Recommend a Jerry Pournelle CoDominium book for me

Cafe Society
1

I must’ve read The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle at least twenty times by now. It’s one of my all-time favorite books. I hope they make it into a movie, and I so very desparately hope the movie would do the book justice.

I’m impressed with the setting and the writing style (which I personally find very readable but not stupid.) My brother and I surmise that the academic Niven comes up with the machinations of the world and provides many of the technical details, while polymath Pournelle handles the characters, military and dialogue.

Well, I’ve read most of Larry Niven’s works, and a few of Pournelle’s, but nothing that takes place in the CoDominium except for Mote. I want to start into the CoDominium, but I’m not sure of a good starting place.

Should I start with the first books as they were written? I quite enjoyed the setting of Mote, which evidently takes place very late in the CoDominium universe. Are there any other books as good, that take place in the Second Empire?

Lastly, my fascination with the Second Empire: it is both extremely advanced and extremely backwards in relation to today’s world. High-tech meets 1950’s attitudes. An environment where mankind is both supreme master and subject to the strain of life on hostile worlds. And in Mote it appears that Equal Rights issues are starting to come to the forefront. Is this aspect of society explored much in Pournelle’s books, or are they primarily about life with the military?

So, what would you recommend I start with?

2

Personally, I like Niven much better than Pournelle. I haven’t read all of the CoDominium stories, but I did find this, which recommends a reading order.

3

All books in the series listed here.

4

Well, yes, thanks, I saw the list already. :slight_smile:

What I’m really asking for, if anyone has any suggestions, is a good starting place.

5

I suggest you start with the collection The Prince, which recounts the fall of the CoDominium and the beginnings of the (First) Empire of Man. That sets the context for all later books, including the WarWorld series.

6

Read West of Honor and The Mercenary first. That will give you a good feel for the universe as it was set up, and are ripping good yarns to boot. The Prince has them all, in order. But you really need to read the first two listed before reading any of the material involving Prince Lysander. Then move on to the WarWorld books, which all take place on the outskirts of the explored area of space.