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Known Space
Protector
A classic novel of known space
Phssthpok the Pak had been traveling for most of his thirty-two thousand years. His 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.
Phssthpok the Pak had been traveling for most of his thirty-two thousand years. His 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.
218 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
65 people are currently reading
3606 people want to read
About the author
Larry Niven
685 books3,271 followersLaurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths.
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 321 reviews
December 2, 2018
Larry Niven proves a point here. Most other authors would be tempted to tell a story of this magnitude in a trilogy consisting of thousands of pages. Niven does it in a little over 200 pages. Granted, he keeps the featuring cast down to only a few individuals. But still…
The saga of Brennan the Belter and Phssthpok the Pak seems to enjoy a bit of cult status, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an enjoyable enough tale, with some nice surprises to keep things spicy. It also gets fairly technical, with what was probably at the time the oddest space warfare tactics in Science Fiction. It's a true science-y SF classic. The explosion at the Galactic Core, a plot event featured in many of Niven’s Known Space novels, is also mentioned here. Plus, if you have read the Ringworld novels you will be no stranger to the Pak Protectors.
Lots of fun and highly recommended.
The saga of Brennan the Belter and Phssthpok the Pak seems to enjoy a bit of cult status, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an enjoyable enough tale, with some nice surprises to keep things spicy. It also gets fairly technical, with what was probably at the time the oddest space warfare tactics in Science Fiction. It's a true science-y SF classic. The explosion at the Galactic Core, a plot event featured in many of Niven’s Known Space novels, is also mentioned here. Plus, if you have read the Ringworld novels you will be no stranger to the Pak Protectors.
Lots of fun and highly recommended.
October 23, 2014
Downloaded from my library & published by BlackStone Audio. It is one of his Known Universe books, there are some touch stones to others, but this stands alone perfectly well & is early in the cycle. It's old school, hard SF that I haven't read in far too long but was one of many that stretched my mind as a kid.
The premise of Protector is pretty interesting, as are the protectors themselves. Niven covers a lot of logical & moral ground in this book. I was constantly asking myself if I thought the actions were 'right' or not. They were always correct & practical, but is that enough? Would I have drawn the same lines? Sometimes the answer was no, other times, as much as I hated it, the answer was yes.
There are tantalizing overviews of other issues he covers more thoroughly in other books, like the cycles of law to keep the organ banks full or the problems of 'drug' addiction. He actually talks about wireheads, people that have a wire implanted into the pleasure center of their brain for direct stimulation. These issues are covered in more detail in The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton, 3 short stories, I believe, & some other books & stories.
With all this philosophizing, the action & mystery never stopped or even slowed down. He logically led me from one situation to another, often spanning years or even centuries. Description was perfect; sparse enough not to slow things down, but rich enough to let my mind see the world. On top of that, the reader was quite good, about perfect for the story.
The premise of Protector is pretty interesting, as are the protectors themselves. Niven covers a lot of logical & moral ground in this book. I was constantly asking myself if I thought the actions were 'right' or not. They were always correct & practical, but is that enough? Would I have drawn the same lines? Sometimes the answer was no, other times, as much as I hated it, the answer was yes.
There are tantalizing overviews of other issues he covers more thoroughly in other books, like the cycles of law to keep the organ banks full or the problems of 'drug' addiction. He actually talks about wireheads, people that have a wire implanted into the pleasure center of their brain for direct stimulation. These issues are covered in more detail in The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton, 3 short stories, I believe, & some other books & stories.
With all this philosophizing, the action & mystery never stopped or even slowed down. He logically led me from one situation to another, often spanning years or even centuries. Description was perfect; sparse enough not to slow things down, but rich enough to let my mind see the world. On top of that, the reader was quite good, about perfect for the story.
March 8, 2020
Protector is essentially two separate, related novellas, published together. Niven introduces some fascinating concepts, at the core of which is an intriguing alien species, originating in the galactic core, with ancient ties to humanity making first contact after millions of years. But, as with most of his work, I found it fairly dry, heavy on the info dumping and science and light on story and character development, which generally feels didactic. In particular, he gets into the weeds way too frequently explaining the technology behind the alien's means of interstellar transit. The second half, titled Vandervecken, is a bit more engaging, with the story packaged as a mystery narrated from the perspective of a human whose memory was erased after being abducted by the aliens for a mysterious purpose.
July 2, 2009
"Protector" has one of the best ideas I have seen in any SF novel, and I'm astonished to find that not one of my friends has it on their shelf. Here's an intro (all revealed very early on, so it hardly counts as a spoiler). It turns out that human beings aren't actually from Earth after all; we are originally colonists from another planet a long way from here.
On the home planet, humans go through two life stages. First, they are Breeders. Breeders, as the name suggests, are only interested in having sex, and are not very smart. But at age 40 or thereabouts, they change into Protectors. Protectors have lost all their sex organs and body hair, are covered in a hard, armored carapace, and are super-strong and super-intelligent. They are only interested in Protecting the well-being of closely related Breeders.
However, something has gone terribly wrong... on Earth, people never turn into Protectors! When they reach 40 or so, their bodies undergo certain changes, and they have a strange feeling that there is something superlatively important that they should be doing, but that's it.
Luckily, a Protector from the home planet has discovered the truth about the lost colony, and has also figured out how to solve the problem. He sets off on the long voyage to Earth, with the plan of saving us all. It's a very entertaining book.
On the home planet, humans go through two life stages. First, they are Breeders. Breeders, as the name suggests, are only interested in having sex, and are not very smart. But at age 40 or thereabouts, they change into Protectors. Protectors have lost all their sex organs and body hair, are covered in a hard, armored carapace, and are super-strong and super-intelligent. They are only interested in Protecting the well-being of closely related Breeders.
However, something has gone terribly wrong... on Earth, people never turn into Protectors! When they reach 40 or so, their bodies undergo certain changes, and they have a strange feeling that there is something superlatively important that they should be doing, but that's it.
Luckily, a Protector from the home planet has discovered the truth about the lost colony, and has also figured out how to solve the problem. He sets off on the long voyage to Earth, with the plan of saving us all. It's a very entertaining book.
September 28, 2007
Further proof, if it were needed, that Niven is the king of creating interesting, believable, yet totally alien aliens.
Take all the features of human senescence: wrinkled, leathery skin, teeth and hair falling out, heart failure, joints swollen from over-use. Now imagine that all of these features are signs not of a body breaking down, but the beginnings of a third-stage of human development: the super-strong, hyperintelligent "protector" stage.
The frailties of old age become the strengths of a "protector." Wrinkled, leathery skin grows tough beyond compare--an armored hide. Teeth fall out and the jaw closes together to form a sharp, powerful "beak." Knobby joints give the muscles more torque. The ailing heart, which was never meant to last seventy years to begin with, is supplemented by a second heart, which grows near the groin, where the major veins and arteries branch off to feed the legs. Other changes include an increased brain size for hyper-intelligence and an overwhelming hormonal urge to protect your descendents.
The choice to become a proector is a Faustian bargain. Hyperintelligence means there's only one way to accomplish any given goal--the right way. And the hormonal urge to protect your bloodline means that your goals are in effect chosen for you, too. Free will, morality, sentimentality--all gone. What's left is a frighteningly effective and wholly alien super-being, like a Kwisatz Haderach on crack.
Take all the features of human senescence: wrinkled, leathery skin, teeth and hair falling out, heart failure, joints swollen from over-use. Now imagine that all of these features are signs not of a body breaking down, but the beginnings of a third-stage of human development: the super-strong, hyperintelligent "protector" stage.
The frailties of old age become the strengths of a "protector." Wrinkled, leathery skin grows tough beyond compare--an armored hide. Teeth fall out and the jaw closes together to form a sharp, powerful "beak." Knobby joints give the muscles more torque. The ailing heart, which was never meant to last seventy years to begin with, is supplemented by a second heart, which grows near the groin, where the major veins and arteries branch off to feed the legs. Other changes include an increased brain size for hyper-intelligence and an overwhelming hormonal urge to protect your descendents.
The choice to become a proector is a Faustian bargain. Hyperintelligence means there's only one way to accomplish any given goal--the right way. And the hormonal urge to protect your bloodline means that your goals are in effect chosen for you, too. Free will, morality, sentimentality--all gone. What's left is a frighteningly effective and wholly alien super-being, like a Kwisatz Haderach on crack.
January 19, 2021
The Origins of Humanity
19 January 2021
I’d heard of the Pak Protectors before, but that was in the Ringworld Novels, and they were basically mentioned as, well, being around, but there didn’t seem to be too much detail with regards to them. In fact, I found out about them simply by doing a Wikipedia search. Well, it turns out that this is the book that tells us a lot more about them. Well, not quite because it involves one of them arriving in the Solar System, and us humans getting in contact with it, before proceeding to kill it.
Yeah, us humans really do like killing things, don’t we?
Then again, so do the Pak Protectors, and they happen to be pretty xenophobic as well, especially when it comes to Pak offshoots. You see, they believe that there is only one strain of Pak that is legitimate, and all others need to be killed, and unfortunately, Humans fall into one of those categories of ‘all others’. The thing is that we arrived at Earth millions of years ago, but the Tree of Life root that is required to transform Pak from breeders to protectors couldn’t grow here, so we simply evolved differently.
This is why Niven claims that we lose our teeth, become less interested in sex (which I sort of query because I’ve heard that humans can be pretty frisky for quite a lot longer than he claims that they can, but then again many of us, when we were young, simply could not fathom the concept of old people actually having sex – it just seemed to be way too gross for us), and have our skin start to winkle. That is because we are supposed to be turning into protectors, but we don’t have the root that will push the process further.
However, other than a heap of exposition, there isn’t much about this book that makes the story all that engaging. It is split into two sections, the first one where they encounter the Pak, who proceeds to turn one of the characters into a protector, and the other characters are trying to learn as much about this creature as possible. The second part involves another character losing four months of his life, and since he inherits a lot of money, decides that the mere stipend that he is being paid is worthless, so he goes on a trek to find out who kidnapped him, and why. Personally, I probably should have worked this out pretty quickly because, honestly, it is bleeding obvious.
Still, I do quite like Niven’s work, and this is just another one of his many books. However, it sort of sits in his ‘Known Space’ universe, which includes the Ringworld novels (which I have to admit were far better, at least the first one was), and this one just seems to be fleshing out what had come before. However, the Ringworld novels also suggests that we were familiar with the Pak (and I’m not quite sure which book came first, though I could certainly find out by doing a quick Wikipedia search, which I’m not going to do because, well, I’m lazy), so yeah, it can get a little confusing at times.
However, it’s fairly short, and not a bad read, though honestly, it isn’t anything particularly outstanding either.
19 January 2021
I’d heard of the Pak Protectors before, but that was in the Ringworld Novels, and they were basically mentioned as, well, being around, but there didn’t seem to be too much detail with regards to them. In fact, I found out about them simply by doing a Wikipedia search. Well, it turns out that this is the book that tells us a lot more about them. Well, not quite because it involves one of them arriving in the Solar System, and us humans getting in contact with it, before proceeding to kill it.
Yeah, us humans really do like killing things, don’t we?
Then again, so do the Pak Protectors, and they happen to be pretty xenophobic as well, especially when it comes to Pak offshoots. You see, they believe that there is only one strain of Pak that is legitimate, and all others need to be killed, and unfortunately, Humans fall into one of those categories of ‘all others’. The thing is that we arrived at Earth millions of years ago, but the Tree of Life root that is required to transform Pak from breeders to protectors couldn’t grow here, so we simply evolved differently.
This is why Niven claims that we lose our teeth, become less interested in sex (which I sort of query because I’ve heard that humans can be pretty frisky for quite a lot longer than he claims that they can, but then again many of us, when we were young, simply could not fathom the concept of old people actually having sex – it just seemed to be way too gross for us), and have our skin start to winkle. That is because we are supposed to be turning into protectors, but we don’t have the root that will push the process further.
However, other than a heap of exposition, there isn’t much about this book that makes the story all that engaging. It is split into two sections, the first one where they encounter the Pak, who proceeds to turn one of the characters into a protector, and the other characters are trying to learn as much about this creature as possible. The second part involves another character losing four months of his life, and since he inherits a lot of money, decides that the mere stipend that he is being paid is worthless, so he goes on a trek to find out who kidnapped him, and why. Personally, I probably should have worked this out pretty quickly because, honestly, it is bleeding obvious.
Still, I do quite like Niven’s work, and this is just another one of his many books. However, it sort of sits in his ‘Known Space’ universe, which includes the Ringworld novels (which I have to admit were far better, at least the first one was), and this one just seems to be fleshing out what had come before. However, the Ringworld novels also suggests that we were familiar with the Pak (and I’m not quite sure which book came first, though I could certainly find out by doing a quick Wikipedia search, which I’m not going to do because, well, I’m lazy), so yeah, it can get a little confusing at times.
However, it’s fairly short, and not a bad read, though honestly, it isn’t anything particularly outstanding either.
May 26, 2024
ফসপোক নামের এক বুদ্ধিমান এলিয়েন ৩২,০০০ বছর পাড়ি দিয়ে আমাদের সৌরজগতে এসে পৌঁছায়। ফসপোক(Phssthpok), পাক(Pak) এলিয়েন প্রজাতির একজন প্রটেক্টর। পাকদের জীবনচক্রের তিনটা ফেজ থাকে: বাল্যকাল, ব্রিডার, প্রটেক্টর। স্বল্পবুদ্ধির ব্রিডারের কাজ সবসময়ই তার প্রজাতির জন্য প্রজননে অংশ নেয়া। অন্যদিকে প্রটেক্টর এর মূল কাজ তার অধীনে থাকা সব ব্রিডারের নিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিত করা। আপাততদৃষ্টিতে একজন প্রটেক্টর প্রায় ইমর্টাল। যদি একজন ব্রিডারও বেঁচে না থাকে তাহলে ওই প্রটেক্টরের বেঁচে থাকার কোন উদ্দেশ্য থাকবে না। খাওয়াদাওয়া বন্ধ করে দিয়ে একদিন সে মারা যাবে। ফসপোকের যত ব্রিডার ছিল তারা বিভিন্ন সময় পাক প্রজাতির সিভিল যুদ্ধে মারা যায়। পরবর্তীতে ফসপোক ভিন্ন আরেকটা জায়গা খুঁজে পায় যেখানে তাদের পূর্বপুরুষদের খুঁজে পাবার সম্ভবনা আছে। মজার ব্যাপার হচ্ছে কাহিনি এখানেই পুরো টুইস্ট খেয়ে যায়। পাক প্রজাতি হচ্ছে হোমো-হাবিলিস আর মানুষরা হচ্ছে হোমো-সেপিয়েন্স। বুদ্ধিমান পাঠক নিশ্চয়ই বুঝতে পারছেন যে, পাকদের সাথে মানবসভ্যতার ইন্টারলিংক ঘটনা আছে। এর বেশি এখানে বলা যাবে না তাহলে স্পয়লার হয়ে যাবে। আমাকে
সবচেয়ে বেশি অবাক করেছে এই বইয়ের প্লট সেটিং। ল্যারি নিভেনের ‘রিংওয়ার্ল্ড’ যদি কারোর পড়া থাকে তাহলে বুঝতে পারবেন যে এলিয়েন নিয়ে লেখায় উনি কতটা সিদ্ধহস্ত। উনি বুদ্ধিমান প্রজাতিকে এমন ভাবে পাঠকের সামনে তুলে ধরবেন যে তাদের ঠিক এলিয়েন মনে হবে না, আপনার অতি বুদ্ধিমান গ্রামের চাচাতো ভাই বা তাদের কোনো বংশধর মনে হবে। এই বইটা পড়ার সময় অদ্ভুত এক সমস্যায় পড়বেন। বইটা পড়ে শেষ করার পর মনে হবে, দুটো আলাদা আলাদা ঘটনা একটা বই হিসেবে ছাপা হয়েছে। প্রথম ১০০ পেজ পর পুরো কাহিনি, চরিত্র, ঘটনাস্থল সবই পরিবর্তন হয়ে যাবে। হঠাৎ করে পড়লে শুরুতে একদম পানসে লাগবে। ধীরে সুস্থে সময় নিয়ে যদি পড়েন এই বইয়ের ভিতরে একটা দর্শন আছে, গল্পের ভিতরে গল্প আছে। লেয়ারে লেয়ারে গল্প বলার এই টেকনিকটা আমার খুবই পছন্দ। ইউনিক কনসেপ্টের সাইফাই উপন্যাস পড়তে চাইলে প্রোটেক্টর মাস্ট রিড। আরো বেশি মজা লেগেছে যখন লেখক একই সাথে স্পেস অপেরা, স্পেস ওয়রফেয়ার, মানুষের আদি উৎস থেকে ডুনের মতো কুইস্যায হ্যাডেরাকের কাছাকাছি পর্যায়ের চরিত্র আনার চেষ্টা করেছেন। এত বৈচিত্র্যময় আয়োজন ছোট্ট একটা উপন্যাসে! যদিও ল্যারি নিভেনের লেখা এখানে একদমই ফ্ল্যাট। বাড়তি কোন চাকচিক্য, অলংকার ব্যবহার তো দূরে থাক কাহিনি টেনে লম্বা করারও চেষ্টা করেননি। হয়তো এই উপন্যাসটা এত সুন্দর হওয়ার কারণ লেখকের মেদহীন গদ্য। বইয়ের শেষে এসে কাহিনিতে বড়সড় পরিবর্তন হবে যা আপনাকে নতুন করে ভাবতে বাধ্য করবে_ Remember the Finagle Laws. The perversity of the universe tends toward a maximum. The universe is hostile.” “But.”
সবচেয়ে বেশি অবাক করেছে এই বইয়ের প্লট সেটিং। ল্যারি নিভেনের ‘রিংওয়ার্ল্ড’ যদি কারোর পড়া থাকে তাহলে বুঝতে পারবেন যে এলিয়েন নিয়ে লেখায় উনি কতটা সিদ্ধহস্ত। উনি বুদ্ধিমান প্রজাতিকে এমন ভাবে পাঠকের সামনে তুলে ধরবেন যে তাদের ঠিক এলিয়েন মনে হবে না, আপনার অতি বুদ্ধিমান গ্রামের চাচাতো ভাই বা তাদের কোনো বংশধর মনে হবে। এই বইটা পড়ার সময় অদ্ভুত এক সমস্যায় পড়বেন। বইটা পড়ে শেষ করার পর মনে হবে, দুটো আলাদা আলাদা ঘটনা একটা বই হিসেবে ছাপা হয়েছে। প্রথম ১০০ পেজ পর পুরো কাহিনি, চরিত্র, ঘটনাস্থল সবই পরিবর্তন হয়ে যাবে। হঠাৎ করে পড়লে শুরুতে একদম পানসে লাগবে। ধীরে সুস্থে সময় নিয়ে যদি পড়েন এই বইয়ের ভিতরে একটা দর্শন আছে, গল্পের ভিতরে গল্প আছে। লেয়ারে লেয়ারে গল্প বলার এই টেকনিকটা আমার খুবই পছন্দ। ইউনিক কনসেপ্টের সাইফাই উপন্যাস পড়তে চাইলে প্রোটেক্টর মাস্ট রিড। আরো বেশি মজা লেগেছে যখন লেখক একই সাথে স্পেস অপেরা, স্পেস ওয়রফেয়ার, মানুষের আদি উৎস থেকে ডুনের মতো কুইস্যায হ্যাডেরাকের কাছাকাছি পর্যায়ের চরিত্র আনার চেষ্টা করেছেন। এত বৈচিত্র্যময় আয়োজন ছোট্ট একটা উপন্যাসে! যদিও ল্যারি নিভেনের লেখা এখানে একদমই ফ্ল্যাট। বাড়তি কোন চাকচিক্য, অলংকার ব্যবহার তো দূরে থাক কাহিনি টেনে লম্বা করারও চেষ্টা করেননি। হয়তো এই উপন্যাসটা এত সুন্দর হওয়ার কারণ লেখকের মেদহীন গদ্য। বইয়ের শেষে এসে কাহিনিতে বড়সড় পরিবর্তন হবে যা আপনাকে নতুন করে ভাবতে বাধ্য করবে_ Remember the Finagle Laws. The perversity of the universe tends toward a maximum. The universe is hostile.” “But.”
January 13, 2010
The last time I read this was in 7th grade, towards the end of my first real "I'm going to read everything this author has written" phase in which I devoured everything Known Space. (Come to think of it, I never did get around to reading The Integral Trees...) It's interesting to see what I actually remember about the Known Space universe and the stories in it. Niven's universe was very interconnected. I caught references to World of Ptavvs and A Gift From Earth, but I'm sure I missed others.
This is the oldest SF book I've read in quite a while (it was published in 1973), and as such it's a trove of vintage paleo-futurism. It always surprises me how glaringly obvious the lack of an Internet seems in futuristic tales written in the age of room-sized pocket calculators. "Why didn't you just look that up?" is a question that occurs to modern readers a lot in this sort of book. And how many SF novels these days feature Martians? But these marks of the era are curiosities rather than real blemishes on the story. Niven was always an ideas man, and the ideas here are some of his strongest. The evolutionary biology of the Pak Protectors might not stand up, but brilliant use of their unique psychology as the pivot of the book's plot most certainly does. I picked this off my shelf on a whim mostly because it was short, and I'm glad I read it. I fear it might send me into a nostalgic re-read through the rest of Niven
This is the oldest SF book I've read in quite a while (it was published in 1973), and as such it's a trove of vintage paleo-futurism. It always surprises me how glaringly obvious the lack of an Internet seems in futuristic tales written in the age of room-sized pocket calculators. "Why didn't you just look that up?" is a question that occurs to modern readers a lot in this sort of book. And how many SF novels these days feature Martians? But these marks of the era are curiosities rather than real blemishes on the story. Niven was always an ideas man, and the ideas here are some of his strongest. The evolutionary biology of the Pak Protectors might not stand up, but brilliant use of their unique psychology as the pivot of the book's plot most certainly does. I picked this off my shelf on a whim mostly because it was short, and I'm glad I read it. I fear it might send me into a nostalgic re-read through the rest of Niven
January 29, 2010
3.5 stars. Great book by one of the masters of Hard SF "storytelling." This is a book with "big" ideas that are well thought out and explanined and yet such explanations are not given at the expense of the story.
Translation = Big concept, Hard SF that is a lot of fun. Recommended.
Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1974)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1974)
Translation = Big concept, Hard SF that is a lot of fun. Recommended.
Nominee: Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1974)
Nominee: Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (1974)
January 8, 2021
Written in that classic sci-fi style where characters are, at best, secondary to the idea.
The book is composed of two parts. The first part lays out the premise and I found it interesting. The second is a mystery, then a chase sequence, and a drag to get through.
The premise, though, is worth it: It's an original and intriguing premise, but that's pretty much all there is to it. Characters? Who cares; they're barely a mouth for exposition. Story? Doesn't matter; it's just a hanger on which to drape the idea. Setting? A bare colorless room empty save for the idea. But it's a damn good idea. If that doesn't faze you and still manages to intrigue you, I would still recommend you read the Wikipedia summary or watch "A Look at Protector (Niven)" by sfdebris .
The book is composed of two parts. The first part lays out the premise and I found it interesting. The second is a mystery, then a chase sequence, and a drag to get through.
The premise, though, is worth it: It's an original and intriguing premise, but that's pretty much all there is to it. Characters? Who cares; they're barely a mouth for exposition. Story? Doesn't matter; it's just a hanger on which to drape the idea. Setting? A bare colorless room empty save for the idea. But it's a damn good idea. If that doesn't faze you and still manages to intrigue you, I would still recommend you read the Wikipedia summary or watch "A Look at Protector (Niven)" by sfdebris .
April 11, 2023
The first third of this book was a struggle. The tone was dry and what few characters there were, seemed poorly fleshed out. In fact, there was no clear character on which the reader could focus their attention... no protagonist.
To make matters worse, at least for my pedantic self, the central premise was scientifically unsound. This is not the first Sci-fi story to posit that humanity was seeded from another world but, while it tries to explain the hominid fossil record, it fails to explain the associated fossil dating used in paleontology. Nor does it explain the genetic consanguinity between primates and 99.9% of other life on the planet.
Putting my skeptic hat aside, the story also suffers from being 50 years old. The descriptions of far-future society seem laughably old-fashioned. Asteroid belt miners use phone books to contact their compatriots. People still go to libraries to do casual research. But it's the lack of things like the internet, smartphones, and A.I. that, through no fault of the author, make these stories inadvertently anachronistic (reverse anachronistic?).
However, once the reader has a protagonist in which to inhabit, the story takes on a more compelling character (see what I did there?). We are then treated to a manhunt followed by a low-key war. There's a particularly good twist ending, (the ending, not the twist), that draws the reader's imagination far beyond the ending of this story.
My final note is only to praise the author's depiction of a super-genius, while lamenting the lack of exploration of the super-man. Clearly, Niven is more interested in the cerebral but I personally don't mind a little gratuitous violence in my fiction.
To make matters worse, at least for my pedantic self, the central premise was scientifically unsound. This is not the first Sci-fi story to posit that humanity was seeded from another world but, while it tries to explain the hominid fossil record, it fails to explain the associated fossil dating used in paleontology. Nor does it explain the genetic consanguinity between primates and 99.9% of other life on the planet.
Putting my skeptic hat aside, the story also suffers from being 50 years old. The descriptions of far-future society seem laughably old-fashioned. Asteroid belt miners use phone books to contact their compatriots. People still go to libraries to do casual research. But it's the lack of things like the internet, smartphones, and A.I. that, through no fault of the author, make these stories inadvertently anachronistic (reverse anachronistic?).
However, once the reader has a protagonist in which to inhabit, the story takes on a more compelling character (see what I did there?). We are then treated to a manhunt followed by a low-key war. There's a particularly good twist ending, (the ending, not the twist), that draws the reader's imagination far beyond the ending of this story.
My final note is only to praise the author's depiction of a super-genius, while lamenting the lack of exploration of the super-man. Clearly, Niven is more interested in the cerebral but I personally don't mind a little gratuitous violence in my fiction.
April 27, 2019
Being part of Niven's Tales of Known Space this is a somewhat older book. It's a mans first contact story and concerns the arrival in the solar system of the first alien visitor. From there things do not go as you might expect and the book covers several hundred years due to lots of travelling at sub light speeds.
In a few places it did seem a bit dated, and I was not at all convinced about the mono-pole (single ended magnet) technology, but overall, still a great book. Bringing together science, future technology, exploration and then throwing in some morality questions is usually a win win and it's what Science Fiction does best.
In a few places it did seem a bit dated, and I was not at all convinced about the mono-pole (single ended magnet) technology, but overall, still a great book. Bringing together science, future technology, exploration and then throwing in some morality questions is usually a win win and it's what Science Fiction does best.
January 2, 2020
Old read. Probably my favorite Niven book.
January 8, 2016
Re-reading Ringworld earlier this month as part of Sword & Laser book club selection got me in the mood for a re-read of Ringworld Engineers. Part way into that I dug out Niven's Protector and decided I should re-read that before getting much further in RW Eng. Overall I like this book ALMOST as much as Ringworld, some parts more so, some less. I would rate it a 4.5 if I could, putting this just under Niven's Ringworld, Mote in Gods Eye & Dream Park novels which are my favorites.
I enjoy a number of aspects about Protector. A little spoilerish so read on at your own risk...
I enjoy a number of aspects about Protector. A little spoilerish so read on at your own risk...
May 16, 2022
Μια πολύ καλή ιστορία για τους νοσταλγούς της Space opera προηγούμενων δεκαετιών. Αρκετά καλή δουλειά από τις εκδόσεις και το μεταφραστή. Αξίζει να διαβαστεί, ίσως όχι όσο άλλα του Niven, αλλά αν τρέφετε αλλεργία προς το πρωτότυπο (a.k.a. αγγλικό βιβλίο), η ελληνική αγορά βιβλίου δε θα σας δώσει πολλές επιλογές.
August 26, 2013
(After reading the 5 books of the Ringworld, I decided to read the related works in Larry Niven's Known Space universe. Protector figured largely in the unfolding of the Ringworld series and I thought it would be interesting to revisit this book. As such enterprises tend to do, it brought up memories of a youthful life and all the silly things one can get into. Like hitching a ride with the Pak, you never know where you'll wind up.)
So Protector is the book, also the race and the spaceship. The race is the Pak, and the protector is the adult stage, smarter, stronger, than the the preceding stage of breeder, yet, for all its superman abilities, remarkably devoid of free will. For a protector lives for one thing and one thing only: insuring its bloodline. The spaceship is a Buzzard ramjet, launched by Jack Brennan (the first human-turned-protector) to stop a fleet of protectors on their way to the human worlds of Known Space. And the book is an entertaining read, written in Niven's inimitable style, highly technological, almost mathematical in its precision, the epitome of the hard SF genre.
The book makes more sense in the context of the Ringworld and Fleet of Worlds series. As a standalone book, I recalled it as episodic with different stories told of different characters and time frames, all tenuously connected. But in the light of the other (later) Niven works, the nature, motivations and actions of the protector make more sense. So I enjoyed it more this time and thus change my rating to 5 stars.
The best parts of this book are: the space battle fought at astronomical distances spanning years, the loneliness of the protector and how it might amuse itself, the protector's haven featuring an Escher staircase, and the old geezers who set out to save the crash landed protector on Mars. The Niven genesis of how humans are descended from the Pak is straight out of pulp serials. If all it takes to become smarter is to get a bigger brain, then the next cosmetic craze might be the extended frontal lobe. I am wondering what to make of my smartphone - is it smart despite being small?
The things we believed in when we were young look silly now no matter how real they seemed then. But there is no denying the valuable lessons gained from making mistakes and taking the wrong path. And in recognizing we are not a s smart as we think.
May 7, 2014
Larry Niven's concept is strong, but "Protector" often fails in its execution. Although any one of my basic criticisms might seem trivial if taken by itself, together they detracted from my enjoyment of this sometimes frustrating novel.
First, praise: The idea that human beings might represent a mutated form of extraterrestrial life is a basic premise so rich in possibilities that I'd be surprised if Niven was the first to think of it. Regardless, he runs with it admirably. Although some might fault the 220-year disconnect between the two halves of the book -- which necessitates a different cast of characters in each -- I thought the storyline provided sufficient continuity to warrant this device which, incidentally, dispenses with the need for linking material which might otherwise have descended into the realm of filler.
Now for the criticisms: Niven spends nearly the first half of the novel on exposition. It is only as we approach the midway point that all of the references and conventions within the universe he's constructed add up and make sense. That leaves the reader with 100 pages of uncertainty and confusion, which, needless to say, is far from ideal.
Niven is overly fond of the ellipsis. I have never seen it used as compulsively as it is here. As a writer who is, himself, fond of its use, I think I will be making a concerted effort to break myself of this habit.
A similar criticism applies to Niven's incessant use of the term "yah" to mean "yeah" or "yes," a choice I have never encountered in any other writer's work. It has the unfortunate result of lending the characters Canadian accents in the mind's ear.
Although not a major flaw, Niven is prone to the unfortunate tendency of earlier sci-fi writers to invent names which cannot be pronounced. The central character in the first half of the book is named Phssthpok. While this may seem a petty criticism, Niven's choice seriously detracts from the readability of the novel. Every time the reader encounters this unpronounceable moniker, the rhythm of reading is broken.
Finally, the last few pages are jarring, as Niven abruptly switches to a first-person voice and "breaks the fourth wall," retroactively recasting the entire novel as a memoir penned in "novelized" form by Truesdale. One can't help but feel that this denouement, which primarily serves to set up a sequel, could have been handled in a more organic fashion.
In short, this is a potentially strong novel which is weakened significantly, but not fatally, by a series of minor flaws.
First, praise: The idea that human beings might represent a mutated form of extraterrestrial life is a basic premise so rich in possibilities that I'd be surprised if Niven was the first to think of it. Regardless, he runs with it admirably. Although some might fault the 220-year disconnect between the two halves of the book -- which necessitates a different cast of characters in each -- I thought the storyline provided sufficient continuity to warrant this device which, incidentally, dispenses with the need for linking material which might otherwise have descended into the realm of filler.
Now for the criticisms: Niven spends nearly the first half of the novel on exposition. It is only as we approach the midway point that all of the references and conventions within the universe he's constructed add up and make sense. That leaves the reader with 100 pages of uncertainty and confusion, which, needless to say, is far from ideal.
Niven is overly fond of the ellipsis. I have never seen it used as compulsively as it is here. As a writer who is, himself, fond of its use, I think I will be making a concerted effort to break myself of this habit.
A similar criticism applies to Niven's incessant use of the term "yah" to mean "yeah" or "yes," a choice I have never encountered in any other writer's work. It has the unfortunate result of lending the characters Canadian accents in the mind's ear.
Although not a major flaw, Niven is prone to the unfortunate tendency of earlier sci-fi writers to invent names which cannot be pronounced. The central character in the first half of the book is named Phssthpok. While this may seem a petty criticism, Niven's choice seriously detracts from the readability of the novel. Every time the reader encounters this unpronounceable moniker, the rhythm of reading is broken.
Finally, the last few pages are jarring, as Niven abruptly switches to a first-person voice and "breaks the fourth wall," retroactively recasting the entire novel as a memoir penned in "novelized" form by Truesdale. One can't help but feel that this denouement, which primarily serves to set up a sequel, could have been handled in a more organic fashion.
In short, this is a potentially strong novel which is weakened significantly, but not fatally, by a series of minor flaws.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 27, 2015To some extent I consider Larry Niven's Known Space stories the default setting for science fiction. Not early enough to be pulp, yet still definitely not New Wave, let alone modern; never quite OTT enough to be space opera, yet even in the earlier stories too relaxed about the science to feel like mundane SF. The science has gaps and handwaves, but there's also a keen awareness that sub-light space combat would be incredibly boring. And so forth. This might sound like an insult, like calling the stories beige or generic; not my intention at all, any more than I mean it ill when I describe the Rolling Stones as the reference point for a rock'n'roll band. Here, Niven once again takes up John Campbell's challenge to create something which thinks at least as well as a man, but not like a man - and also uses it to point up some of humanity's own more counterproductive tendencies. There are some oddities along the way - it seems bizarre that humanity could be so excited about extrasolar first contact yet so blase about Martians on the doorstep - but for the most part this is the good old-fashioned future. Also, for anyone familiar with Stroud Green Road, there's the bonus of an alien race called the Pak.
April 9, 2024
The first half of this book was published separately in 1967 and is a classic tale of first contact with another intelligent species (the Pak). It has sense of wonder, great ideas, humour, pace, everything. The human characters are not great, but they’re varied and have some degree of humanity.
Some years later, Niven decided to write about what happened next, and the book got its second half, which is set a couple of centuries later! It remains well thought out, imaginative, and interesting in a dry sort of way, but some of the magic and the pace have gone out of the story, and it turns into rather an academic exercise. There are only a few significant characters and even the author doesn’t seem to care much about any of them.
I give it four stars overall because the first half is great and the second half is still worth reading, although for me it’s relatively disappointing as a story.
Quite early in his career Niven came up with some great ideas for alien species, most notably the Thrintun, the Pak, and the Moties. I think the Thrintun appear in only one novel, but the Pak turn up again later in some other books.
Some years later, Niven decided to write about what happened next, and the book got its second half, which is set a couple of centuries later! It remains well thought out, imaginative, and interesting in a dry sort of way, but some of the magic and the pace have gone out of the story, and it turns into rather an academic exercise. There are only a few significant characters and even the author doesn’t seem to care much about any of them.
I give it four stars overall because the first half is great and the second half is still worth reading, although for me it’s relatively disappointing as a story.
Quite early in his career Niven came up with some great ideas for alien species, most notably the Thrintun, the Pak, and the Moties. I think the Thrintun appear in only one novel, but the Pak turn up again later in some other books.
July 12, 2018
Много смело спорех, че не може да е чак толкоз лош "Протектор"-а :).
Истината е, че не е ЧАК толкова лош, но за произведение на Нивън си е на практика посредствен. Не че няма някои прекрасни космологични идеи, които ми се всладиха... но извън това е малко... невпечатлителен. Едва ли има читател, който би бил втрещен от сюжет или герой - макар и написан по превъзходен начин, почти липсващата оригиналност е толкова нехарактерна за дедо Лари, че ми идва да ударя едни 2 звезди и аз.
Ако името на корицата беше някое неизвестно, вероятно щях да сложа 4*, но това е доста под нивото на "Свят извън времето" (примерно - че я четох наскоро). Ако авторът беше роден - дори нямаше да е най-добрата българска космическа фантастика (препоръчвам горещо "Звездата Аиел" на Снежана Неделчева!).
Някъде около 3,49* :)
Истината е, че не е ЧАК толкова лош, но за произведение на Нивън си е на практика посредствен. Не че няма някои прекрасни космологични идеи, които ми се всладиха... но извън това е малко... невпечатлителен. Едва ли има читател, който би бил втрещен от сюжет или герой - макар и написан по превъзходен начин, почти липсващата оригиналност е толкова нехарактерна за дедо Лари, че ми идва да ударя едни 2 звезди и аз.
Ако името на корицата беше някое неизвестно, вероятно щях да сложа 4*, но това е доста под нивото на "Свят извън времето" (примерно - че я четох наскоро). Ако авторът беше роден - дори нямаше да е най-добрата българска космическа фантастика (препоръчвам горещо "Звездата Аиел" на Снежана Неделчева!).
Някъде около 3,49* :)
January 4, 2013
Outstanding! One of the greatest science fiction books ever written. This would have to be in my Top Ten books and definitely my favourite Larry Niven book.
And did I mention the cover? What a great cover!
And did I mention the cover? What a great cover!
May 18, 2015
Five stars for the first half. Three stars for the second. Read the other reviews to find out why. Contains key information about the Pak protectors, which are threaded throughout Larry Niven's Known Space story arch including the Ringworld series.
August 6, 2024
A batshit idea executed with a completely straight face can be a really great time. In this case: WHAT IF the effects of old age are an echo of a second life-stage humanity was meant to have where we metamorphose into ultra-intelligent and ultra-strong wrinkly old people? Completely and utterly absurd, yet not once does Niven crack a joke about it, or acknowledge in any way how insane the concept is. It's just what the story's about, deal with it.
Divided into two halves, one is an Alien-esque tale of first contact gone wrong, the second is an interstellar war for the fate of humanity, hidden from human knowledge. The mystery of the origin and motivation of the Pak protector Phssthpok carries the first story. The Pak are an intensely weird concept that may be too much to swallow for some, but I absolutely loved them.
Niven could perhaps have mined more pathos from the weirdness of a being like Brennan, who experienced life both as a human and a protector, but he's content (or wise enough) to merely hint at it. More disappointing is the treatment of Elroy's girlfriend Alice. Their meeting and growing closer was actually kind of romantic, and it was nice seeing love bloom betweenEarthnoid Flatlander and Spacenoid Belter. She gets turfed by Brennan because she is pregnant. It just seems like an excuse to kick her out of the story since she no longer had a purpose in getting Elroy to Brennan. She was easily my favourite Niven female character so far (which tbh has not been a high bar to clear).
I'm loving the way Niven builds out the Known Space series. Any one of the four books I've read could be taken as a standalone story, but they all interconnect more extensively than say, The Culture books. Neutron Star built on the Thrint empire introduced in Ptavvs, Ringworld directly references "At the Core" from Neutron Star, and now it seems like it was definitely the Pak that built the ringworld based on context clues (human-like aliens on the ringworld, the changeable permeability membranes, lack of hyperdrive). Protector even features the neutron star from "Neutron Star", and Luke Garner from Ptavvs reappears. I'm sure there're even more connections with the other books I haven't read, but I really don't feel like I'm missing out on anything crucial, and I wouldn't even if I had read Protector first. It's also cool how there's a clear technological progression from the stories set earlier in the timeline and those later, as well as social changes and upheavals because of them.
Divided into two halves, one is an Alien-esque tale of first contact gone wrong, the second is an interstellar war for the fate of humanity, hidden from human knowledge. The mystery of the origin and motivation of the Pak protector Phssthpok carries the first story. The Pak are an intensely weird concept that may be too much to swallow for some, but I absolutely loved them.
Niven could perhaps have mined more pathos from the weirdness of a being like Brennan, who experienced life both as a human and a protector, but he's content (or wise enough) to merely hint at it. More disappointing is the treatment of Elroy's girlfriend Alice. Their meeting and growing closer was actually kind of romantic, and it was nice seeing love bloom between
I'm loving the way Niven builds out the Known Space series. Any one of the four books I've read could be taken as a standalone story, but they all interconnect more extensively than say, The Culture books. Neutron Star built on the Thrint empire introduced in Ptavvs, Ringworld directly references "At the Core" from Neutron Star, and now it seems like it was definitely the Pak that built the ringworld based on context clues (human-like aliens on the ringworld, the changeable permeability membranes, lack of hyperdrive). Protector even features the neutron star from "Neutron Star", and Luke Garner from Ptavvs reappears. I'm sure there're even more connections with the other books I haven't read, but I really don't feel like I'm missing out on anything crucial, and I wouldn't even if I had read Protector first. It's also cool how there's a clear technological progression from the stories set earlier in the timeline and those later, as well as social changes and upheavals because of them.
April 20, 2023
I am always interested in reading outside of my comfort zone, as I have been very pleasantly surprised on many occasions during which I’ve done so. I believe that by being close minded I might be missing out on my new favorite book or series, so I make a concerted effort to avoid falling into that trap as a reader.
As a fan of fantasy, I’ve always felt that sci-fi is the logical next step in my reading journey. I have also, as with fantasy, wanted to culture myself on the classics of the genres I read. They have a different feel to them, and I find it an enjoyable-if difficult- experience to feel out how the style of prose and genre has changed from the classic era to the present day.
That is all to explain my thought process going into this book.
Lengthy preamble aside, I will say that I enjoyed Protector fairly much. It has extremely interesting ideas and a very engaging plot. The world building was, if a bit brusque, wildly fascinating. I am not sure if this is a standalone or the first installment in a series, but the world (or universe, I suppose) of the story feels packed and alive.
I have heard that classic sci-fi books are engines for ideas. You go into them for the weird and cool ideas that stretch your brain and make you go, “Huh. Wow. Interesting.”
This was certainly my experience. Unfortunately, my experience was hampered slightly by the lack of character in the story. It truly felt like an engine chugging toward the end of the plot, with every character serving only to pull me ever closer to the end. There was some characterization, but nothing I could latch onto. That truly isn’t too egregious a writing style, particularly keeping in mind context for what kind of book you are reading, but paired with the pacing of the story it was held back from being a “great” book to me. The pacing felt at some times like it was moving through syrup, and at others like I was being shuttled to the next scene. Even realizing how difficult it is to keep a fluidity to a story over the course of hundred of in-story years, it felt quite choppy at times.
Despite all of my bellyaching, I really did enjoy Protector, and I am quite glad it was my introduction into more classic sci-fi. Especially knowing that this is one of Larry Niven’s lesser works, I absolutely can’t wait to read more.
As a fan of fantasy, I’ve always felt that sci-fi is the logical next step in my reading journey. I have also, as with fantasy, wanted to culture myself on the classics of the genres I read. They have a different feel to them, and I find it an enjoyable-if difficult- experience to feel out how the style of prose and genre has changed from the classic era to the present day.
That is all to explain my thought process going into this book.
Lengthy preamble aside, I will say that I enjoyed Protector fairly much. It has extremely interesting ideas and a very engaging plot. The world building was, if a bit brusque, wildly fascinating. I am not sure if this is a standalone or the first installment in a series, but the world (or universe, I suppose) of the story feels packed and alive.
I have heard that classic sci-fi books are engines for ideas. You go into them for the weird and cool ideas that stretch your brain and make you go, “Huh. Wow. Interesting.”
This was certainly my experience. Unfortunately, my experience was hampered slightly by the lack of character in the story. It truly felt like an engine chugging toward the end of the plot, with every character serving only to pull me ever closer to the end. There was some characterization, but nothing I could latch onto. That truly isn’t too egregious a writing style, particularly keeping in mind context for what kind of book you are reading, but paired with the pacing of the story it was held back from being a “great” book to me. The pacing felt at some times like it was moving through syrup, and at others like I was being shuttled to the next scene. Even realizing how difficult it is to keep a fluidity to a story over the course of hundred of in-story years, it felt quite choppy at times.
Despite all of my bellyaching, I really did enjoy Protector, and I am quite glad it was my introduction into more classic sci-fi. Especially knowing that this is one of Larry Niven’s lesser works, I absolutely can’t wait to read more.
August 4, 2020
With a world that is surprisingly consistent with the Expanse series of novels (and TV show), and a story that is light on characterisation but heavy on interesting concepts, Protector is a thoroughly engaging short novel.
(Interesting bit of trivia: the cover art of the UK edition by Peter Andrew Jones was also used as the cover of the 1989 videogame Blood Money by DMA Design, the team that would later go on to fame as Rockstar North, the developers of the Grand Theft Auto games).
(Interesting bit of trivia: the cover art of the UK edition by Peter Andrew Jones was also used as the cover of the 1989 videogame Blood Money by DMA Design, the team that would later go on to fame as Rockstar North, the developers of the Grand Theft Auto games).
April 3, 2022
Niven uses a lot of hard science concepts along with some really imaginative aliens and evolutionary ideas. One of the cool features is a time dialated space battle that seems more realistic than most space battles in books or movies (also more boring).
About halfway through I realized that this was two novellas just jammed together, which felt a bit disjointed.
Lots of cool ideas and very flat characters- pretty much what you’d expect from Larry Niven but it’s not his best.
*bonus points for the ballsy ending.
About halfway through I realized that this was two novellas just jammed together, which felt a bit disjointed.
Lots of cool ideas and very flat characters- pretty much what you’d expect from Larry Niven but it’s not his best.
*bonus points for the ballsy ending.
June 25, 2024
And this book confirms once again why I love Niven’s writing. Excellent pacing, writing with twists and turns. The scope of time and space was staggering to consider but it made it so much fun to read. Hated to see it end. And I wish it had a sequel. I think this is one of the few books that I have read where I mentally say - boy I would love to see this as a movie. Why did I wait so long to read it?
July 23, 2021
When I was 12 years old I tried to read this book. It did nothing but terrify me and in the long run I think I simply did not understand what was going on but I really wanted to read ‘science fiction’.
Well I’m finally giving this an adult read. A lot of scenes came back to me and I was able to make more sense of them. Unlike some other of Larry Niven’s books have aged very well. This felt like an old book. I’m glad I went back it’s not something I now normally read but it felt so forebodingly creepy. Adult or not I’m going to tell you near the end I felt the same absolute terror.
Well I’m finally giving this an adult read. A lot of scenes came back to me and I was able to make more sense of them. Unlike some other of Larry Niven’s books have aged very well. This felt like an old book. I’m glad I went back it’s not something I now normally read but it felt so forebodingly creepy. Adult or not I’m going to tell you near the end I felt the same absolute terror.
October 1, 2018
The first book written by Niven that I read. Even though the final parts felt a bit "rushed", I really liked his style so I will definitely read more of his works in the future.
March 4, 2019
We always knew there was something wrong with growing old. Larry Niven tells us why. One of the most moving stories I have ever read.
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