tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post8653178120732843417..comments2024-01-08T09:12:42.920-05:00Comments on SF and Nonsense: Betrayer of WorldsEdward M. Lernerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-2844827168662745032014-03-03T16:03:48.260-05:002014-03-03T16:03:48.260-05:00Hi Jaycee,
I agree -- Known Space is an alternate...Hi Jaycee,<br /><br />I agree -- Known Space is an alternate universe. That's the fate of any SF that survives long enough. It's happened with some of my solo stuff already. <br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-61773463319906199542014-03-03T15:39:39.812-05:002014-03-03T15:39:39.812-05:00The central plothook of "The Coldest Place&qu...The central plothook of "The Coldest Place" was even obsoleted before it was published, yet it still made for a good story. At the time, there was every reason to believe that Mercury was tidally locked into a 1:1 resonance with the Sun, like the Moon is, and it stood to reason that the dark side of Mercury would be among the coldest places in the Solar System, in a surprising place. But shortly before the story was published, it was discovered that Mercury did indeed rotate (with a 3:2 tidal resonance), yet the story sold just fine and was enjoyed by millions. Even today it's still a good story.<br /><br />You probably have little problem accepting time travel stories, and the idea of alternate timelines. This is simply one of those alternate timelines, one in which Mercury doesn't rotate. Likewise, the "Niven-verse" (because "Known Space" is just too generic a term to trademark) is filled with "facts" which are true there, but not here in our universe.Jaycee Adamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17643340016892988682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-31174974884935020682014-02-28T09:07:35.454-05:002014-02-28T09:07:35.454-05:00Thanks, Brian.
(The opportunity to write on a cle...Thanks, Brian.<br /><br />(The opportunity to write on a clean slate is one reason I also work solo in my own universes. Check out edwardmlerner.com if you're curious.)<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-83830293377015001782014-02-28T09:02:36.378-05:002014-02-28T09:02:36.378-05:00I too feel the same frustration. Sci-Fi pioneers w...I too feel the same frustration. Sci-Fi pioneers whose assumptions have been proven wrong must be accepted. Just the potential of nano tech on future space exploration changes the whole Known Space universe. Can we make Larry and Ed immortal? I sometimes wish and would love if they rebooted all the Known Space books. None of Larry’s organ bank stories would likely make sense anymore. Sure the Carlos Wu autodoc will not be the exception but rather the rule?<br /><br />But I do wish we could keep exploring the Pak. I really want to know what happened on Home at the end of Protector (the novel). We think we know but the pleasure is in the reading rather than the inferring. Did all the Home protectors really die to defend from the wave of Pak? What innovations were used to defeat the Pak? So much potential.<br /><br />But I’m grateful for what Ed gave us.Brian D Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697066908572618056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-29677385813906845452014-02-28T08:40:07.684-05:002014-02-28T08:40:07.684-05:00Hi Morroco,
Thanks for your note -- and I underst...Hi Morroco,<br /><br />Thanks for your note -- and I understand your frustration with the scientific inconsistency. That said, I don't see a new story with that premise happening. Known Space is Larry's universe, and he makes the rules. <br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-4452335744522607132014-02-27T22:27:16.614-05:002014-02-27T22:27:16.614-05:00Please, make a story telling that Pak originated i...Please, make a story telling that Pak originated in Earth, and then migrated to the galactic Core. That would match our scientific knowledge, which says that humans originated and evolved in earth. We share DNA with the oldest microorganisms. The lack of tree of life on Earth may be explained as result of protectors fights. And the contradiction with the stated origin on the Core may be a diversion caused by some protector to fight back, or to assure the survival of his protected lineage on Earth.Morroconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-80458571369714479282012-06-26T11:23:04.167-04:002012-06-26T11:23:04.167-04:00My pleasure, Brian.
- EdMy pleasure, Brian.<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-52034992840102984232012-06-26T11:18:13.097-04:002012-06-26T11:18:13.097-04:00Ed,
Thanks for taking the time for such a thoroug...Ed,<br /><br />Thanks for taking the time for such a thorough response. After your explanation, I agree there is something implicitly plural about the word stellar. <br /><br />Moreover in the context of the story, since the Citizens are such professional linguists who trained the Colonists in English, I now believe that either the Long Pass dictionary of circa 2197 resolved it or the Citizens redacted it to make several words less ambiguous since they claimed to the Colonists to have created English for them.<br /><br />Thanks again for bringing new life to the Known Space universe.Brian D Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697066908572618056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-79555931571295493832012-06-26T08:37:40.884-04:002012-06-26T08:37:40.884-04:00Hi Brian,
That's a good question, for which I...Hi Brian,<br /><br />That's a good question, for which I don't believe there is a single standard and correct answer. Certainly <i>Sol</i> is the official name of our home star. That does make <i>solar system</i> debatable as a general term. But what are the alternatives?<br /><br />Dictionary.com gives as its first definition of <i>stellar</i>: "of or pertaining to the stars; consisting of stars." That's why (to me, anyway) a stellar system is a group of stars, say a binary system like Sirius or a triple system like Alpha Centauri. A case could be made a star cluster is a stellar system.<br /><br />Another candidate term is <i>planetary system</i>. That's ambiguous, too. It might refer to the set of planets orbiting a star, or it might refer to the set of moons orbiting a planet. As an instance of the latter usage, consider a term for Saturn and its 50+ natural satellites.<br /><br />That's why -- after reaffirming there is, IMO, no official or best answer -- I use <i>Sol system</i> to refer to our sun and its planets, and <i>solar system</i> to refer to similar collections centered on other stars. <br /><br />Consider my usage an homage to good ole Sol. <br /><br />My usage, FWIW, parallels how units of measure often honor the scientists who did the original work in subject areas. For example, the farad is the unit of measure for electrical capacitance, honoring pioneer researcher Michael Faraday.<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-36708301796136728652012-06-25T23:24:43.649-04:002012-06-25T23:24:43.649-04:00Ed,
In anticipation of Fate of Worlds I have been...Ed,<br /><br />In anticipation of Fate of Worlds I have been re-reading all the Ringworld and Fleet of Worlds books; I have started "Fleet" yesterday. My technical question is shouldn't all remote star systems be referred to as stellar rather than solar systems. I've come to understand that solar refers to Sol, the name of Earth's sun. <br /><br />Thanks,<br />BrianBrian D Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697066908572618056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-26178901876865597562012-03-01T19:52:34.604-05:002012-03-01T19:52:34.604-05:00Mr. Lerner,
I've added a puppeteer herd video...Mr. Lerner,<br /><br />I've added a puppeteer herd video.<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCxUDJk2hCcS1957Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-14184993316460068912012-03-01T15:28:31.568-05:002012-03-01T15:28:31.568-05:00cMr. Lerner,
Sorry, the foothand assumption was...cMr. Lerner,<br /><br /> Sorry, the foothand assumption was based on primitive man. Larry never mentioned it.<br /> I was fascinated by the idea of Pak that essentially had four arms, culture, tech, and response time.<br /><br /> The puppeteer is a made from scratch creature from the game Spore.<br /> The ring is a tryout mode. You can check the creatures movement in it.<br /> There is a world editor where I could create an entire herd. I could set them up with a random movement pattern.<br /> I especially like the movement of the hind leg joint. That was the hardest thing for me to visualize in the novels.S1957Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-66518390609374567982012-03-01T11:15:40.737-05:002012-03-01T11:15:40.737-05:00I agree, Brian -- that's a great image. (It...I agree, Brian -- that's a great image. (It's the illo on the cover of my paperback edition (from eons ago).<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-13334154345816353172012-03-01T11:03:07.571-05:002012-03-01T11:03:07.571-05:00Here is my favorite picture of a Pak from the 9th ...Here is my favorite picture of a Pak from the 9th edition 1981 paperback<br /><br />http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Protector-Niven-cropped.jpgBrian D Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697066908572618056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-30737275956594843452012-03-01T10:42:33.834-05:002012-03-01T10:42:33.834-05:00You make a strong case, Brian. (That said, I can&#...You make a strong case, Brian. (That said, I can't say whether Larry had seen a Homo habilis foot fossil when he wrote <i>Protector</i>. Those were primitive, pre-web times.<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-77393939309285566022012-03-01T10:17:23.234-05:002012-03-01T10:17:23.234-05:00If Pak breeders are homo habilis, then the Pak Pro...If Pak breeders are homo habilis, then the Pak Protector foot would not have a thumb. <br /><br />http://www.angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs/zhabilis_foot.htmlBrian D Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697066908572618056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-26056080570989551902012-03-01T09:48:07.430-05:002012-03-01T09:48:07.430-05:00Hi S1957Dave,
Thanks for the kind words and the v...Hi S1957Dave,<br /><br />Thanks for the kind words and the video. Re the latter: what's the back story? Why is the Puppeteer trapped in the ring (and what <i>is</i> the ring)?<br /><br />As for the dexterity of Pak feet ... if Larry said something about that in <i>Protector</i>, it's slipped my mind. <br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-60553043968888393912012-03-01T09:37:19.271-05:002012-03-01T09:37:19.271-05:00Mr. Lerner,
Greatly enjoying the Worlds.
Don'...Mr. Lerner,<br /><br />Greatly enjoying the Worlds.<br /><br />Don't all Pak Protectors possess foothands?<br /><br />Thought you'd enjoy a moving Puppeteer. This is my Spore version link,<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDG8EATap3M&list=UUbFRytF9M1wVLnLOeEvVDkQ&index=17&feature=plcpS1957Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-10605556391874234292012-01-30T10:35:57.962-05:002012-01-30T10:35:57.962-05:00Hi Svatne,
I infer you would like hints regarding...Hi Svatne,<br /><br />I infer you would like hints regarding the upcoming book, Fate of Worlds. <br /><br />I'm loath to say much before a novel comes out. That said, the subtitle is Return from the Ringworld. As that suggests, Louis Wu will be involved.<br /><br />You can count on your favorite scheming Puppeteer(s) taking part, and the occasional Gw'otesht-16 genius, and a certain brilliant but scarred human paranoid. <br /><br />I hope (and expect) you'll find the book worth the wait.<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-70172007822464206652012-01-30T10:18:51.086-05:002012-01-30T10:18:51.086-05:00Can you give us a few more hints as to what will b...Can you give us a few more hints as to what will be in Betrayers of Worlds? It is so hard to wait til August for this book.<br />Thanks<br />svatnesvatnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12004527613991601868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-61046685213488100932012-01-29T14:55:15.758-05:002012-01-29T14:55:15.758-05:00Hi Anonymous,
Louis was Teela's mate, not her...Hi Anonymous,<br /><br />Louis was Teela's mate, not her bloodline. Protectors, being sterile, have no reason to care about former (breeder stage) mates. <br /><br />Regardless, Teela's goal at the end of <i>Ringworld Engineers</i> <br /><br />*** spoiler alert ***<br /><br />was never to kill Louis. Quite the opposite. She hoped Louis would kill her, and that he would then take on the task she was emotionally unable to handle.<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-86992889977578040342012-01-29T14:40:33.232-05:002012-01-29T14:40:33.232-05:00Could it be that by killing Louis, Pak/Teela would...Could it be that by killing Louis, Pak/Teela would be destroying 50% of her bloodline on ringworld? Just a thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-30620477427507174352011-11-19T21:25:25.307-05:002011-11-19T21:25:25.307-05:00Hi Ross,
I appreciate your kind note.
One of my...Hi Ross,<br /><br />I appreciate your kind note. <br /><br />One of my solo books to start with? First off, thanks for asking. <br /><br />Except for the two InterstellarNet novels, my solo books aren't in series -- you can pick up any of them. <br /><br />That said, here are two of my recent titles. <i>Small Miracles</i> (2009) is a near-future techno-thriller about medical nanotech (with Larry's blurb on the front cover). Closer in spirit to Known Space is <i>InterstellarNet: Origins</i> (2010), a novel about First Contact and the evolution of an interstellar, inter-species comm network. (<i>I: O</i>, while standalone, has a sequel: <i>InterstellarNet: New Order.</i>)<br /><br />If you're curious about either (or any other title of mine), click the cover thumbnail on the right-hand side of this blog.<br /><br />Contribute to the Motie-verse? That's flattering, but I think Larry and Jerry Pournelle have that covered. <br /><br />(Aside to Brian: thanks for mentioning <i>Outies</i>. I believe that was written by Jerry's daughter, Jennifer, not by Larry and Jerry.)<br /><br />- EdEdward M. Lernerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15620756142619513714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-85618843454159167752011-11-19T21:09:56.343-05:002011-11-19T21:09:56.343-05:00@Ross, there is a Moties sequel in ebook called Ou...@Ross, there is a Moties sequel in ebook called Outies. I have it on Kindle but have trouble getting through it.Brian D Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697066908572618056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4672881018321440403.post-77905437026550113732011-11-19T20:16:19.040-05:002011-11-19T20:16:19.040-05:00Mr. Lerner,
I first purchased Fleet of Worlds bec...Mr. Lerner,<br /><br />I first purchased Fleet of Worlds because I am a huge fan of Larry Niven's Known Space universe and try to read everything that is published, including the Man Kzin series. Ringworld holds a special place for me, as I consider this book one of classics of SF.<br />At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed your collaberation, though to be honest, I was unfamiliar with your works. That sad state of affairs will be changing now that I am almost finished with BOW. Which of your works do you suggest I start out with? Is there any one novel of which you are particularly proud? Or doesn't it matter? In my case, once I start with an author's works, I usually get them all.<br />On a slightly unrelated note, is there any possiblility that you might collaberate with Mr. Niven on a sequel to the Moties universe?<br /><br />Thank you for your time!Ross from Hibbing MNnoreply@blogger.com