Larry Niven Books

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Larry Niven is an American science fiction author best known for ‘Ringworld.’ Born in 1938 in Los Angeles, California, Niven attended the California Institute of Technology. But he left when a bookstore enticed him with an extensive collection of science fiction magazines.

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Later on, the author attended Washburn University in Kansas, graduating with a BA in Mathematics. Niven followed up this achievement with a stint at UCLA. But he left after a year to write.

Niven was obsessed with science fiction and fact. He constantly wrote about cutting-edge developments as they emerged from the science community. This placed him in a precarious position because he occasionally incorporated discoveries into his stories that scientists and scholars would disprove months or years after his books were published.

This did little to discourage Niven from adding real-world science to his stories. Eventually, the publishing industry recognized the author’s impact on the science fiction genre, and they awarded him accordingly.

The desire to write started haunting Niven at a young age. He read magazines and anthologies that fed his imagination, tempting the author to prioritize his publishing dreams above all else.

His fascination with science fiction was rooted in the fact that Astrophysicists kept discovering worlds more awe-inspiring than any setting the fantasy genre had ever created. He wanted to introduce the numerous discoveries science had made to the layperson, presenting them in a digestible manner that people with little or no interest in science could appreciate.

Niven was fortunate to have a friend like the publisher Fred Pohl who encouraged him to write science-based stories set in strange corners of the known and unknown universe.

Fred’s impact on the author’s life was not limited to his publishing career. He also introduced Niven to the fan that became his wife.

The author’s stories encompassed a variety of subjects. He wasn’t afraid to explore the fantastical, introducing bizarre alien races and technological concepts that had no basis in reality.

‘Ringworld’ is still Niven’s most significant creation. Released in 1970, the volume astounded readers with its blend of outlandish characters and innovative locations. The book incorporated some familiar characters from previous books along with a new cast of intriguing protagonists. Besides novels, Niven has written scripts for shows like ‘Land of the lost’ and ‘The Outer Limits.’

Additionally, he contributed his talents to the character of Green Lantern from DC comics.

Larry Niven Awards

Niven has won Hugo and Nebula Awards for his novels and short stories.

Larry Niven Books into Movies

Niven wrote scripts for ‘Star Trek: The Animated Series’ and ‘The Outer Limits,’ which adapted the following stories from his bibliography: ‘The Soft Weapon’ and ‘Inconstant Moon’ respectively.

Best Larry Niven Books

The author successfully collaborated with Jerry Pournelle on numerous occasions. Niven’s best books include:

Ringworld: The Ringworld is an ancient artifact 600 million miles in length and 90 million miles wide. No one knows the origins of the artifact. However, they know that they don’t want to meet the entities capable of building a structure of that size.

Louis Wu is a human in 2855. He’s been recruited to explore the artifact in the company of Speaker-To-Animals, an alien from a race of warriors. Joined by a woman called Teela, the unit realizes that the giant ring is far larger than the earth.

More importantly, the inner surface is habitable. Any hope Louis had of reporting back to his employer is extinguished when their ship abandons them on the ring.

The Mote in God’s Eye: The Mote in God’s Eye takes place in the CoDominium Universe (Jerry Pournelle). In the distant past, the US and USSR combined forces to form a world government. The First Empire of Man rose out of the resulting nuclear war.

In this novel, the year is AD 3017. The Second Empire is trying to exert its control over the colonies it lost when the First Empire collapsed. Humanity uses faster-than-light travel to jump between star systems.

Things take an interesting turn when humanity notices a slower-than-light ship from a black nebula that inspires such awe that a cultic religion dubs it ‘The Image of God.’

This phenomenon marks humanity’s first encounter with the Mote, an ancient alien civilization with a dark problem.

When Does The Next Larry Niven book come out?

Larry Niven doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Starborn and Godsons and was released on April, 7th 2020. It is the newest book in the Heorot Series.

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