|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Product Description
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 reperesents 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.
About the Author
Larry Niven is the award-winning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces, and fantasy novels including the Magic Goes Away series. Beowulf's Children, co-authored with Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes, was a New York Times bestseller. He has received the Nebula Award, five Hugos, four Locus Awards, two Ditmars, the Prometheus, and the Robert A. Heinlein Award, among other honors. He lives in Chatsworth, California.
Edward M. Lerner has degrees in physics and computer science, a background that kept him mostly out of trouble until he began writing science fiction full-time. His books include Probe, Moonstruck, and the collection Creative Destruction. Fleet of Worlds was his first collaboration with Larry Niven. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Ruth.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.0 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Different perspective on existing stories, Oct 26 2008
By E. M. Van Court "Van" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Juggler of Worlds (Hardcover)
This is a revisiting of a number of the "Known Space" stories, from the perspective of a professional paranoid. Sigmund Ausfaller is a UN law officer, and professional paranoid, albeit a natural paranoid rather than a chemically induced one, like some of his peers.Sigmund gets a human face, as his sordid past is revealed, his romantic life is considered, and his fears for the human race are discussed. And the key question; 'is he paranoid enough' is addressed. Even uglier than his role as a paranoid cop is his background as... [say it in hushed tones] a revenuer. His girlfriend is industrial grade crazy (as bad as your story is, his takes the cake). And his worst paranoid concerns for humanity fall short of the reality.
I enjoyed it immensely. This one filled in the gaps between many of the 'Known Space' stories from a very different perspective, and shed light on the wherefores and whys behind the incidents described in other works. Because of this, the criticisms of recycled material are valid, as they included much earlier work, and invalid, as the material was needed to make the story work for someone who hadn't read any of this body of work earlier. And in the end, it heads off in a new direction.
An excellent addition to the "Known Space" series, and a worthwhile read.
E. M. Van Court
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
What's my Motivation?, Oct 14 2008
By David A. Lessnau - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Juggler of Worlds (Hardcover)
Niven and Lerner's "Juggler of Worlds" starts a bit before their Fleet of Worlds, intertwines with it (and with other works) for a stretch, and then finishes a tad after it. If you're going to read the pair, "Fleet of Worlds" should come first as the latter part of this book depends on what happened in the other book.*Technically*, the writing, science and linkages to Niven's "Known Space" are very good. But, that linkage leads to this book's downfall. It feels more like a connect-the-dots chronicle than a story in its own right. Specifically, for two thirds of the book, there's really no explanation of why we're reading the book. It's just one thing after another relating to material in other Niven works with nothing explaining where THIS material is going. It's not until the last third of the book (after "Fleet of Worlds" ends) that anything resembling a motivation appears.
It pains me to have to rate the book down since it should have been a very good book. But, its choppiness and lack of motivation mean I can only rate it at an OK three stars out of 5.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
lacks drama, Sep 18 2008
By W Boudville - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Juggler of Worlds (Hardcover)
Remember the great works that Niven and Pournelle jointly wrote in the 70s and 80s? Now Niven has teamed with Lerner in this second book of a new series. It fits in the Man-Kzin universe, after those wars and before the Ringworld books.Sadly, this book doesn't compare well to the Niven & Pournelle efforts like Lucifer's Hammer and Footfall. I started eagerly reading the book, wanting more about the Man-Kzin struggles. That series was very popular, and I suspect that many of you will turn to this book for the same reason. Man-Kzin is explicitly military science fiction. This book is not, which may disappoint some.
It lacks tension. The writing is competent, but there is some spark missing, and I am not sure what it is. A professional writer could decontruct it and give you a more precise answer. The episodes in the book unfold without much high drama. Sometimes it just seems tedious. Contrast this to some of the Man-Kzin war stories and you might agree. The main character is hard to empathise with, being an avowed paranoid genius. He is also rather one dimensional. Beyond his paranoia, there is little else to his personality. Other minor characters are simply that, quite forgettable.
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
