Neutron Star (edition 1981)

Van http://mom.biblion.nl/ :
De albino-sterrenpiloot Beowulf Shaeffer van de planeet Tisgelukt heeft dringend geld nodig sinds zijn maatschappij op de fles ging. Vandaar dat hij tegen veel geld opdrachten begint te aanvaarden voor de poppenspelers, vegetarische Vreemdelingen met veel geld maar weinig moed. De opdrachten brengen hem naar alle uithoeken van het Bekend Heelal en doen hem de meest vreemde, maar vaak ook zeer gevaarlijke wezens en situaties het hoofd bieden, dat hem alleen lukt door zijn onverwoestbare flair. Larry Niven is in de jaren zeventig en tachtig vooral bekend geworden door zijn Ringwereld-cyclus in het Nederlandse taalgebied. Deze twee verhalen, "Neutronster" en "Vlaklander", verschenen eerder als Meulenhoff SF 39 en nu in hardcover op klein formaat. Nivens verhalen zijn amusant en dragen de lichte toets en het typische levensgevoel van de jaren zestig. Bij herlezing zijn ze nog niet echt gedateerd, maar het blijft vooral ontspanningslectuur voor een SF-minnend publiek. Normale druk. - Bob Van Laerhoven.

A collection mostly focused on Beowulf Shaeffer Known Space stars. The aforementioned character being one of your affable rogue adventurer types, getting into doing crazy jobs for cash for people like puppeteers.

Fun stuff, in the main and right on a 3.50 story average, so definitely a good book.

Neutron Star : Neutron Star - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : A Relic of Empire - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : At the Core - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : The Soft Weapon - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : Flatlander - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : The Ethics of Madness - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : The Handicapped - Larry Niven
Neutron Star : Grendel - Larry Niven

Gravity tide ship rip.

4 out of 5

Bearding a puppeteer pirate.

3.5 out of 5

Fast centre trip finds hot stuff evidence.

3.5 out of 5

Ancient alien stuff with many settings could blow up.

3.5 out of 5

Outsider information Elephant Cannonball Express.

3.5 out of 5

Ramscoop tour insanity chase.

3 out of 5

Sentient race helping hand Grog deal.

4 out of 5

Hyperspace hostage artist ground hunt.

3 out of 5 ( )

I think that this is Larry Niven's first book of Known Space stories. It includes some very good ones and they are all memorable:

- Neutron Star
- A Relic of Empire
- At the Core
- The Soft Weapon
- Flatlander
- The Ethics of Madness
- The Handicapped
- Grendal ( )

I much prefer Niven's shorter, earlier, and solo efforts, and his first short story collection demonstrates why. This is a wonderful collection of short stories from Niven's Known Space universe, with stories ranging from the readable to the superb. There is an astonishing breadth of imagination displayed here, with not one but several alien races who are *alien*, in appearance, psychology and culture. And it's not just the aliens; Niven shows how human cultures have diverged during periods of colonial isolation, developing different moral codes.

They're all hard sf, but Niven is one of the authors who can populate his hard sf setting with plausible characters who feel like real people. There's also some thoughtful discussion of moral problems in a couple of the stories.

This collection is nearly forty years old as I write this, and it shows--there have been advances in technology that Niven didn't forsee, making for some oddly backwards technology in the stories. But science fiction isn't about predicting the future; it's speculation about possible futures and the people living in them. Good sf lasts even when it's overtaken by events in real life, and these stories haven't been harmed by the passage of time since they were written.

All in all, a well-rounded collection that shows what can be achieved with the short form in science fiction.

Comments thread: http://julesjones.livejournal.com/73390.html ( )