[tulsa]

Does anybody know off-hand how many and in which order Larry Niven's smoke ring novels are?

I know that "Integral Trees" and "The Smoke Ring" are in this series.

Are there more?

thx

[mylinar]

The order you have listed is the proper reading order. As far as I know there were only 2 books in that series. It was a great concept for a world like many of Niven's ideas (Ringworld etc.)

[tulsa]

Ok, thanks.

Larry's Universe gets all out of whack in my mind sometimes. "Known Space" is hard to wrap my mind around sometimes.

I just remembered reading Integral Trees when I was younger and was going to get it at the library again.

[Michigan]

Wasn't the Smoke Ring first? Either way there is only two books so it can't be that hard to figure out he order.

[psikeyhackr]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Integral_Trees

Followed by The Smoke Ring

Is this a really bad science fiction story where people don't properly use the technology they've got. Why use internet access to ask a question that you can look up via internet access?

Oh yeah, social networking. :D

psik

[tulsa]

Yeah, I guess I could have googled it.. lol.

For some reason I thought there were more books in the series, though. And what better place than to ask here! :p

[Sparrow]

Ok, thanks.

Larry's Universe gets all out of whack in my mind sometimes. "Known Space" is hard to wrap my mind around sometimes.

I just remembered reading Integral Trees when I was younger and was going to get it at the library again.


His Known Space Universe cuts across most of his books.

I'm currently reading Destroyer of Worlds, which is kickass good so far.

[mylinar]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Integral_Trees

Followed by The Smoke Ring

Is this a really bad science fiction story where people don't properly use the technology they've got. Why use internet access to ask a question that you can look up via internet access?

Oh yeah, social networking. :D

psik

I think that sometimes this is better than just having someone look it up. My reasons are that this drew my attention back to a book that I'd read years ago and may still have around. I may reread something that had passed from my tiny mind. It can stimulate some discussions occasionally like 'how good is the science in the Smoke Ring' right Psik?

[psikeyhackr]

I think that sometimes this is better than just having someone look it up. My reasons are that this drew my attention back to a book that I'd read years ago and may still have around. I may reread something that had passed from my tiny mind. It can stimulate some discussions occasionally like 'how good is the science in the Smoke Ring' right Psik?

I thought the entire concept of the Integral Trees was fascinating. An SF story can be very THOUGHT PROVOKING ABOUT SCIENCE even if the science is NOT STRICTLY CORRECT.

I have no idea if the Integral Tree biology is possible. It seems Extremely Unlikely to me from an evolutionary stand point. But the whole idea was really cool. If memory serves the tree broke in half and half of it rocketed itself back into the Smoke Ring and the other half was lost but the tree preserved itself and its genetic material by sacrificing half.

Now obviously trees that evolved this propulsion would survive and those that did not would not but how could this evolution even start from a stepwise evolutionary perspective. It is a very all or nothing characteristic. But even if it is biological nonsense from a strictly biological sciences point of view it is scientifically interesting and thought provoking from a physics point of view. So GOOD Science fiction ain't necessarily simple even when it is HIGHLY FICTITIOUS.

psik

[Sparrow]

I think that sometimes this is better than just having someone look it up. My reasons are that this drew my attention back to a book that I'd read years ago and may still have around. I may reread something that had passed from my tiny mind. It can stimulate some discussions occasionally like 'how good is the science in the Smoke Ring' right Psik?



The science is absurd in all of Niven's work.
It's sort of sad you even need to ask.

In Fleet of Worlds/Juggler of Worlds/Destroyer of Worlds, you have essentially a solar system of sorts being up-and-moved to destinations unknown because a deadly wave of radiation will someday be expelled from the center of the galaxy. Those doing the heavy lifting have at their command science/technology/engineering so far advanced than our own it boggles the mind.

This is not, as it has been classified, Hard SF... it is intelligent Space Opera, simple as that. And it is done very well, and I recommend it to anyone who loves hardcore sf... I do not recommend it for those of you reading trash like StarTrek-StarWars-MassEffect2-Halo-etc... if you read some of Niven's stuff, your brains would explode.