Larry Niven

Loosely based on Larry Niven's 1973 novella "Flash Crowd," Red Tide continues to examine the social consequences of the impact of having instantaneous teleportation, where humans can instantly travel long distances in milliseconds. This is a theme that has fascinated the author throughout his career and even appears in his seminal work Ringworld, where the central character celebrates his birthday by instantly teleporting himself to different time zones, extending his "birthday." The author also discusses the impact of such instantaneous transportation in his essay, "Exercise in Speculation: The Theory and Practice of Teleportation." Larry Niven is joined by two younger writers, Brad R. Torgersen and Matthew J. Harrington, as they take on this challenging idea and further develop the theories and concepts that Niven originally presented in "Flash Crowd."

Ulmekirjanduse 31. suurmeister Larry Niven(1938) ei ole eesti lugejatele tundmatu. 2003. aastal ilmusid meil ta romaanid"Rõngasplaneet" (Ringworld; 1970) ja "Rõngasplaneedi ehitajad" (TheRingworld Engineers; 1979). Kuid juba 1993. aastal ilmus Põhjanaelas tatuntuim novell "Neutrontäht" (Neutron Star; 1966), mis avas kosmiliseseikleja Beowulf Shaefferi sarja, mille kõik tekstid on koondatud nende kaantevahel ilmuvasse kogumikku, mis ilmus originaalis 1994. aastal. Need lood, naguka Rõngasplaneedi romaanid, kuuluvad kirjaniku loodud Tuntud Kosmose (KnownSpace) nime kandvasse tulevikuajalukku. Kaks selles kogus ilmuvat jutustuston võitnud Hugo auhinna ning "Neutrontähte" loetakse üheks 1960ndatekuulsaimaks ulmelooks. Kuigi Niven tuli ulmesse uue laine kirjanduslikestiilipiruettide ja keelemängude kümnendil, sai ta kuulsaks eelkõige justteaduslikult tõepäraste astronoomiliste kirjelduste ja loogiliselt põhjendatudulmemaailmade väljamõtlemise poolest. Koos Gregory Benfordi, Michael Crichtoni, David Brini ja Greg Beariga sai temast üks 20. sajandi teise poole tähtsaimtõsiteadusliku fantastika (hard science fiction) viljeleja.

Bet Marbl, Kliff Kammash i drugie mezhzvezdnye puteshestvenniki s korablja "Iskatelnitsa solnts", kotorye sperva reshili ostatsja v Chashe Nebes, v itoge otpravljajutsja na Gloriju. Ved imenno ona byla iznachalnoj tselju "Iskatelnitsy". Znachit, oni vsjo zhe dolzhny issledovat etot novyj i potentsialno opasnyj mir - pust dazhe na puti issledovatelej vstajut lichnye konflikty i vyzovy.Kak i Chasha Nebes, dvojnaja sistema Glorii sposobna vyzvat shok i voskhischenie svoej neverojatnoj slozhnoj strukturoj i zagadochnostju. A predstaviteli ee tsivilizatsii, na pervyj vzgdjad, nastroeny vpolne druzheljubno. No ekipazh "Iskatelnitsy" podozrevaet, chto zdes chto-to nechisto - i, pokhozhe, ne zrja...Razumnye obitateli Chashi i Glorii uvereny, chto stabilnoe i progressivnoe obschestvennoe ustrojstvo nevozmozhno dlja vidov, ne obladajuschikh opredelennymi sposobnostjami. A chelovechestvo v ikh glazakh ne tak daleko ushlo ot primatov i zametno ne dotjagivaet do vysokikh standartov razvitykh ras. Ne pridetsja li ljudjam dokazyvat svoe pravo na mesto pod solntsem - i chego eto budet stoit?

Pravilnyj li vybor sdelala issledovatelskaja ekspeditsija Zemli, prervav svoe puteshestvie k tseli radi Chashi nebes - nevoobrazimo ogromnogo artefakta, neozhidanno obnaruzhennogo v mezhzvjozdnom prostranstve? Iskushenie izuchit Chashu tem bolee veliko, chto ona mogla by stat pristanischem dlja mnogikh millionov zemljan... Esli by uzhe ne sluzhila domom dlja nekikh vesma malo pokhozhikh na ljudej suschestv. Slozhnejshaja ekosistema, udivitelnye landshafty i neverojatnye formy, kotorye prinimaet razum - vse eto okazyvaetsja pered gruppoj issledovatelej, kotorykh presleduet khozjaeva Chashi. No khozjaeva li oni? Kto ee sozdal? I s kakoj tselju? Zemljanam predstoit eto vyjasnit, i vmeste s tem uznat nechto takoe, chto perevernet ikh ponimanie Vselennoj i pozvolit po-novomu vzgljanut na mesto chelovechestva v mirozdanii. A na orbite Chashi kapitan "Iskatelnitsy zvezd" i ego komanda borjutsja so svoimi problemami. I pust ikh korabl ne voennyj, no kazhdyj zvezdolet, stranstvujuschij v glubokom kosmose, mozhet stat groznym oruzhiem, sposobnym nanesti nemalyj uscherb kolossalnomu artefaktu pered nim.Dlja vsekh poklonnikov tverdoj nauchnoj fantastiki.Prodolzhenie romana "Chasha nebes".Uvlekatelnaja smes golovokruzhitelnogo prikljuchenija s nauchnym issledovaniem.

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.

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?

Ekspeditsija, letjaschaja ot Zemli k drugoj zvezdnoj sisteme, vstrechaet v kosmose nechto neverojatnoe: chasheobraznuju konstruktsiju razmerom s Solnechnuju sistemu, vnutri kotoroj, podobno dvigatelju, gorit zvezda. Dovolno bystro vyjasnjaetsja, chto Chasha obitaema. No kuda ona napravljaetsja? I kto ee sozdal? Na obekt posylajut komandu issledovatelej, no Pervyj Kontakt idet sovershenno ne po planu. Teper ljudjam predstoit vyjasnit tseli ispolinskogo artefakta, uznat, kto ego naseljaet, i blagodarja etomu izmenit vzgljady dazhe na svoe mesto vo Vselennoj.

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).

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. 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

Avalon was thriving. The cold sleep colonists from Earth had settled on a verdant, livable world. The fast and cunning predators humans named "grendels" were under control, and the mainland outposts well established. Avalon's new mainland hydroelectric power station was nearly complete, and when on-line would compensate for the nuclear power systems lost in the Grendel Wars. Humans would have power, and with power came the ability to make all the necessities for life. They would survive. They would not survive as a spacefaring people. What they were losing faster than they knew was the ability to get to space. But unbeknownst to the planet-bound humans, something was moving out there in the stars, decelerating at a rate impossible for a natural object. And its destination was Avalon. The most probable origin was Earth's Solar System. This is a novel of first contact—between the human Starborn and the self-named Godsons who followed on, between the first generation of Avalon born humans and their descendants, and between humans and the almost ineffably alien species native to their new world.... 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 prequel 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

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, igno

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. 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