Bøger af Larry Niven

Return to the classical hard-science fiction of the kind popular in the Golden Age

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novelFour 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 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 kzin hierarchy, and some shamefully cooperated with the contemptible humans, though often for hidden motives.

Aliens - Moties - were first contacted in AD3017 in the region of space known as the Coalsack. The eponymous mote in his eye, which has winked out, much to the distress of pious Himmists, just might have been Motie laser light. It might even indicate the position of their home planet.

Ringverdenen er en skelsættende teknisk bedrift, et fladt bånd tre millioner gange større end Jorden, som omkranser en fjern stjerne. Med sine billioner af beboere, som ikke alle er menneskelignende, og sine enestående teknologiske vidundere er Ringverdenen uden sidestykke i universet.Den opdagelsesrejsende Louis Wu, et menneske født på Jorden, som var med på tidligere ekspeditioner til Ringverdenen, bliver viklet ind i en række intriger mellem forskellige planeter og arter, da en interstellar krig og et kraftfuldt nyt våben truer med at destruere Ringen for altid.Nu afhænger Ringverdenens fremtid af dens børn: ligædervogteren Tonesmed; Akolyt, den landsforviste søn af Chmeee og Wembleth, en ringverdensindfødt med en mystisk fortid. Alle må de spille et farligt spil for at redde Ringverdenens befolkning – og selve Ringverdenens stabilitet.

Velkommen tilbage til Ringverdenen: alle tiders mest imponerende tekniske bedrift!Mennesket Louis Wu; dukkeføreren kendt som Den Bageste; Akolyt, søn af kzinnen Chmeee … denne gruppe af usandsynlige allierede samles endnu en gang for at forsvare Ringverdenen.Noget er i gære blandt vogterne. Indkommende rumskibe bliver tilintetgjort, før de når Ringverdenen. Vampyrerne spreder sig og vokser i antal. Og ligæderne har deres egen dagsorden – som man måske kan blive klogere på, hvis nogen vover at nærme sig dem.Hver race på Ringverdenen har altid haft sin egen vogter. Nu ser det ud til, at Ringverdenen selv har brug for en vogter. Men hvem skal sidde på Ringverdens trone?

Artefaktet er en gigantisk, cirkelrund struktur, næsten 300 millioner kilometer i diameter, med en sol i midten. Piersons-dukkeførere – bemærkelsesværdige trebenede, tohovedede rumvæsner – har opdaget denne ’Ringverden’ i en hidtil uudforsket del af galaksen. Nysgerrige på den enorme konstruktion, men ængstelige ved at møde konstruktørerne, samler dukkeførerne et hold for at udforske den:Louis Wu – en 200-årig mand, der keder sig bravt og søger nye eventyr.Nessus – en frygtsom dukkefører, hvis arts overlevelsesinstinkt bygger på ikkevold. Lige denne dukkefører er dog utilregnelig.Taler-til-dyr – en kæmpestor, kattelignende kzin-kriger.Teela Brown – en kvinde født under en heldig stjerne.Men ekspeditionen går grueligt galt, da deres skib styrter ned, og den brogede besætning står over for en skræmmende rejse gennem mange tusinde kilometer af Ringverdenens ukendte land.

Det er 20 år siden, at den garvede og eventyrlystne Louis Wu opdagede Ringverdenen. Nu er han og Taler-til-dyr på vej tilbage, taget til fange af Den Bageste, en afsat dukkeførerleder.Med Louis’ hjælp har Den Bageste tænkt sig at finde nogle af Ringverdenens skatte og bringe dem med tilbage til sit hjem for at imponere sit folk og derved genvinde sin status. Men da gruppen ankommer, opdager Louis, at Ringverdenen ikke længere er stabil – og at den vil tilintetgøre sig selv inden for få måneder. For at overleve må han finde hovedsædet for de legendariske ringbyggere, der i sin tid konstruerede den kunstige verden.Hans mission bliver en kamp mod tiden, og mod Den Bageste, som er Louis’ eneste vej væk fra Ringverdenen, og som er dybt uenig i hans prioriteter.

Ringverdenen er en skelsættende teknisk bedrift, et fladt bånd tre millioner gange større end Jorden, som omkranser en fjern stjerne. Med sine billioner af beboere, som ikke alle er menneskelignende, og sine enestående teknologiske vidundere er Ringverdenen uden sidestykke i universet.Den opdagelsesrejsende Louis Wu, et menneske født på Jorden, som var med på tidligere ekspeditioner til Ringverdenen, bliver viklet ind i en række intriger mellem forskellige planeter og arter, da en interstellar krig og et kraftfuldt nyt våben truer med at destruere Ringen for altid.Nu afhænger Ringverdenens fremtid af dens børn: ligædervogteren Tonesmed; Akolyt, den landsforviste søn af Chmeee og Wembleth, en ringverdensindfødt med en mystisk fortid. Alle må de spille et farligt spil for at redde Ringverdenens befolkning – og selve Ringverdenens stabilitet.

Velkommen tilbage til Ringverdenen: alle tiders mest imponerende tekniske bedrift!Mennesket Louis Wu; dukkeføreren kendt som Den Bageste; Akolyt, søn af kzinnen Chmeee … denne gruppe af usandsynlige allierede samles endnu en gang for at forsvare Ringverdenen.Noget er i gære blandt vogterne. Indkommende rumskibe bliver tilintetgjort, før de når Ringverdenen. Vampyrerne spreder sig og vokser i antal. Og ligæderne har deres egen dagsorden – som man måske kan blive klogere på, hvis nogen vover at nærme sig dem.Hver race på Ringverdenen har altid haft sin egen vogter. Nu ser det ud til, at Ringverdenen selv har brug for en vogter. Men hvem skal sidde på Ringverdens trone?

Det er 20 år siden, at den garvede og eventyrlystne Louis Wu opdagede Ringverdenen. Nu er han og Taler-til-dyr på vej tilbage, taget til fange af Den Bageste, en afsat dukkeførerleder.Med Louis’ hjælp har Den Bageste tænkt sig at finde nogle af Ringverdenens skatte og bringe dem med tilbage til sit hjem for at imponere sit folk og derved genvinde sin status. Men da gruppen ankommer, opdager Louis, at Ringverdenen ikke længere er stabil – og at den vil tilintetgøre sig selv inden for få måneder. For at overleve må han finde hovedsædet for de legendariske ringbyggere, der i sin tid konstruerede den kunstige verden.Hans mission bliver en kamp mod tiden, og mod Den Bageste, som er Louis’ eneste vej væk fra Ringverdenen, og som er dybt uenig i hans prioriteter.

Artefaktet er en gigantisk, cirkelrund struktur, næsten 300 millioner kilometer i diameter, med en sol i midten. Piersons-dukkeførere – bemærkelsesværdige trebenede, tohovedede rumvæsner – har opdaget denne ’Ringverden’ i en hidtil uudforsket del af galaksen. Nysgerrige på den enorme konstruktion, men ængstelige ved at møde konstruktørerne, samler dukkeførerne et hold for at udforske den:Louis Wu – en 200-årig mand, der keder sig bravt og søger nye eventyr.Nessus – en frygtsom dukkefører, hvis arts overlevelsesinstinkt bygger på ikkevold. Lige denne dukkefører er dog utilregnelig.Taler-til-dyr – en kæmpestor, kattelignende kzin-kriger.Teela Brown – en kvinde født under en heldig stjerne.Men ekspeditionen går grueligt galt, da deres skib styrter ned, og den brogede besætning står over for en skræmmende rejse gennem mange tusinde kilometer af Ringverdenens ukendte land.

For too long, the Puppeteers have controlled the fate of worlds. Now Sigmund is pulling the strings...Covert agent Sigmund Ausfaller is Earth's secret weapon, humanity's best defense against all conspiracies, real and potential - and imaginary - of foes both human and alien. Who better than a brilliant paranoid to expose the devious plots of others?He may finally have met his match in Nessus, representative of the secretive Puppeteers, the elder race who wield vastly superior technologies. Nessus schemes in the shadows with Earth's traitors and adversaries, even after the race he represents abruptly vanishes from Known Space.As a paranoid, Sigmund had always known things would end horribly for him. Only the when, where, how, why, and by whom of it all had eluded him. That fog has begun to lift...But even Sigmund has never imagined how far his investigations will take him - or that his destiny is entwined with the fates of worlds.

The Year: 2085. Humanity has spread throughout the solar system. A stable lunar colony is agitating for independence. Lunar tourism is on the rise...Against this background, professional "Close Protection" specialist Scotty Griffin, fresh off a disastrous assignment, is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to shepherd the teenaged heir to the Republic of Kikaya on a fabulous vacation. Ali Kikaya will participate in the first live action role playing game conducted on the Moon itself. Having left Luna--and a treasured marriage--years ago due to a near-tragic accident, Scotty leaps at the opportunity.Live Action Role Playing attracts a very special sort of individual: brilliant, unpredictable, resourceful, and addicted to problem solving. By kidnapping a dozen gamers in the middle of the ultimate game, watched by more people than any other sporting event in history, they have thrown down an irresistible gauntlet: to "win" the first game that ever became "real." Pursued by armed and murderous terrorists, forced to solve gaming puzzles to stay a jump ahead, forced to juggle multiple psychological realities as they do...this is the game for which they've prepared their entire lives, and they are going to play it for all it's worth.

After 200 years in cryosleep, Jaybee Corbell awakens to find that his mind has been downloaded to another body and he's in servitude to a harsh future State. After his escape via a spaceship, he traverses such vast distances--with accompanying time dilations--that he returns to Earth 3 million years later to discover a world wholly alien to the one he'd left. A.E. van Vogt wrote, "This fantastic novel is a mix of Niven hard science and a time-travel concept to boggle the mind." "Larry Niven is one of the giants of modern science fiction." - Mike Resnick "His tales have grit, authenticity, colorful characters and pulse-pounding narrative drive. Niven is a true master!" - Frederik Pohl "Niven's intoxicating concepts, ideas, scientific extrapolations, and exotic hardware buffle up from every page. Rich in imagination and astonishing in breath ... will challenge the most sophisticated readers." - ALA Booklist "This fantastic novel is a mix of Niven hard science and a time-travel concept to boggle the mind...even after the last line the feeling remains of the story still rushing on into the magic distance of the universe." - A.E. van Vogt "Terrific fun!" - Kirkus Reviews

For decades, the spacefaring species of Known Space have battled over the largest artifact-and grandest prize-in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. But without warning the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. Something must justify the blood and treasure that have been spent. If the fallen civilization of the Ringworld can no longer be despoiled of its secrets, the Puppeteers will be forced to surrender theirs. Everyone knows that the Puppeteers are cowards. But the crises converging upon the trillion Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds go far beyond even the onrushing armadas: Adventurer Louis Wu and the exiled Puppeteer known only as Hindmost, marooned together for more than a decade, escaped from the Ringworld before it disappeared. And throughout those years, as he studied Ringworld technology, Hindmost has plotted to reclaim his power ... Ol't'ro, the Gw'oth ensemble mind-and the Fleet of World's unsuspected puppet master for a century-is deviously brilliant. And, increasingly unbalanced ...Proteus, the artificial intelligence on which-in desperation-the Puppeteers rely to manage their defenses, is outgrowing its programming. And the supposed constraints on its initiative ... Sigmund Ausfaller, paranoid and disgraced hero of the lost human colony of New Terra, knows that something threatens his adopted home world. And that it must be stopped ... Achilles, the megalomaniac Puppeteer, twice banished-and twice rehabilitated-sees the Fleet of World's existential crisis as a new opportunity to reclaim supreme power. Whatever the risks ... One way or another, the fabled race of Puppeteers may have come to the end of their days in Fate of Worlds, the final installment to Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner's Fleet of Worlds series.

Prometheus Award Hall of Fame finalist and one of the 100 best science fiction novels from 1949-1984 as selected by critic David Pringle.This classic of libertarian science fiction explores how the citizens of a near-future Los Angeles wrestle with poverty, privacy, and technology when faced with a choice between corporate feudalism and government dysfunction.In a dystopian future, where pollution, overpopulation, and violence overrun Los Angeles streets, a Utopia flourishes. Todos Santos is thousand-foot-high arcology, a self-contained single-structured city that rises above the festering skyscrapers to offer its privileged residents the perfect blend of technology and security in exchange for their oath of allegiance and vigilance.But is this orderly city elevating humanity, or shackling it? There are those who feel the constant video surveillance oppressive, rather than inclusive, or that the city is monopolizing hard-earned resources, and taking money away from the poorer Angelinos.Connected through neural implants to MILLIE - the AI that runs all of Todos Santos' systems - Art Bonner and Barbara Churchwood work with a team of dedicated staff to protect the city against the FROMATEs ("Friends of Man and the Earth"), who are a group of anti-technology zealots dedicated to destroying everything they have built. When three youths break into the city, to see if they can exploit its weaknesses, the repercussions of their actions threaten to bring one of humanities most ambitious projects to its knees...Published in 1981, Oath of Fealty is one of several works by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, including The Mote in God's Eye (1974) and Lucifer's Hammer (1977).

25 years have passed since humanity quarantined the mysterious aliens known as Moties within the confines of their own solar system. They have spent a quarter century analyzing and agonizing over the deadly threat posed by the only aliens mankind has ever encountered-- a race divided into distinct biological forms, each serving a different function. Master, Mediator, Engineer. Warrior. Each supremely adapted to its task, yet doomed by millions of years of evolution to an inescapable fate.

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.