Rating: 
Summary: Adequete sci-fi,sociology unconvincingphutch
Review: A fairly involving story, though not terribly exciting. Set perhaps thirty years after 1984, it centers around a wonderful self-contained superskyscraper with the benefits of benevolent Big Brother's cameras everywhere. What is striking is not the plot, but rather the facility with which the authors dismiss what would seem to be the obvious danger of a kind of techno-fascism. The sociology of Niven/Pournelle collaborations is always striking, as with Heinlein's work, and this story is set in a believable near-future with immediately relevant issues; London, I am told, is now blanketed by security cameras. Nomads, we are told, lived drastically different lives from Roman citizens, who lived differently from americans in the 20th century (I am drastically paraphrasing as my copy is not at hand). Each of these peoples would have been shocked at how the others lived, so of course we may be shocked at the idea of having cameras in our apartments, but that is just a sort of evolutionary step in civilization. We can combine Right-libertarian laws and social mores with "If I'm not doing anything Wrong, why should I mind being watched?". Of course the fictional guards and administrators are rational with regard to what's Wrong, so the system works great. Those vigorously opposed to the superskyscraper are portrayed as ignorant illogical fools. I am reminded of the writings of Ayn Rand, or for that matter the writings of various communists; A view of society that is entirely too certain of itself. The protagonists are so wise that they would never condemn anything that didn't need to be condemned- though if they did they would do so for 250000 people in .004 seconds. Not as much fun as most Niven+Pournelle stuff, but interesting as a picture of near-present-day technology and social ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: Feels like "Friday"...and that's a GOOD thing!
Review: Hmmm, feels like "Friday"...or any other of a number of great Heinlein books. Great characters, concepts and
plenty of action. This is also a decent cross-over
as a mystery title, similar to the Niven/Barnes collaborations ("DreamPark" et. al.) If you liked what Larry and Jerry did with "The Mote in God's Eye"
you are bound to enjoy this. My only question is where
do I sign up to live in that building?
Rating:
Summary: Tedious without any real SF in it.
Review: I didn't see much of what I like about Niven in this book. Mostly full of character development, no SF and the plot seems silly and slow.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing, considering how good Niven and Pournelle are
Review: I expected an SF book when I picked this up at a used bookstore while on vacation. It actually had no SF in it at all. This disappointed me. The plot was a little dry, and the characters weren't that compelling. I was disappointed, because I generally like Niven, and his other books with Pournelle that I've read have been quite good. The story is about a huge city-in-a-building which sits inside of Los Angeles, and mainly deals with conflicts between the citizens of LA and those of Todos Santos (loosely inspired by Arcosanti, I believe, which is also mentioned in the book). It's psychologically interesting, but not much beyond that, unfortunately. I'm being generous with 3 stars, because it was well written, even if it wasn't that good a story.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Well Done
Review: I thought this book was very well done. It certainly kept me interested from beginning to end reading about a city all condensed into one building run entirely by a private corporation. The story flowed well and was concise, consistent and the characters were believable. The whole concept of the building-city Todos Santos is not too far off from being a reality. Dont be surprised if one day you switcvh on your T.V. and see a story about a new building going up that will allow people to live and work in it. I think Niven and Pournell did a fine job.
Rating:
Summary: Coming True
Review: If you're reading this then I hope you give it a fair consideration in comparison to some of the unflattering comments made by the others reviewers of this fascinating novel. Niven and Pournelle put together a really good read that puts to test the idea that a free society cannot truly be free without restraint. Look, I'll be honest here - I don't drink, don't carry guns, or play amateur pharmacologist; so in many ways the Arcology crafted by the authors is a dream come true for a prude like myself. And I suspect many other boring centrists who would like to live a socially committed life without dealing with the politically correct demagogues beating their personal drums or the flame spewing radicals that seems to draw the worst from both conservatives and liberals alike. The Arcology is in many way boring - which is the point. It's worth noting that I agree that the idea of a sustainable, self-enclosed "fort" is likely impractical in the real world. In order for Todos Santos to hold sway over the County of Los Angeles (and the US in general) the authors have proposed an intriguing, but unrealistic, means of control. Specifically a gigantic iceberg. I won't get too much into this, hopefully you'll pick-up your own copy and find out for yourself. But when you get down to it - it's impossible for the managers of Todos Santos to control what is beyond their arcology. And the iceberg is the only real "defense" that it has from the outside affecting what happens in the inside. BTW, simplistic comparisons of the Arcology to Soviet-era society or 1960's era US public housing is clearly misguided. I could waste time on a point by point deconstruction of that kind of shoot-from-the-hip mentality. However, I choose to forgive the ignorant like I forgive the young, which is often the same group. Finally, I would like to address the comment made by the reader in England. He correctly points out that there are already signs of the Todos Santos Arcology appearing in the real world. We've all seen the gated communities where the wealthy have set up their ideal environment. And the technology parks where industries have set up shop for themselves. Lastly look at one of today's marvels: The Mall Of America. In many ways we're seeing elements of Todos Santos being brought to life. Again, I doubt that the Arcology can actually exist as it's described in Oath Of Fealty, but it showcases insights into our evolving society that both authors foresaw nearly twenty years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting point, bad writing.
Review: In this book, Niven made one interesting point on how we must strike a balance in society between security and freedom. Beyond that, the characters in this story are all so shallow and one-dimensional it made me wish I'd never started reading it. As a big fan of Niven's early work, this was very dissapointing.
Rating:
Summary: "There are 100,000 ways to be human...."
Review: Only Niven and Pournelle can bring off a libertarian revolution in an environment most readers would consider more in keeping with the strictured life in the Soviet Union or a HUD project. Upon signing the oath, the citizen of Todos Santos acquires the rights and immunities as well as the responsibilities invisioned by the founders of the American Republic. There are ample opportunities for swash-buckling adventure as the upstart Arcology fights for an uneasy peace with an America that has abandoned the guiding principals that made it the last, great hope of freedom.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent commentary on human nature
Review: The authors of this book did an excellent job portraying two very different types of people. There were the people living in the dangerous modern city outside and the people living on the inside of the safe, well-guarded building. The contrasts that the authors use show two very different types of people and how they relate to each other. The concept was very well thought out and the idea seems quite plausible. Having said all that, if you're looking for a book that's action-filled and fast paced, this one's probably not for you. The descriptions are excellent, but there is no real climax to the story.
Rating:
Summary: Science fiction about people!
Review: The best science fiction isn't about technology; it's about the impact that has on people and their lives. That is where Niven has always excelled. A few years along this book is still relevant, and the world it portrays - the "reverse ghetto" - is coming even closer!
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