Tag: #larryniven

Ringworld — Larry Niven

By 5t4n5

Ringworld -- Larry NivenBeing one of the sci-fi classics with “SF Masterworks” status, this has been in my too-read pile for ages, and now i’ve finally got around to reading it.

It’s a little bizarre, giant cat people and three legged, two headed aliens as well.   It all seems like Larry felt that to make it more sci-fi-ish he had to make the strangest aliens he could imagine: very Seventies kitch stylee.   And the ending is woeful.   We go through all this adventure with our group of four with so much detail and depth and when we get to the ending and the leaving of the Ringworld we are left with nothing but vagueness.

But . . .

. . . other than the weird Seventies kitsch aliens and the woeful ending, it’s very good.   One can’t help but be blown away by the concept of the Ringworld and it’s size and complexity: is this what the future may hold for us?

One thing’s for certain, i’m diving straight into The Ringworld Engineers, which is the much needed sequel to this book.

Larry’s Page

#scifi #larryniven

Elemental — Anthology

By 5t4n5

Elemental -- Anthology

Introduction: Once and Future Tsunamis — Arthur C. Clarke
Report from the Near Future: Crystallization — David Gerrold
And Tomorrow and — Adam Roberts
Abductio Ad Absurdum — Esther M. Friesner
In the Matter of Fallen Angels — Jacqueline Carey
Tiger in the Night — Brian W. Aldiss •• [as by Brian Aldiss]
The Strange Case of Jared Spoon, Who Went To Pieces for Love — Stel Pavlou
The Solipsist at Dinner — Larry Niven
The Wager •• [Lords of Avalon] — Sherrilyn Kenyon •• [as by Kinley MacGregor]
Expedition, with Recipes — Joe Haldeman
Tough Love 3001 — Juliet Marillier
Chanting the Violet Dog Down: A Tale of Noreela — short story by Tim Lebbon (variant of Chanting the Violet Dog Down)
Butterflies Like Jewels — Eric S. Nylund •• [as by Eric Nylund]
Perfection •• [Skalan Saga] — Lynn Flewelling
The Compound — Michael Marshall Smith
Sea Child — Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Moebius Trip — Janny Wurts
The Run to Hardscrabble Station — William C. Dietz
The Last Mortal Man — Syne Mitchell
The Double-Edged Sword — Sharon Shinn
Night of the Dolls — Shane Dix and Sean Williams
The Potter’s Daughter — Martha Wells
The Day of Glory •• [Hammer’s Slammers] — David Drake
Sea Air — Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Afterword: Why Elemental? — Steven Savile

#arthurcclarke #brianaldiss #larryniven #joehaldeman #michaelmarshallsmith #brianherbert #kevinjanderson #jannywurts #marthawells

The Ringworld Engineers — Larry Niven

By 5t4n5

The Ringworld Engineers -- Larry NivenOnce again, we’re treated to more Seventies kitsch sci-fi with bizarre humanoids added to the mix of bizarre non-humanoids: there’s even vampires in this one.

On top of the bizarre creatures we are now treated to a never ending list of utterly unpronounceable names, obviously to make sure that you understand that this is real sci-fi, not some lame sci-fi with easy names that humans can pronounce.   To be honest Larry finds all kinds of ways to ruin a really good story and concept, and if it wasn’t for the fact that this is such a good story with such a good concept i would have stopped reading long ago.

But instead of stopping i’m going to carry on with the next book, The Ringworld Throne, just because it is such a good story, and i’m already bracing myself for even more jibbledy babbledy names and even more fucked up Seventies kitsch sci-fi creatures.

Ho hum, the trials and tribulations of the sci-fi reader.   To be honest, i’ll be glad when this Ringworld series thing is over and i won’t ever be reading Larry Niven ever again.

Larry’s Page

#scifi #larryniven

Light Years and Dark — Anthology

By 5t4n5

Light Years and Dark -- Anthology

Light Years and Dark: Introduction — Michael Bishop
You and Me and the Continuum — J.G. Ballard
The Map — Gene Wolfe
Halfjack — Roger Zelany
Doing Lennon — Gregory Benford
Strangeness, Charm and Spin — Kate Wilhelm
Brown Robert — Terry Carr
The Bloomsday Revolution — Ian Watson
The Dybbuk Dolls — Jack Dann
Dancing Chickens — Edward Bryant
When the Music’s Over . . . — Michael Swanwick
Terrific Park — George Alec Effinger
The Tale of the (Man) Who (Met) (God) — Norman Spinrad
Four Poems — Robert Frazier
      The Starry Message to Galileo Galilei
      The Supremacy of Bacteria
      “We cannot escape humility.”
      Cetacean Dreams
Summer’s Lease — Joe Haldeman
The Nine Billion Names of God — Carter Scholz
Nor Limestone Islands — R.A. Lafferty
Fears — Pamela Sargent
SQ — Ursula K. Le Guin
Scrimptalon’s Test — Gerald W. Page and Michael Bishop
An Infinite Summer — Christopher Priest
The Man Who Was Pregnant — Elizabeth A. Lynn
Corridors — Barry Malzberg
Limits — Larry Niven
Crossing into Cambodia — Michael Moorcock
The Lecturer — John Kessel
Under the Hollywood Sign — Tom Reamy
The Lords of Misrule — M. John Harrison
Three Parodies — John Sladek
      Ralph 4F by Hugogre N. Backs
      Solar Shoe-Salesman by Chipdip K. Kill
      The Sublimation World by J.G. B——
School Days — Suzette Haden Elgin
The Wanda Lake Number — Robert Thurston
Chambers of Memory — Gordon Eklund
Painwise in Yucatan — James Tiptree, Jr.
Dinner Party — Gardner Dozois
The Cure — Lisa Tuttle
Paradise Beach — Richard Cowper
Getting Away — Steven Utley
The Cabinet of Edgar Allan Poe — Angela Carter
Dead in Irons — Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Rock On — Pat Cadigan
The Death of Socrates — Thomas M. Disch
Helpless, Helpless — Howard Waldrop
Dogs’ Lives — Michael Bishop
The Eichmann Variations — George Zebrowski

#scifi #michaelbishop #gregorybenford #ianwatson #genewolfe #ursulakleguin #christopherpriest #larryniven #mjohnharrison #suzettehadenelgin #jamestiptreejr #patcadigan