Product Description

One of Niven's most beloved characters, Beowulf Shaeffer, is forced to take a dangerous mission to explore a neutron star. The last group who went there never came back alive, but Shaeffer faces life imprisonment if he doesn't take the job. Will he determine the mysterious force that turned the prior crew to hamburger before he suffers a similar fate? Hugo Award Winner

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13884 in eBooks
• Published on: 2003-09-25
• Released on: 2003-09-25
• Format: Kindle Book
• Number of items: 1

From the Inside Flap
Come to Larry Niven's Universe and meet all the natives: Thrints, Bandersnatchi, Puppeteers -- and a host of other wonderfully created characters.
Visit Lookitthat, Down, and Jinx -- indeed, an entire galaxy of planets found only in these stories that trace man's expansion and colonization throughout Known Space.
A spectacular cycle of the future . . . a 10,000-year history of man on Earth and in space!

Customer Reviews

Not Free SF Reader
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

Kindle Edition is just the one short story, not the full collection
It's a great short story, highly recommended. Well worth the 99¢.

But it's not the full collection that is pictured, detailed, and reviewed, above.

rich, deep universe of short stories
This is perhaps the most well thought out collection of short stories I've ever read. Each story adds dimension to the Known Universe which Niven has created. The species, planets and relationships are all explored in detail around thrilling plots. What's really novel about the collection is that it reads almost like a single story from cover to cover. Most of the short stories are about Beowulf Shaeffer and his dealings with the Puppeteers. There are a few others which are about other characters yet still adds depth to the universe.