Rating: 
Summary: I'm 3/4 of the way through and bewailing that it must end.
Review: It's hard when you find a book that you really like. You read as often as you can, meaning the cat doesn't get feed and the goldfish go hungry. All that matters is that in all those books out there, you have found one that you can relate to. So you read, and read, and read - until that fateful day when you realise that you only have a handful of pages between you and impending doom. This is how I'm feeling now. Doom approaches with the end of this book - what will I read next? I never really thought Larry Niven was for me - maybe something in me has mutated? I understand his concepts and revel in his imagination. "Inconstant Moon" I've read twice, before I've even finished the book! Many friends are now chuckling over "Shall we indulge in Rishathra?". "Bordered in Black" aroused my curiosity although it was a little hard to get into. "Cloak of Anarchy" feels under-developed to me - I think it could be a small novel - it has definate potential! "Flare Time" and "Locusts" I have read elsewhere and found just as strange then. I'm looking forward to reading the last section - stories from "The Mote in God's Eye".
Good luck to all others who fall into this book. May you find reading after Larry Niven!
Rating:
Summary: The best way to get to know a SciFi great
Review: Larry Niven is one of the most inventive Scifi writers ever to live. His work is always brimming with ideas, from Ringworld --a million mile wide habitable ring around a star (a poor man's Dyson sphere) to Moties, a physiologically asymmetrical species made up of biological castes who each represent an aspect of intelligence (communicators, tool-users, decision-makers) or society. It is difficult if not impossible to find authors with more ingenious premises.Unfortunately, the narrative matrix these gems are embedded in, while often very good, is too-frequently merely average scifi. Plotlines and characters are often clunky, and clearly there simply to provide a setting for his brilliant ideas. Ideas that fit twenty pages are stretched to two hundred, or at best, patched together with other equally bright ideas that are not a perfect fit. The solution? A book of short stories and clips like N-Space. This is a collection of the jewels, cut and polished. The selections are short very sweet. Long narratives, instead of being sacrificed for the purity of the premise, are dispensed with entirely. The ideas shine out on their own. Other recommendations: Playgrounds of the Mind (another book of shorts), The Mote in God's Eye (with Pournelle; probably his best novel), Inferno (with Pournelle; personal favorite, but that's just me).
Rating:
Summary: The best way to get to know a SciFi great
Review: Larry Niven is one of the most inventive Scifi writers ever to live. His work is always brimming with ideas, from Ringworld --a million mile wide habitable ring around a star (a poor man's Dyson sphere) to Moties, a physiologically asymmetrical species made up of biological castes who each represent an aspect of intelligence (communicators, tool-users, decision-makers) or society. It is difficult if not impossible to find authors with more ingenious premises. Unfortunately, the narrative matrix these gems are embedded in, while often very good, is too-frequently merely average scifi. Plotlines and characters are often clunky, and clearly there simply to provide a setting for his brilliant ideas. Ideas that fit twenty pages are stretched to two hundred, or at best, patched together with other equally bright ideas that are not a perfect fit. The solution? A book of short stories and clips like N-Space. This is a collection of the jewels, cut and polished. The selections are short very sweet. Long narratives, instead of being sacrificed for the purity of the premise, are dispensed with entirely. The ideas shine out on their own. Other recommendations: Playgrounds of the Mind (another book of shorts), The Mote in God's Eye (with Pournelle; probably his best novel), Inferno (with Pournelle; personal favorite, but that's just me).
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Retrospective on the career of one of the best.
Review: N-Space and its Companion Playgrounds of the Mind form a wonderful retrospective of the carrer of one of the best science fiction writers. N-Space provides a selection of short stories, especially ones that have not yet appeared in book form, and have been hard to find. It also provides some of his better stories, and gives essays, gossip, and a view into the world of a Science Fiction writer. You really come away knowing Larry Niven, the man, along with a better understading of his fiction. You get some very interesting factiods (did you know that the Kzinti are in Star Trek? neither did I!), and lots of enjoyment, from never read short stories, to anecdotes about your favorite Niven Novel, an unbeatable bargain. N-Space is a great introduction to the various works of Larry Niven (and sometimes co-author in crime Dr. Jerry Pournelle), as well as a great resourse for those who would like to learn more about what they have read and known for years. I rarely give the 5 out of 5 rating, but I have no hesitations here. Highest Reccomendation.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Retrospective on the career of one of the best.
Review: N-Space and its Companion Playgrounds of the Mind form a wonderful retrospective of the carrer of one of the best science fiction writers. N-Space provides a selection of short stories, especially ones that have not yet appeared in book form, and have been hard to find. It also provides some of his better stories, and gives essays, gossip, and a view into the world of a Science Fiction writer. You really come away knowing Larry Niven, the man, along with a better understading of his fiction. You get some very interesting factiods (did you know that the Kzinti are in Star Trek? neither did I!), and lots of enjoyment, from never read short stories, to anecdotes about your favorite Niven Novel, an unbeatable bargain. N-Space is a great introduction to the various works of Larry Niven (and sometimes co-author in crime Dr. Jerry Pournelle), as well as a great resourse for those who would like to learn more about what they have read and known for years. I rarely give the 5 out of 5 rating, but I have no hesitations here. Highest Reccomendation.
Rating:
Summary: A great "known space" collection
Review: The greatest "Known Space" (and other stories) collection I read. In this book you would find ways to beat demons with mathmatics and a world where poeple are raisd for meat. very recomended
Rating:
Summary: A Taste of Things to Come!
Review: This book is a compilation of short stories and a tempting taste of Niven fare. You will be hooked by excerpts from his novels, and will be motivated to want more! A great way to introduce yourself to the work of this very talented writer!
Rating:
Summary: A Taste of Things to Come!
Review: This book is a compilation of short stories and a tempting taste of Niven fare. You will be hooked by excerpts from his novels, and will be motivated to want more! A great way to introduce yourself to the work of this very talented writer!
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating sci-fi from the great mind of Larry Niven
Review: This book is essentially a greatest hits package, spanning his long and illustrious award-winning career (through 1990). The highlight for me was a short essay called MAN OF STEEL -- WOMAN OF KLEENEX, about the physiological impracticality and impossibility of Superman mating with a human female. Hilarious!! Even if you don't love "hard" sci-fi, you should find this collection of works to be simultaneously thought-provoking and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating sci-fi from the great mind of Larry Niven
Review: This book is essentially a greatest hits package, spanning his long and illustrious award-winning career (through 1990). The highlight for me was a short essay called MAN OF STEEL -- WOMAN OF KLEENEX, about the physiological impracticality and impossibility of Superman mating with a human female. Hilarious!! Even if you don't love "hard" sci-fi, you should find this collection of works to be simultaneously thought-provoking and entertaining.
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