Most Popular Books by Larry Niven

This retrospective collection of stories from all phases of Niven''s writing career is rich with gossip, storytelling vigor, and sheer science-fictional play.

A special commemoration of this long_running themed science fiction anthology edited by multiple #1 best seller, Larry Niven. Here is the 25th anniversary edition of the original volume that started it all. Includes an all_new introduction by Larry Niven for this re_issue of the first volume in a series that now numbers fourteen volumes and is still going strong. Larry Nivenu0090s bestselling Man_Kzin series begins! The kzin, formerly invincible conquerors of all they encountered, had a hard time dealing with their ignominious defeat by the leaf_eating humans. Some secretly hatched schemes for a rematch, others concentrated on gathering power within the kzin hierarchy, and some shamefully cooperated with the contemptible humans, though often for hidden motives. In war and in uneasy peace, here is the first masterful volume in the Man_Kzin Wars shared universe anthology created by multiple New York Times best_seller, incomparable tale_spinner, and Nebula_ and five_time Hugo_Award_winner, Larry Niven. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel Four travelers come to the ringworld. . . Louis Wu: human and old; bored with having lived too fully for far too many years. Seeking a challenge, and all too capable of handling it. Nessus: a trembling coward, a puppeteer with a built-in survival pattern of nonviolence. Except that this particular puppeteer is insane. Teela Brown: human; a wide-eyed youngster with no allegiances, no experience, no abilities. And all the luck in the world. Speaker-To-Animals: kzin; large, orange-furred, and carnivorous. And one of the most savage life-forms known in the galaxy. Why did these disparate individuals come together? How could they possibly function together? And where, in the name of anything sane, were they headed?

The beginning of a hard sci-fi series, Deam Park is a visionary science fiction classic from Larry Niven and Steven Barnes A group of pretend adventurers suit up for a campaign called "The South Seas Treasure Game." As in the early Role Playing Games, there are Dungeon Masters, warriors, magicians, and thieves. The difference? At Dream Park, a futuristic fantasy theme park full of holographic attractions and the latest in VR technology, they play in an artificial enclosure that has been enhanced with special effects, holograms, actors, and a clever storyline. The players get as close as possible to truly living their adventure. All''s fun and games until a Park security guard is murdered, a valuable research property is stolen, and all evidence points to someone inside the game. The park''s head of security, Alex Griffin, joins the game to find the killer, but finds new meaning in the games he helps keep alive. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A “brilliantly conceived, funny” story cycle by the New York Times–bestselling author about a time-traveler’s quest to repopulate a far-future Earth (Kirkus Reviews). Hanville Svetz was born into a future earth that matches the sorriest predictions of Greenpeace. With most of Earth’s original species extinct, Svetz travels back and forth in time retrieving them. And when he learns that Mars was inhabited, and how the sapient Martian species were wiped out, he foresees that Earth could soon fall victim to the same fate . . . In Rainbow Mars, multiple Hugo Award winner Larry Niven “combines an original novella and five related short stories revolving around the concept of time travel—with a fantastic twist. Known for his hard science and imaginative storytelling, Niven now illustrates his skill at offbeat seriocomic sf” (Library Journal). “Niven’s masterly use of SF strategy hits every note, springing surprises and plot turns with dizzying pace.” —Los Angeles Times

BOOK ONE IN THE CLASSIC HEOROT SERIES FROM GENRE LEGENDS LARRY NIVEN, JERRY POURNELLE, AND STEVEN BARNES The two hundred colonists on board the Geographic have spent a century in cold sleep to arrive here: Avalon, a lush, verdant planet lightyears from Earth. They hope to establish a permanent colony, and Avalon seems the perfect place. And so they set about planting and building. But their very presence has upset the ecology of Avalon. Soon an implacable predator stalks them, picking them off one by one. In order to defeat this alien enemy, they must reevaluate everything they think they know about Avalon, and uncover the planet''s dark secrets. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About The Legacy of Heorot: "Page-turning action and suspense, good characterization and convincing setting . . . may be the best thing any of those authors has written.”—The Denver Post “Outstanding! . . . The best ever, by the best in the field . . . the ultimate combination of imagination and realism.”—Tom Clancy “Well written, action-packed, and tension filled . . . makes Aliens look like a Disney nature film."—The Washington Post “Spine-tingling ecological tale of terror.”—Locus About sequel Beowulf''s Children: "Few writers have a finer pedigree than those here. . . . As one might suspect Beowulf''s Children is seamless . . . absorbing, substantial . . . masterful novel."—Los Angeles Times "Panoramic SF adventure at its best."—Library Journal About Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle: "Possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read."—Robert A. Heinlein on The Mote in God''s Eye About Larry Niven: “Larry Niven’s RINGWORLD remains one of the all-time classic travelogues of science fiction — a new and amazing world and fantastic companions.”—Greg Bear "Our premier hard SF writer.”—The Baltimore Sun "The scope of Larry Niven''s work is so vast that only a writer of supreme talent could disguise the fact as well as he can."—Tom Clancy "Niven is a true master."—Frederik Pohl About Jerry Pournelle: "Jerry Pournelle is one of science fiction''s greatest storytellers."—Poul Anderson "Jerry Pournelle''s trademark is first-rate action against well-realized backgrounds of hard science and hardball politics."—David Drake "Rousing . . . The Best of the Genre"—The New York Times "On the cover . . . is the claim ''No. 1 Adventure Novel of the Year.'' And well it might be."—Milwaukee Journal on Janissaries About Steven Barnes: “Brilliant, surprising, and devastating.”—David Mack “Sharp, observant and scary.”—Greg Bear "Profound and exhilarating."—Maurice Broaddus, author of The Knights of Breton Court “Barnes gives us characters that are vividly real people, conceived with insight and portrayed with compassion and rare skill and then he stokes the suspense up to levels that will make the reader miss sleep and be late for work.”—Tim Powers “[Barnes] combines imagination, anthropology and beautiful storytelling as he takes readers to the foot of the Great Mountain, today known as Mount Kilimanjaro.”—Durham Triangle Tribune on Great Sky Woman

A classic novel of known space Phssthpok the Pak had been traveling for most of his thirty-two thousand years. His mission: save, develop, and protect the group of Pak breeders sent out into space some two and a half million years before . . . Brennan was a Belter, the product of a fiercely independent, somewhat anarchic society living in, on, and around an outer asteroid belt. The Belters were rebels, one and all, and Brennan was a smuggler. The Belt worlds had been tracking the Pak ship for days—Brennan figured to meet that ship first . . . He was never seen again—at least not by those alive at the time.

Science fiction.

A new look at Niven''s Known Space, two hundred years before the discovery of the Ringworld

The long-awaited follow-up to Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle''s classic science-fiction reimagining of Dante''s Inferno.

Science fiction-roman.

This funny and insightful science fiction classic introduces Shoogar, the greatest wizard ever known in his village. His spells can strike terror in the hearts of even his most powerful enemies. But the enemy he faces now is like none he has ever seen before. The stranger has come from nowhere and is ignorant of even the most basic principles of magic. But the stranger has an incredibly powerful magic of his own. There is no room in Shoogar''s world for an intruder whose powers match his own, let alone one whose powers might exceed his. So before the blue sun can cross the face of the red sun once more, Shoogar will show this stranger just who is boss.

IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST One minute the two space Hab astronauts were scoop-diving the atmosphere, the next they''d been shot down over the North Dakota Glacier and were the object of a massive manhunt by the United States government. That government, dedicated to saving the environment from the evils of technology, had been voted into power because everybody knew that the Green House Effect had to be controlled, whatever the cost. But who would have thought that the cost of ending pollution would include not only total government control of day-to-day life, but the onset of a new Ice Age Stranded in the anti-technological heartland of America, paralyzed by Earth''s gravity, the "Angels" had no way back to the Space Habs, the last bastions of high technology and intellectual freedom on or over the Earth. But help was on its way, help from the most unlikely sources .... Join # 1 national bestsellers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle and Michael Flynn in a world where civilization is on the ropes, and the environmentalists have created their own worst nightmare: A world of Fallen Angels At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

"The Locusts" is a story of mankind''s first interstellar colony -- "Spirals" tellsaf foreseeable future in which Earth''s economy is bordering on collapse -- "Lion in his attic" is set in time when magic is dying out from overuse; the story of a sorceress and her lover in search for magical jewels -- "Talisman" is another story from the world of fading magic -- "Table manners" is where the tavern owner is invited on a hunt with alien carnivores -- "Limits" is an unsettling vignette in which Rick overhears two alien customers discussing humans'' habits of setting limits and then trying to push beyond them.

Fleet of Worlds marks Larry Niven''s first full novel-length collaboration within his Known Space universe, the playground he created for his bestselling Ringworld series. Teaming up with fellow SF writer Edward M. Lerner, Fleet of Worlds takes a closer look at the Human-Puppeteer (Citizens) relations and the events leading up to Niven''s first Ringworld novel. Kirsten Quinn-Kovacs is among the best and brightest of her people. She gratefully serves the gentle race that rescued her ancestors from a dying starship, gave them a world, and nurtures them still. If only the Citizens knew where Kirsten''s people came from.... A chain reaction of supernovae at the galaxy''s core has unleashed a wave of lethal radiation that will sterilize the galaxy. The Citizens flee, taking their planets, the Fleet of Worlds, with them. Someone must scout ahead, and Kirsten and her crew eagerly volunteer. Under the guiding eye of Nessus, their Citizen mentor, they explore for any possible dangers in the Fleet''s path—and uncover long-hidden truths that will shake the foundations of worlds. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Fleeing the supernova chain reaction at the galactic core, the Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds seek a way to survive among enemies and crises.

The #1 New York Times–bestselling author presents twenty-six tales and vignettes from this interplanetary gathering place: “A must for Nivenites” (Booklist). When a tremendous spacecraft took orbit around the Earth’s moon and began sending smaller landers down toward the North Pole, the newly arrived visitors quickly set up a permanent spaceport at Mount Forel in Siberia. Their presence attracted many, and a few people grew conspicuously rich from secrets they learned from talking to the aliens. One of these men, Rick Schumann, opened the Draco Tavern, a public house catering to all species of visiting aliens. In “The Subject Is Closed”, a priest visits the tavern and goes one-on-one with a chirpsithra alien on the subject of God and life after death. Rick Schumann is invited to hunt with five folk aliens in “Table Manners”, but he begins to wonder if he will be the hunted. And in the never-before-published tale “Losing Mars”, a group of Martians arrive at the Tavern only to find that humans have mostly forgotten about their neighboring planet.

BOOK TWO IN THE CLASSIC HEOROT SERIES FROM GENRE LEGENDS LARRY NIVEN, JERRY POURNELLE, AND STEVEN BARNES. Some twenty years have passed since the passengers and crew of the starship Geographic established a colony on the hostile alien world of Avalon. In that time, a new generation has grown up in the peace and serenity of the island paradise of Camelot, ignorant of the Great Grendel Wars fought between their parents and grandparents and the monstrous inhabitants of Avalon. Now, under the influence of a charismatic leader, a group of young rebels makes for the mainland, intent on establishing their own colony, sure that they can vanquish any foe that should stand in their way. But they will soon discover that Avalon holds darker secrets still. At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About Beowulf''s Children: "Few writers have a finer pedigree than those here. . . . As one might suspect Beowulf''s Children is seamless . . . absorbing, substantial . . . masterful novel."—Los Angeles Times "Panoramic SF adventure at its best."—Library Journal About prequel The Legacy of Heorot: "Page-turning action and suspense, good characterization and convincing setting . . . may be the best thing any of those authors has written.”—The Denver Post “Outstanding! . . . The best ever, by the best in the field . . . the ultimate combination of imagination and realism.”—Tom Clancy “Well written, action-packed and tension filled . . . makes Aliens look like a Disney nature film."—The Washington Post “Spine-tingling ecological tale of terror.”—Locus About Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle: "Possibly the greatest science fiction novel I have ever read."—Robert A. Heinlein on The Mote in God''s Eye About Larry Niven: “Larry Niven’s Ringworld remains one of the all-time classic travelogues of science fiction — a new and amazing world and fantastic companions.”—Greg Bear "Our premier hard SF writer.”—The Baltimore Sun"The scope of Larry Niven''s work is so vast that only a writer of supreme talent could disguise the fact as well as he can."—Tom Clancy "Niven is a true master."—Frederik Pohl About Jerry Pournelle: "Jerry Pournelle is one of science fiction''s greatest storytellers."—Poul Anderson "Jerry Pournelle''s trademark is first-rate action against well-realized backgrounds of hard science and hardball politics."—David Drake "Rousing . . . The Best of the Genre."—The New York Times "On the cover . . . is the claim ''No. 1 Adventure Novel of the Year.'' And well it might be."—Milwaukee Journal on Janissaries About Steven Barnes: “Brilliant, surprising, and devastating.”—David Mack “Sharp, observant and scary.”—Greg Bear "Profound and exhilarating."—Maurice Broaddus, author of The Knights of Breton Court “Barnes gives us characters that are vividly real people, conceived with insight and portrayed with compassion and rare skill and then he stokes the suspense up to levels that will make the reader miss sleep and be late for work.”—Tim Powers “[Barnes] combines imagination, anthropology and beautiful storytelling as he takes readers to the foot of the Great Mountain, today known as Mount Kilimanjaro.”—Durham Triangle Tribune on Great Sky Woman

“The first satisfying end-of-the-world novel in years . . . an ultimate one . . . massively entertaining.”—Cleveland Plain-Dealer The gigantic comet had slammed into Earth, forging earthquakes a thousand times too powerful to measure on the Richter scale, tidal waves thousands of feet high. Cities were turned into oceans; oceans turned into steam. It was the beginning of a new Ice Age and the end of civilization. But for the terrified men and women chance had saved, it was also the dawn of a new struggle for survival—a struggle more dangerous and challenging than any they had ever known. . . . “Take your earthquakes, waterlogged condominiums, swarms of bugs, colliding airplanes and flaming what-nots, wrap them up and they wouldn’t match one page of Lucifer’s Hammer for sweaty-palmed suspense.”—Chicago Daily News

"This rousing sequel to the classic Ringworld continues the adventures of Louis Wu and Speaker-to-Animals on that fantastic planet."--School Library Journal An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

The first interstellar starship, John Glenn, fled a Solar System populated by rogue AIs and machine/human hybrids, threatened by too much nanotechnology, and rife with political dangers. The John Glenn''s crew intended to terraform the nearly pristine planet Ymir, in hopes of creating a utopian society that would limit intelligent technology. But by some miscalculation they have landed in another solar system and must shape the gas giant planet Harlequin''s moon, Selene, into a new, temporary home. Their only hope of ever reaching Ymir is to rebuild their store of antimatter by terraforming the moon. Gabriel, the head terraformer, must lead this nearly impossible task, with all the wrong materials: the wrong ships and tools, and too few resources. His primary tools are the uneducated and nearly-illiterate children of the original colonists, born and bred to build Harlequin''s moon into an antimatter factory. Rachel Vanowen is one of these children. Basically a slave girl, she must do whatever the terraforming Council tells her. She knows that Council monitors her actions from a circling vessel above Selene''s atmosphere, and is responsible for everything Rachel and her people know, as well as all the skills, food, and knowledge they have ever received. With no concept of the future and a life defined with duty, how will the children of Selene ever survive once the Council is through terraforming and have abandoned Selene for its ultimate goal of Ymir? At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Return to the "vivid and unusual" (Kirkus Reviews) world of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle''s The Burning City, where the fire god has retreated into myth, leaving the residents of Tep''s Town unprotected for the first time in their history. Unfortunately, a fiery fate isn''t the only danger the town is facing. From out of the desert come monsters -- great birds with blades instead of wings, driven by some unknown force. Although they can be killed, the threat these terror birds pose is worse than death. Danger on the roads means no trade. No trade means that Tep''s Town will be no more. Sent by the Lords of Lordshills to discover the source of the terror birds, Lord Sandry and his beloved, Burning Tower, must travel into a world where magic is still strong -- and where someone or something waits to destroy them! Filled with the sweeping adventure, memorable characters, and imaginative world-building that have defined the novels of Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, Burning Tower is another triumph.

They first appear as a series of dots on astronomical plates, heading from Saturn directly toward Earth. Since the ringed planet carries no life, scientists deduce the mysterious ship to be a visitor from another star.

The Barsoom Project is the direct sequel to 1981''s Dream Park. Eviane''s first visit to the-state-of-art amusement arena Dream Park ended in disaster: the special effects had seemed more real than life... until the holograms she was shooting with live ammunition turned out to be solid flesh and blood... and very, very dead. Haunted by the past, rebounding from a lengthy spell in a mental hospital, she has returned to Dream Park to exorcise a nightmare that has become reality. But in Dream Park, nothing is what it seems. The Inuit mythology controlling the images is part of a "Fat Ripper Special" designed to implant new behavioral memes. The players are struggling against the game master, one another, and their own demons. And there is a killer who wants to ensure Eviane never regains her memory...noo matter what it costs. Blending together hard science fiction with topical RPG-like fantasy games, The Barsoom Project is SF at the cutting edge and a classic creation from two of the genre''s most beloved writers. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The Citizens Tree people rescue a family of loggers and learn for the first time of a society known as the Admiralty, which may have maintained intact the original computer library of the ship Discipline.

Larry Niven is the New York Times bestselling author of such classic science fiction novels as Ringworld and Destiny''s Road. One of his previous collections, N-Space, was lauded by the Houston Post as "Outstanding . . . hours of entertainment," while Publishers Weekly called it "A must for science fiction fans." A follow-up volume, Playgrounds of the Mind, was praised by Kirkus Reviews as "Grand Entertainment." Niven returns with the sequel to his most recent collection, Scatterbrain, which gathers an equally engaging assortment of Niven''s latest work, all in one captivating volume. Here are choice excerpts from his most recent novels, including Ringworld''s Child, as well as short stories, non-fiction, interviews, editorials, collaborations, and correspondence. Stars and Gods roams all over a wide variety of fascinating topics, from space stations to conventional etiquette. Give yourself a treat, and feel free to pick the brain of one of modern science fiction''s most fascinating thinkers. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The third book in the trilogy--following "Fleet of Worlds" and "Juggler of Worlds--Destroyer of Worlds" is set 200 years before the discovery of Ringworld.

Set in the world of Larry Niven''s popular The Magic Goes Away, The Burning City transports readers to an enchanted ancient city bearing a provocative resemblance to our own modern society. Here Yagen-Atep, the volatile and voracious god of fire, alternately protects and destroys the city''s denizens. In Tep''s Town, nothing can burn indoors and no fire can start -- except when the Burning comes upon the city. Then the people, possessed by Yagen-Atep, set their own town ablaze in a riotous orgy of destruction that often comes without warning. Whandall Placehold has lived with the Burning all his life. Fighting his way to adulthood in the mean-but-magical streets of the city''s most blighted neighborhoods, Whandall dreams of escaping the god''s wrath to find a new and better life. But his best hope for freedom may lie with Morth of Atlantis, the enigmatic sorcerer who killed his father!

A culture of evolved humans inhabits a doughnut-shaped gas tube that rotates around a neutron star.

A human expedition to another star system is jeopardized by an encounter with an astonishingly immense bowl-shaped structure cupping a star, with a habitable area equivalent to many millions of Earths. Investigating the Bowl, or Shipstar, the human explorers are separated, with one group captured by the gigantic structure''s alien inhabitants and the other pursued across its strange and dangerous landscape.

The future is a strange and dangerous place. Chaz Kato can testify to that. He is a citizen of Xanudu, a city-sized artificial island populated by some of the wealthiest men and women on future Earth. A place filled with hidden wonders and dark secrets of technology gone awry. Lenore Myles is a student when she travels to Xanadu and becomes involved with Chaz Kato. She is shocked when she uses Kato''s access codes to uncover the grizzly truth behind Xandu''s glittering facade. Not knowing who to trust, Lenore finds herself on the run. Saturn, a mysterious entity, moves aggressively to break the security breach. With interests of the world''s wealthiest people at stake, and powerful technology at it''s fingertips, Saturn, puts Lenore racing for her life, against a truly formidable foe. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.