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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Order of Bowl Of Heaven Series with Gregory Benford

# Read Title Published Details
1 Bowl of Heaven 2012 Description / Buy
2 Shipstar 2014 Description / Buy
3 Glorious 2020 Description / Buy

Order of Dream Park Series with Steven Barnes

# Read Title Published Details
1 Dream Park 1981 Description / Buy
2 The Barsoom Project 1989 Description / Buy
3 California Voodoo Game / The Voodoo Game 1992 Description / Buy
4 The Moon Maze Game 2011 Description / Buy

Order of Golden Road Series with Jerry Pournelle

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Burning City 2000 Description / Buy
2 Burning Tower 2005 Description / Buy

Order of Heorot Series with Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Legacy of Heorot 1987 Description / Buy
2 Beowulf's Children / The Dragons of Heorot 1995 Description / Buy
3 The Secret of Black Ship Island 2012 Description / Buy
4 Starborn and Godsons 2020 Description / Buy

Chronological Order of Heorot Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Legacy of Heorot 1987 Description / Buy
2 The Secret of Black Ship Island 2012 Description / Buy
3 Beowulf's Children / The Dragons of Heorot 1995 Description / Buy
4 Starborn and Godsons 2020 Description / Buy

Order of Inferno Series with Jerry Pournelle

# Read Title Published Details
1 Inferno 1975 Description / Buy
2 Escape from Hell 2009 Description / Buy

Order of Known Space Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 World of Ptavvs 1966 Description / Buy
2 A Gift from Earth 1968 Description / Buy
3 Neutron Star (Short Story) 1968 Description / Buy
4 The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton 1969 Description / Buy
5 Protector 1973 Description / Buy
6 Tales of Known Space 1975 Description / Buy
7 The Patchwork Girl 1980 Description / Buy
8 Crashlander 1994 Description / Buy
9 Flatlander 1995 Description / Buy

Order of Magic Goes Away Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Magic Goes Away 1978 Description / Buy
2 The Magic May Return 1981 Description / Buy
3 The Time of the Warlock 1984 Description / Buy
4 More Magic 1984 Description / Buy
5 The Seascape Tattoo ( With: Steven Barnes) 2016 Description / Buy

Order of Moties Series with Jerry Pournelle, Jennifer R. Pournelle

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Mote in God's Eye 1974 Description / Buy
2 The Gripping Hand / The Moat Around Murcheson's Eye 1993 Description / Buy
3 Outies ( By: Jennifer R. Pournelle) 2010 Description / Buy
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Order of Ringworld Prequel / Fleet of the Worlds Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Fleet of Worlds 2007 Description / Buy
2 Juggler of Worlds 2008 Description / Buy
3 Destroyer of Worlds 2009 Description / Buy
4 Betrayer of Worlds 2010 Description / Buy
5 Fate of Worlds 2012 Description / Buy

Order of Ringworld Series with Edward M. Lerner

# Read Title Published Details
1 Ringworld 1970 Description / Buy
2 The Ringworld Engineers 1979 Description / Buy
3 The Ringworld Throne 1996 Description / Buy
4 Ringworld's Children 2004 Description / Buy
5 Fate of Worlds ( With: Edward M. Lerner) 2012 Description / Buy

Order of Ringworld Graphic Novels

# Read Title Published Details
1 Ringworld: The Graphic Novel, Part One 2014 Description / Buy
2 Ringworld: The Graphic Novel, Part Two 2015 Description / Buy

Order of The State Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 A World Out of Time 1976 Description / Buy
2 The Integral Trees 1983 Description / Buy
3 The Smoke Ring 1987 Description / Buy

Order of Larry Niven Short Story Collections

# Read Title Published Details
1 Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale (Short Story) ( With: John Byrne, Matt Webb) 0 Description / Buy
2 All the Myriad Ways 1968 Description / Buy
3 The Shape of Space 1969 Description / Buy
4 Inconstant Moon 1971 Description / Buy
5 The Flight of the Horse 1973 Description / Buy
6 A Hole in Space 1974 Description / Buy
7 Convergent Series 1979 Description / Buy
8 Limits 1985 Description / Buy
9 N-Space 1990 Description / Buy
10 Playgrounds of the Mind 1991 Description / Buy
11 Three Books of Known Space 1996 Description / Buy
12 Scatterbrain 2003 Description / Buy
13 The Magic Goes Away Collection 2005 Description / Buy
14 The Draco Tavern 2006 Description / Buy
15 Stars and Gods 2010 Description / Buy
16 Madness from the Inconstant Moon 2017 Description / Buy

Order of Larry Niven Short Stories/Novellas with Steven Barnes

# Read Title Published Details
1 A Relic of the Empire (Short Story) 1966 Description / Buy
2 The Locusts (Short Story) ( With: Steven Barnes) 1979 Description / Buy
3 The Return of William Proxmire 1989 Description / Buy

Order of Larry Niven Standalone Novels

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Flying Sorcerers ( With: David Gerrold) 1970 Description / Buy
2 Lucifer's Hammer ( With: Jerry Pournelle) 1977 Description / Buy
3 Oath of Fealty ( With: Jerry Pournelle) 1981 Description / Buy
4 The Descent of Anansi ( With: Steven Barnes) 1982 Description / Buy
5 Footfall ( With: Jerry Pournelle) 1985 Description / Buy
6 Fallen Angels ( With: Jerry Pournelle, Michael Flynn) 1991 Description / Buy
7 Achilles' Choice ( With: Steven Barnes) 1991 Description / Buy
8 Destiny's Road 1997 Description / Buy
9 Rainbow Mars 1999 Description / Buy
10 Saturn's Race ( With: Steven Barnes) 2000 Description / Buy
11 Building Harlequin's Moon ( With: Brenda Cooper) 2005 Description / Buy
12 The Goliath Stone ( With: Matthew Joseph Harrington) 2013 Description / Buy

Order of Steven Barnes Short Stories/Novellas with Steven Barnes

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Locusts (Short Story) ( With: Steven Barnes) 1979 Description / Buy
2 Star Wars Saved My Life (Short Story) ( By: Steven Barnes, Trey Jackson, Angelina Greenwood) 2015 Description / Buy
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Order of Man-Kzin Wars Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 The Man-Kzin Wars 1988 Description / Buy
2 Man-Kzin Wars II ( With: S.M. Stirling, Jerry Pournelle) 1989 Description / Buy
3 Man-Kzin Wars III 1990 Description / Buy
4 Man-Kzin Wars IV ( By: S.M. Stirling) 1991 Description / Buy
5 The Children's Hour ( By: S.M. Stirling, Jerry Pournelle) 1991 Description / Buy
6 Man-Kzin Wars V ( By: Jerry Pournelle) 1992 Description / Buy
7 Man-Kzin Wars VI ( By: Gregory Benford, Mark O. Martin) 1994 Description / Buy
8 Man-Kzin Wars VII ( With: Gregory Benford, Paul Chafe) 1995 Description / Buy
9 A Darker Geometry ( By: Gregory Benford) 1996 Description / Buy
10 The Best of All Possible Wars ( By: S.M. Stirling, Robert Sheckley) 1998 Description / Buy
11 Man-Kzin Wars VIII: Choosing Names 1998 Description / Buy
12 Man-Kzin Wars IX ( By: Jim Baen) 2001 Description / Buy
13 The House of the Kzinti ( By: Jerry Pournelle) 2002 Description / Buy
14 Man-Kzin Wars X: The Wunder War 2003 Description / Buy
15 Man-Kzin Wars XI ( By: Matthew Harrington) 2005 Description / Buy
16 Destiny's Forge ( By: Paul Chafe) 2006 Description / Buy
17 Man-Kzin Wars XII 2009 Description / Buy
18 Man-Kzin Wars XIII 2012 Description / Buy
19 Man-Kzin Wars XIV 2013 Description / Buy
20 Treasure Planet ( With: Hal Colebatch, Jessica Q. Fox) 2014 Description / Buy
21 Man-Kzin Wars XV 2019 Description / Buy
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Order of Star Trek The Newspaper Strip Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Star Trek: The Newspaper Comics, Volume 1: 1979-1981 ( By: Rich Handley, Sharman DiVono, Thomas Warkentin) 2012 Description / Buy
2 Star Trek: The Newspaper Strip Volume 2 ( With: Martin Pasko, Gerry Conway, Rich Handley, Sharman DiVono) 2013 Description / Buy
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Order of Stellar Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Stellar Short Novels ( By: Gordon R. Dickson, Andrew J. Offutt, Judy-Lynn del Rey, Shawn Oueinsteen) 1976 Description / Buy
2 Stellar #2 ( With: Isaac Asimov, Howard Waldrop, Clifford D. Simak, Jack C. Haldeman II, Steven Utley, Hal Clement, James White, Richard S. Simak, Judy-Lynn del Rey, Patrick G. Conner) 1976 Description / Buy
3 Stellar #3 ( By: Jack L. Chalker, Clifford D. Simak, Gene DeWeese, Jeffrey M. Wallman, Charles W. Runyon, Mildred Downey Broxon, Henry Melton, Judy-Lynn del Rey, Arsen Darney, B. Lee Cooper, Larry S. Haverkos, Steve Utley, Bill Starr) 1977 Description / Buy
4 Stellar #4 ( By: Judy-Lynn del Rey) 1978 Description / Buy
5 Stellar #5 ( By: Judy-Lynn del Rey) 1980 Description / Buy
6 Stellar #6 ( By: Judy-Lynn del Rey) 1980 Description / Buy
7 Stellar #7 ( By: Terry Carr, Leanne Frahm, Judy-Lynn del Rey) 1981 Description / Buy
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Order of Stellar Guild Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Tau Ceti ( By: Kevin J. Anderson, Steven Savile) 2011 Description / Buy
2 On the Train ( By: Rachel Turtledove) 2012 Description / Buy
3 When the Blue Shift Comes ( By: Robert Silverberg, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro) 2012 Description / Buy
4 New Under the Sun ( By: Nancy Kress) 2013 Description / Buy
5 The Aethers of Mars ( By: Eric Flint) 2014 Description / Buy
6 Red Tide ( With: Matthew Joseph Harrington, Brad R. Torgersen) 2014 Description / Buy
7 Inci ( By: Mike Resnick, Tina Gower) 2015 Description / Buy
8 Wishing on a Star ( By: Jody Lynn Nye) 2015 Description / Buy
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Order of Isaac Asimov's Anthology Series

# Read Title Published Details
1 Isaac Asimov's Worlds of Science Fiction ( By: Isaac Asimov, Tanith Lee, Phyllis Eisenstein, Gene Wolfe, Barry B. Longyear, John M. Ford, Arnie Bateman, Alan Dean Foster, Martin Gardner, Randall Garrett, Rob Chilson, Ted Reynolds, George Scithers, Richard S. McEnroe, Jeff Duntemann, R.N. Bracewell, K.W. MacAnn, G. Richard Bozarth) 1980 Description / Buy
2 Isaac Asimov's Near Futures and Far ( By: Isaac Asimov, Frederik Pohl, Carter Scholz, Barry B. Longyear, John M. Ford, Jack Williamson, Darrell Schweitzer, John Brunner, Juleen Brantingham, Martin Gardner, Richard Wilson, Milton A. Rothman, Elizabeth Anne Hull, Sharon Webb, Somtow Sucharitkul, Lee Weinstein, Ted Reynolds, George Scithers, F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre, William Tuning, Francis E. Izzo, Paul David Novitski, Lee Russell, Seth S. Horowitz, Tol E. Rant, S. Dale, Julie Flores, Tony Sarowitz) 1981 Description / Buy
3 Isaac Asimov's Space of Her Own ( By: Connie Willis, Ursula K. Le Guin, Pat Cadigan, Joan D. Vinge, Tanith Lee, Pamela Sargent, Lee Killough, Mary Gentle, Mildred Downey Broxon, Shawna McCarthy, Sharon Webb, Leigh Kennedy, Stephanie A. Smith, Cherie Wilkerson, Julie Stevens, Sydney J. Van Scyoc, Cyn Mason, P.A. Kagan, P.J. MacQuarrie, Janet O. Jeppson, Beverly Grant, Hope Athearn) 1983 Description / Buy
4 Isaac Asimov's Fantasy! ( By: Shawna McCarthy) 1985 Description / Buy
5 Isaac Asimov's Fantasy! ( By: Connie Willis, George R.R. Martin, Ron Goulart, John Kessel, George Alec Effinger, Robert Thurston, Tanith Lee, Lucius Shepard, Scott Baker, Lillian Carl, Juleen Brantingham, Lee Killough, Ian McDowell, Daphne Castell, Sharon N. Farber, Richard Kearns, Shawna McCarthy, Leigh Kennedy, Gregg Keizer, Kristi Olesen) 1989 Description / Buy
6 Isaac Asimov's Aliens ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 1991 Description / Buy
7 Isaac Asimov's Robots ( By: Isaac Asimov, Rob Chilson) 1991 Description / Buy
8 Isaac Asimov's SF-Lite ( By: Isaac Asimov, John M. Ford) 1993 Description / Buy
9 Isaac Asimov's War ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 1993 Description / Buy
10 Isaac Asimov's Cyberdreams ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 1994 Description / Buy
11 Isaac Asimov's Skin Deep ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 1995 Description / Buy
12 Isaac Asimov's Ghosts (Short Story) ( By: Isaac Asimov, Terry Bisson) 1995 Description / Buy
13 Isaac Asimov's Christmas ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 1997 Description / Buy
14 Isaac Asimov's Camelot ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois, Eleanor Arnason) 1998 Description / Buy
15 Isaac Asimov's Detectives ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 1998 Description / Buy
16 Isaac Asimov's Werewolves ( By: Isaac Asimov, Suzy McKee Charnas, Gardner Dozois) 1999 Description / Buy
17 Isaac Asimov's Solar System ( By: Gardner Dozois) 1999 Description / Buy
18 Isaac Asimov's Utopias ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 2000 Description / Buy
19 Isaac Asimov's Father Day ( By: Isaac Asimov, Gardner Dozois) 2001 Description / Buy
20 Isaac Asimov's Halloween ( By: Isaac Asimov) 2001 Description / Buy
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Larry Niven Anthologies

# Read Title Published Details
1 Galaxy Science Fiction, October 1966 1966 Description / Buy
2 Dangerous Visions 1967 Description / Buy
3 The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction Nineteenth Series 1971 Description / Buy
4 More Stories from the Hugo Winners, Vol. 2 1973 Description / Buy
5 Ten Tomorrows 1973 Description / Buy
6 Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, April 1974 1974 Description / Buy
7 Antigrav 1975 Description / Buy
8 The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction / Great Science Fiction of the 20th Century 1980 Description / Buy
9 The Best of All Possible Worlds 1980 Description / Buy
10 Isaac Asimov's Aliens & Outworlders 1983 Description / Buy
11 Berserker Base 1985 Description / Buy
12 Great Tales of Fantasy and Science Fiction 1985 Description / Buy
13 Robert Adams' Book of Alternate Worlds 1987 Description / Buy
14 The Drabble Project 1988 Description / Buy
15 Robert Adams' Book of Soldiers 1988 Description / Buy
16 Alien Sex 1990 Description / Buy
17 Time Machines 1997 Description / Buy
18 Armageddons 1999 Description / Buy
19 We Could Do Worse: A Millennial Collection of Alternate Histories 1999 Description / Buy
20 Explorers 2000 Description / Buy
21 Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine, July/August 2000 2000 Description / Buy
22 Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, October/November 2000 2000 Description / Buy
23 Analog, September 2002 2004 Description / Buy
24 Elemental: The Tsunami Relief Anthology 2006 Description / Buy
25 Space Cadets 2006 Description / Buy
26 Under Cover of Darkness 2007 Description / Buy
27 Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge 2007 Description / Buy
28 Assassin and Other Stories 2010 Description / Buy
29 Multiverse 2014 Description / Buy
30 The Best of Galaxy's Edge Magazine 2013-2014 2014 Description / Buy
31 Worst Contact 2016 Description / Buy
32 Infinite Stars 2017 Description / Buy
33 Space Pioneers 2018 Description / Buy
34 The Best of Galaxy’s Edge 2018 Description / Buy
35 Infinite Stars 2019 Description / Buy
36 Born of the Sun: Adventures in Our Solar System 2020 Description / Buy
37 Conversations From the Edge: The Galaxy's Edge Interviews 2021 Description / Buy
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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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