. He actually helps people much to CHmeee disgust. He felt good it was only afther I read the book that i rimagend that they where on a timetable and had he decended to a flying city proclaiming to be a god and demanded the information. Then he would have skipped the grassland people, the solar flowers, the vampires, the machine people And 2/3 of his time on the ringworld. Like a firefighter breaking in in a flaming childrens hospital yust to make pictures with the kids in stead of rescuing them and that's basiclee Chmeee point (they are wasting time and he is right). Theres more important things to do.
So is he a sociopath probably not no but he is mentally ill and a danger to himself and others.
the last case against him is when they decide what they are going to do he is in the presence of the boy and the librarian and it's Louis that makes the decision? Why Louis? Given the options avaible shouldn't the boy and the librarian be at least given the illusion of the choice with Louis only jumping in when they choose the wrong answer.

He did sell her to a barbarian looking for a magical place tough. I also believe he did this because he found a wet hole in prill that was considerably less trouble to have around. She was his pet kept for his pleasure discarded when he found a new one.

a good time to have made a speech to teela on how dangerous the place was. And if she had percisted to spend some time prepping the abandond flying castle with at least a ford between her and the wilerness and hopefully a radio so when a second expedition came to could say hello or at least know where she was... Louis didn't care.

I think the ending could have been aproved in several ways .
Step 1 make the ringworlders decide abouth the fate of the ringworld the boy and the librarian where there they should have been at least offered the choice.
Step 2 I reread the ending the radiation that kills the 5 is endeed for fuel not power they needed hot protons the stepping stones could have provided the protons if the fusion devises split up the water atoms I didn't do the math but mass density of a ocean is that absurdly bigger then a solar storm.
A interesting twist in stead of increasing the mass for the ramjets increase the energy. This would temporarly deplete the the super conductor grid in the Scrith making all the flying buildings collaps to the ground. Destroying civilization but killing significantly less. A interesting dilemma killing 5% of the people versus making society collapse.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide all adverts.

Why? What if they made the wrong choice?

Louis is in a better position to make an objective decision (not merely because he has more facts) as well as being the one who will have to actually enact it.

I think Louis was being very pragmatic in doing what was best for the ringworlders - not asking for permission, and not taking any credit either. Just doing the right thing.

 

It would have been their choice. free will and all Louis life wasn't on the line neither was chmeee's or the hindmost. That said the could have adviced and they could force a "right decision" afther they came up with the wrong answer. But it was a crime not to involve them.

I did believe that both the libarian and the boy believed the world was going to end. Altough they didn't knew as much as Louis did they knew enough to make a decision or at least have a opinion on the matter to be heard.
By that logic he would have yust knocked teela unconsciece and took her with him ad the end of the first novel.

All that is true.

 

I do think it was a interesting choise to leave the vampire pak protector alive and on his mission. As vampires are non sentient the repair crew he's ordering around can't possibly be vampires. Also they are highly skilled enough to do the repairs. So they must all have reached a certain age, but they do not have anti againg drugs so the majority should be in there phase where they could be turned into pak protectors yet he doesn't. Meaning they finally managed to create a pak protector that will not attack other sentients because they are not of the same kind. He is also social and capable enough to function. Aftherall he can be trusted to do both his job and keep his foodstock safe to not cause any incidence. They specifically testet him because he came from a non sentient species, but as a pak protector he seems as intiligent and of the mindset of any other pak protector. Last of all he comes from a non sentient stock meaning the pak protectors can procreate without having to sacrifice a sentient (prefereable proto human) species.
If the ringworld was made so that everything could evolve (pak protectors stop evolution by killing anything deviant) If not mission accomplished the situation looks very promising.