Instruct: Classify a given review as either positive or negative.
Query: Poorly written, very disappointing

I've certainly enjoyed Niven's work in the past -- but the "wildly funny" assertion made in the publisher's book description should have tipped me off here. I don't think *anything* I've read by Niven has made me crack a smile -- certainly nothing recent. Yes, I got all the "in jokes," references to Burrough's Barsoom, etc., but they weren't funny.The main problem as I saw it was his writing, which was incredibly confusing and favored supposedly witty dialog too heavily over explanation/description (if you want me to imagine another world, you gotta throw me a bone or two).I don't recommend purchasing this. A better recent Niven book was "Destiny's Road." While I still wouldn't stand up and cheer for the writing, at least it had a fascinating hard-science premise and enough world-creation to keep me going.