|
N-Space (short Story Collection)
''N-Space'' is a collection of short stories by American science fiction author Larry Niven released in 1990. Some of the stories are set in Niven's Known Space universe. Also included are various essays, articles and anecdotes by Niven and others, excerpts from some of his novels, and an introduction by Tom Clancy. Its sequel is ''Playgrounds of the Mind''. Contents * "Introduction: The Maker of Worlds" by Tom Clancy * On Niven (by David Brin, Gregory Benford, Wendy All, John Hertz, Steven Barnes, and Frederik Pohl) * Dramatis Personae * Foreword: Playgrounds for the Mind * from '' World of Ptavvs'' * " Bordered in Black" * "Convergent Series" * "All the Myriad Ways" * from " A Gift From Earth" * "For a Foggy Night" * "The Meddler" * "Passerby" * "Down in Flames" * from ''Ringworld'' * "The Fourth Profession" * "Shall We Indulge in Rishathra?" (with cartoons by William Rotsler) * "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" * "Inconstant Moon" * "What Can You Say about Chocola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' (1974) and ''Lucifer's Hammer'' (1977). The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named him the 2015 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. It also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes the series ''The Magic Goes Away'', rational fantasy dealing with magic as a non-renewable resource. Biography Niven was born in Los Angeles. He is a great-grandson of Edward L. Doheny, an oil tycoon who drilled the first successful well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field in 1892, and also was subsequently implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal. Niven briefly attended the Califor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bordered In Black
''Inconstant Moon'' is a science fiction short story collection by American author Larry Niven that was published in 1973. "Inconstant Moon" is also a 1971 short story that is included in the collection. The title refers to "O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon", a quote from the balcony scene in William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet''. The collection was assembled from the US collections '' The Shape of Space'' and ''All the Myriad Ways''. Story synopses (Sphere paperback edition) The 1974 Sphere paperback version of the collection only contained seven of the twelve stories originally included in the 1973 Gollancz hardback edition. "Inconstant Moon" First appearance: 1971 short story collection ''All the Myriad Ways''. The short story won the 1972 Hugo Award for best short story. Stan, the narrator, notices that the Moon is glowing much brighter than ever before. The people he meets as the story begins all praise the Moon's increased beauty but lack the scientifi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1990 Short Story Collections
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years. Events By place Roman Empire * Mesopotamia is partitioned into two Roman provinces divided by the Euphrates, Mesopotamia and Osroene. * Emperor Septimius Severus lays siege to the city-state Hatra in Central-Mesopotamia, but fails to capture the city despite breaching the walls. * Two new legions, I Parthica and III Parthica, are formed as a permanent garrison. China * Battle of Yijing: Chinese warlord Yuan Shao defeats Gongsun Zan. Korea * Geodeung succeeds Suro of Geumgwan Gaya, as king of the Korean kingdom of Gaya (traditional date). By topic Religion * Pope Zephyrinus succeeds Pope Victor I, as the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Niven's Laws
Niven's laws were named after science fiction author Larry Niven, who has periodically published them as "how the Universe works" as far as he can tell. These were most recently rewritten on January 29, 2002 (and published in ''Analog'' magazine in the November 2002 issue). Among the rules are: * Never fire a laser at a mirror. * Giving up freedom for security is beginning to look naïve. (Based on a quote from Benjamin Franklin.) * It is easier to destroy than to create. * Ethics change with technology. * The only universal message in science fiction: There exist minds that think as well as you do, but differently. Others Niven's Law (Time travel) A different law is given this name in Niven's essay "The Theory and Practice of Time Travel": :If the universe of discourse permits the possibility of time travel and of changing the past, then no time machine will be invented in that universe. Hans Moravec glosses this version of Niven's Law as follows: :There is a spookier possib ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Return Of William Proxmire
"The Return of William Proxmire" is a short story by Larry Niven first published in 1989 in the anthology ''What Might Have Been? Volume 1: Alternate Empires'', edited by Gregory Benford. The short story was reprinted in Niven's collection ''N-Space'', as well as the Robert A. Heinlein retrospective '' Requiem''. Plot summary The point-of-view character, a physicist with a time-travel theory, is approached by retired Senator William Proxmire. Proxmire has come up with a scheme to abolish such money-wasters (as Proxmire views them) as space travel. His plan is simple; many of those who worked for or advocated space travel cited the science fiction of Robert A. Heinlein as their inspiration. However, the iconic writer only began his career after being discharged from the United States Navy due to tuberculosis. If a time traveler were to cure Heinlein, he would presumably remain in the military and this impact on history would be negated. Sure enough, the scheme is carried out ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle (; August 7, 1933 – September 8, 2017) was an American scientist in the area of operations research and human factors research, a science fiction writer, essayist, journalist, and one of the first bloggers. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he worked in the aerospace industry, but eventually focused on his writing career. In an obituary in ''Gizmodo'', he is described as "a tireless ambassador for the future." Pournelle's hard science fiction writing received multiple awards. In addition to his solo writing, he wrote several novels with collaborators including Larry Niven. Pournelle served a term as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Pournelle's journalism focused primarily on the computer industry, astronomy, and space exploration. From the 1970s until the early 1990s, he contributed to the computer magazine ''Byte'', writing from the viewpoint of an intelligent user, with the oft-cited credo, "We do this stuff so you won't ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mote In God's Eye
''The Mote in God's Eye'' is a science fiction novel by American writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, first published in 1974. The story is set in the distant future of Pournelle's CoDominium universe, and charts the first contact between humanity and an alien species. The title of the novel is a reference to the Biblical "The Mote and the Beam" parable and is the nickname of a star. ''The Mote in God's Eye'' was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards in 1975. Setting ''The Mote in God's Eye'' (originally titled ''Motelight'') is set in Pournelle's CoDominium universe, where a union of the United States and the Soviet Union produced a world government and a number of colonies in other star systems, followed by nuclear war on Earth and the rise of the First Empire based on the planet Sparta several centuries before the events of the novel. There is a reference to these events in Pournelle's novel '' King David's Spaceship''. Many, but not all, humans are part of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protector (novel)
''Protector'' is a 1973 science fiction novel by American writer Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe. It was nominated for the Hugo in 1974, and placed fourth in the annual Locus poll for that year. The work fleshes out a species called the Pak, originally introduced in a 1967 story called "The Adults", which forms the first half of the novel (there titled ''Phssthpok''); the second half is titled ''Vandervecken''. The Pak also appear in several of Niven's later works, including the later volumes of the ''Ringworld'' series and the novel '' Destroyer of Worlds'' which serves as a semi-sequel to ''Protector''. Plot summary The novel comprises two phases in the same space that are separated by 220 years of time. Its central conceit is that Humans evolved from the juvenile stage of the Pak, a species with a distinct adult form ("Protectors") that has immense strength and intelligence and cares only about younger Pak of their bloodline. A key plot point is that transit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Inconstant Moon
''Inconstant Moon'' is a science fiction short story collection by American author Larry Niven that was published in 1973. "Inconstant Moon" is also a 1971 short story that is included in the collection. The title refers to "O, swear not by the moon, th' inconstant moon", a quote from the balcony scene in William Shakespeare's '' Romeo and Juliet''. The collection was assembled from the US collections '' The Shape of Space'' and '' All the Myriad Ways''. Story synopses (Sphere paperback edition) The 1974 Sphere paperback version of the collection only contained seven of the twelve stories originally included in the 1973 Gollancz hardback edition. "Inconstant Moon" First appearance: 1971 short story collection '' All the Myriad Ways''. The short story won the 1972 Hugo Award for best short story. Stan, the narrator, notices that the Moon is glowing much brighter than ever before. The people he meets as the story begins all praise the Moon's increased beauty but lack the scien ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Man Of Steel, Woman Of Kleenex
"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" is a 1969 essay in which science fiction author Larry Niven details the problems that Superman would face in sexual intercourse and reproduction with a human woman, using arguments based on humorous reconciliation between physics, biology, and the abilities of Kryptonians as presented in Superman comic books. The issues discussed include Superman's loss of physical control during intercourse, the presumed "super powers" of Superman's sperm cells, genetic incompatibility between humans and Kryptonians, and the dangers the woman would face during gestation. The title is a reference to the power and invulnerability indicated by Superman's epithet "Man of Steel", contrasting it with the relative fragility – like Kleenex brand facial tissue – of a human. The hypothetical woman is referred to in the essay as "LL", the initials of three women Superman has been romantically involved with: Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Lori Lemaris. Publication history The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Rotsler
Charles William Rotsler () was an American artist, cartoonist, pornographer and science fiction author. Rotsler was a four-time Hugo Award winner and one-time Nebula Award nominee. Rotsler's papers including dozens of matted color drawings, unpublished manuscripts and sketchbooks of original artwork are part of the Eaton collection at University of California, Riverside. Career Pornography From 1958, Rotsler was involved in the pornography industry, first as a stills photographer on the set of adult films, and later as a film director and actor. In 1966, Rotsler created ''Adam Film Quarterly'', later called ''Adam Film World'', as a sibling magazine to Knight Publishing's ''Adam'' magazine. ''Adam Film Quarterly'' featured female nudity but only simulated sex acts. The magazine also provided commentary about simulated pornography, which other media outlets would not cover. As a byproduct of his coverage of sexploitation films, Rostler earned a reputation as writer—creat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rishathra
''Ringworld'' is a 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. ''Ringworld'' tells the story of Louis Wu and his companions on a mission to the Ringworld, a rotating wheel artificial world, an alien construct in space in diameter. Niven later added three sequel novels and then cowrote, with Edward M. Lerner, four prequels and a final sequel; the five latter novels constitute the Fleet of Worlds series. All the novels in the Ringworld series tie into numerous other books set in Known Space. ''Ringworld'' won the Nebula Award in 1970, as well as both the Hugo Award and Locus Award in 1971. Plot summary On planet Earth in 2850 AD, Louis Gridley Wu is celebrating his 200th birthday. Despite his age, Louis is in perfect physical condition due to the longevity drug boosterspice. He meets Nessus, a Pierson's puppeteer, who offers him a mysterious job. Intrigued, Louis eventually accepts. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
