Oath of fealty

This novel is about an alternative way of living, apparently devised with the main objective of reducing the excessive crime rate in American cities. It has Niven in sociological mood, reminiscent of his short stories “Cloak of Anarchy” (1972) and “Flash Crowd” (1973). Pournelle, of course, carries on being Pournelle. As usual, they complement each other: Niven provides ideas and softens Pournelle's abrasiveness, while Pournelle injects doses of urgent and ugly reality into Niven's academic speculations.I was 6 years late in reading it. Probably, at about the time it came out, I read an extract somewhere and decided that I wasn't keen on it. Eventually I bought a cheap second-hand copy of it in Milan, and it wasn't as bad as I expected.It's not one of Niven's more enjoyable books, and it's not on the scale of [b:The Mote in God's Eye 11343467 The Mote in God's Eye (Moties #1) Larry Niven https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373493490l/11343467.SY75.jpg 2190500], but it's readable, with plenty of ideas in it that somehow manage not to slow the pace. It reminded me that Niven can do things other than invent aliens.The picture painted of the urban community of Todos Santos, near Los Angeles, is a fairly rosy one, but does indicate some substantial problem areas; and it's not an evangelical book. The authors seem to be rather ambivalent about their creation; it's a scheme they think could work in certain circumstances, and would probably suit some people but not others. I think relatively few readers will emerge from the book anxious to live in Todos Santos. However, some may find aspects of it intriguing, and perhaps even attractive (especially those who currently live in American cities). I think this sort of limited reaction is about what the authors intended.Niven is a dilettante who plays with ideas as intellectual toys, without ever becoming committed to them or satisfied with them. He's interested in Todos Santos, but he almost certainly wouldn't live there himself. It's probably not Pournelle's style either; and if he'd really wanted to sell the idea, he'd have sold it harder.So don't expect to find your own utopia here. Just a passable story and a few things to think about.The title, incidentally, seems to be an allusion to the fact that someone in the book describes Todos Santos as a feudal society; though this isn't to be taken literally.For myself, I could dispense with Pournelle—perhaps he writes as competently as Niven, in his own way, but his characters and the tone of his writing tend to be rather unpleasant. He has a cynical and unpopular attitude to life that he insists on forcing down people's throats even though he knows they won't like it; and his attitude to his opponents is one of contempt.I don't think I've reread the book since 1988. This review was drafted in 1987, and edited a little in 2024.