Interesting story about man's First Contact with aliens in approx. the year 3000.
The universe isn't as fleshed out as in, say, The Night's Dawn books, but there's enough to get in to the story.
The aliens seem alien... but there's juuuust enough "humanity" in them to make them relatable characters, which Niven and Pournelle seem to be good at doing.
The moral of the story seems to be DON'T TELL LIES.
Worth reading for a man who likes sci-fi.
Or a woman, if you were lucky enouh to be born in a country where they allow you to learn to read.