Most Popular Books by Larry Niven

Science fiction.

To house the dying Earth''s inhabitants, a huge architectural ring is constructed in outer space. With gravity, an atmosphere, and a temperate climate, Ringworld gives humanity a new lease on life, but not without frightening consequences.

THE LONG-AWAITED CONCLUSION OF THE HEOROT SERIES FROM GENRE LEGENDS LARRY NIVEN, JERRY POURNELLE, AND STEVEN BARNES 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 . . . . At the publisher''s request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). 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

Set in the world of Larry Niven''s popular The Magic Goes Away, The Burning City transports readers to an enchanted ancient city bearing a provocative resemblance to our own modern society. Here Yagen-Atep, the volatile and voracious god of fire, alternately protects and destroys the city''s denizens. In Tep''s Town, nothing can burn indoors and no fire can start -- except when the Burning comes upon the city. Then the people, possessed by Yagen-Atep, set their own town ablaze in a riotous orgy of destruction that often comes without warning. Whandall Placehold has lived with the Burning all his life. Fighting his way to adulthood in the mean-but-magical streets of the city''s most blighted neighborhoods, Whandall dreams of escaping the god''s wrath to find a new and better life. But his best hope for freedom may lie with Morth of Atlantis, the enigmatic sorcerer who killed his father!

At last, all the Beowulf Shaeffer stories in one volume—plus a brand-new story and never-before-seen material linking them all together. Crashlander Beowulf Shaeffer has long been one of the most popular characters in Known Space. Now, for the first time ever, Larry Niven brings together all the Beowulf stories—including a breand-new one—in one long tale of exploration and adventure! Neutron Star Beowulf Shaeffer uncovers one of the puppeteers'' greatest secrets. At the Core Beowulf Shaeffer learns something that scares the puppeteers into fleeing Known Space. Flatlander Beowulf Shaeffer meets the love of his life and discovers a haunted planet. Grendel Beowulf Shaeffer solves a mystery, foils a kidnapping, and rescues an alien. The Borderland of Sol Beowulf Shaeffer stops a mass murderer and destroys the ultimate weapon. Procrustes An exciting new story in which Beowulff Shaeffer loses his head—literally. PLUS—an all-new framing story that pulls together all of Beowulf Shaeffer''s adventures and allows Shaeffer and his family to make a clean start at life once and for all!

The Barsoom Project is the direct sequel to 1981''s Dream Park. Eviane''s first visit to the-state-of-art amusement arena Dream Park ended in disaster: the special effects had seemed more real than life... until the holograms she was shooting with live ammunition turned out to be solid flesh and blood... and very, very dead. Haunted by the past, rebounding from a lengthy spell in a mental hospital, she has returned to Dream Park to exorcise a nightmare that has become reality. But in Dream Park, nothing is what it seems. The Inuit mythology controlling the images is part of a "Fat Ripper Special" designed to implant new behavioral memes. The players are struggling against the game master, one another, and their own demons. And there is a killer who wants to ensure Eviane never regains her memory...noo matter what it costs. Blending together hard science fiction with topical RPG-like fantasy games, The Barsoom Project is SF at the cutting edge and a classic creation from two of the genre''s most beloved writers. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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 represents 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. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Scientists must stop nanites from driving an asteroid into Earth in this "brilliantly crafted . . . edge-of-the-seat thriller" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Twenty-five years ago, Doctor Toby Glyer and William Connors made a revolutionary breakthrough in nanotechnology. Their controversial nanites were capable of everything from miracle cures for the terminally ill to AI for asteroid-mining missions. But when the nanite-run Briareus mission to divert an Earth-crossing asteroid dropped out of contact soon after reaching its target, the entire program was shut down and the use of nanotechnology forcibly suppressed. Now a much, much larger asteroid is on a collision course with Earth—and the Briareus nanites may be responsible. While governments scramble to find a solution, Doctor Glyer knows that their only hope to avoid Armageddon lies in the nanites themselves. On the run, Glyer must track down Connors and find a way to make contact with their wayward children before a two-hundred-gigaton asteroid smashes into Earth. Will Glyer''s be Earth''s salvation, or destruction? Praise for The Goliath Stone "A fast read, filled with fascinating characters and mind-binding concepts. I should have worn a crash helmet." —Larry Bond, New York Times–bestselling author of Shattered Trident "A future so brilliantly rendered that it feels shockingly real. This stunning book is Niven at the absolute top of his game, a surefire award winner and fan pleaser." —Whitley Strieber, New York Times–bestselling author of The Grays "A rollicking good time." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "With witty dialogue and laugh-inducing prose, this is an incredible fun read, sure to entertain SF fans." — Booklist

"A Tor/Seven Seas paperbpack"--Colophon.

A solitary mountain rises from the searing, toxic blackness of the planet. Forty miles below, the atmosphere is sixty times as thick as Earth''s, and hot enough to melt lead. The organ banks are the centre of this world. To them the subservient colonists contribute living limbs. And from them the overlords obtain the vital parts that keep them alive...

Following on from Ringworld and Ringworld Engineers, the ring is still home to many aliens, the puppeteer is still manipulating those he can, and Louis Wu must meet even more new challenges so that the hominid species can survive.