For the safety of mankind, the aliens called Moties have been quarantined for 25 years (see THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE) and are now poised to break out of their solar system and spread rapidly into humanity's space. Kevin Renner, Horace Bury, Rod Blaine and other characters introduced in THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE must now find new ways to cope with the inevitable Motie expansion while trying to protect humanity. Sequel to the novel Robert A. Heinlein called "Possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read."

"There is action aplenty, fast movement, [and] space battles … This is one you'll love."
- Analog

" … a major novel, sure to be one of the most popular books of the coming year."
- Science Fiction Chronicle

"Fast … furious … fun … "
- New York Review of Science Fiction

"Superbly crafted … This one was worth the wait. I recommend it to all science fiction fans … "
- Nashville Banner

" … few readers are likely to be disappointed. A good bet to make the Hugo ballot, as well as the bestseller lists."
- Kirkus Reviews

"Mote fans, go get it."
- Los Angeles Reader

"The Gripping Hand is pure science fiction in the action adventure tradition."
- Bookpage

" … readers will be hooked."
- Publishers Weekly

"The Gripping Hand is a grand space adventure well worth the 18-year wait. Niven and Pournelle once again have proven a formidable writing team."
- Daytona Beach News Journal

"The Gripping Hand is a gripping read."
- Atlanta Journal Constitution

" … inventive in its science fiction … "
- Chicago Sun-Times

" … it is a pleasure to return to the company of what is surely one of the most intriguing, endearingly quirky alien races in all of science fiction."
- Booklist

" … fans of Niven and Pournelle … won't be disappointed with their latest effort."
- Flint Journal

on LARRY NIVEN and JERRY POURNELLE:

“Nobody does it better than Niven and Pournelle”
- Tom Clancy

“The team of Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven is one of the best in science fiction.”
- The Washington Times

“Few writers have a better pedigree”
- Los Angeles Times

on THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE:

"As science fiction, one of the most important novels ever published."
- San Francisco Chronicle

"Possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read."
- Robert A. Heinlein

"A superlatively fine novel…no writer has ever come up with a more appealing, intriguing, and workable concept of aliens."
- Columbus Dispatch

"A spellbinder, a swashbuckler…And, best of all, it has a brilliant new approach to that fascinating problem -- first contact with aliens."
- Frank Herbert

"One of the most engrossing tales I've read in year…fascinating."
- Theodore Sturgeon

"Intriguing and suspenseful…the scenes in which the humans and aliens examine one another are unforgettable."
- Minneapolis Tribune

**

From Publishers Weekly

This sequel to the authors' 1974 classic The Mote in God's Eye takes place some 25 years after the events of that book. The alien "Moties" remain quarantined in their own system, but the formation of a new star nearby suggests an opportunity for the Moties to escape into the galaxy, where their explosive population growth and the efficiency of their specialized subspecies--Engineers, Mediators, Warriors, etc.--may challenge the survival of the Empire of Man. Imperial scientists, however, may have found a way for the Moties to control their population and thus reduce their threat enough to allow them to become the Empire's allies. Led by Horace Bury and Kevin Renner (veterans of the first Mote expedition), a hastily assembled Imperial force struggles to contain the Moties long enough to negotiate a peaceful settlement. Though the first third of the book drags, once the action moves to the Mote system, readers will be hooked. Some of the intriguing subtexts, such as the prevailing xenophobia, are disturbing, while others, including warnings about overpopulation, enlighten. But Niven and Pournelle ( Footfall ) don't explore these ideas deeply enough to make their story any more than a perfectly adequate, largely irrelevant sequel.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Robert Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read." The San Francisco Chronicle declared that "as science fiction, The Mote in God's Eye is one of the most important novels ever published." Now Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, award winning authors of such bestsellers as Footfall and The Legacy of Heorot, return us to the Mote, and to the universe of Kevin Renner and Horace Bury, of Rod Blaine and Sally Fowler. There, 25 years have passed since humanity quarantined the mysterious aliens known as Moties within the confines of their own solar system. They have spent a quarter century analyzing and agonizing over the deadly threat posed by the only aliens mankind has ever encountered-- a race divided into distinct biological forms, each serving a different function. Master, Mediator, Engineer. Warrior. Each supremely adapted to its task, yet doomed by millions of years of evolution to an inescapable fate. For the Moties must breed-- or die. And now the fragile wall separating them and the galaxy beyond is beginning to crumble.END 

Now Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, award winning authors of such bestsellers as Footfall and The Legacy of Heorot, return us to the Mote, and to the universe of Kevin Renner and Horace Bury, of Rod Blaine and Sally Fowler. There, 25 years have passed since humanity quarantined the mysterious aliens known as Moties within the confines of their own solar system. They have spent a quarter century analyzing and agonizing over the deadly threat posed by the only aliens mankind has ever encountered-- a race divided into distinct biological forms, each serving a different function. Master, Mediator, Engineer. Warrior. Each supremely adapted to its task, yet doomed by millions of years of evolution to an inescapable fate. For the Moties must breed-- or die. And now the fragile wall separating them and the galaxy beyond is beginning to crumble.

**

From Publishers Weekly

This adequate but inconsequential sequel to The Mote in God's Eye explores xenophobia and overpopulation in a futuristic world.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Robert Heinlein called it "possibly the finest science fiction novel I have ever read." The San Francisco Chronicle declared that "as science fiction, The Mote in God's Eye is one of the most important novels ever published." Now Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, award winning authors of such bestsellers as Footfall and The Legacy of Heorot, return us to the Mote, and to the universe of Kevin Renner and Horace Bury, of Rod Blaine and Sally Fowler. There, 25 years have passed since humanity quarantined the mysterious aliens known as Moties within the confines of their own solar system. They have spent a quarter century analyzing and agonizing over the deadly threat posed by the only aliens mankind has ever encountered-- a race divided into distinct biological forms, each serving a different function. Master, Mediator, Engineer. Warrior. Each supremely adapted to its task, yet doomed by millions of years of evolution to an inescapable fate. For the Moties must breed-- or die. And now the fragile wall separating them and the galaxy beyond is beginning to crumble.END