Exclusive Content

Larry Niven has given his permission for the following stories to be hosted on this website.

An Hour with Larry Niven

An interview, conducted in January 1979, between David Gerrold and Larry Niven, on a wide range of subjects, including the inspirations of his stories, such as Neutron Star, Flash Crowd, and the Ringworld series.

The Notebooks of Mack Sikes

Larry Niven sent the following ms. with a note which reads (partially): ’I enclose a gift. "The Notebooks of Mack Sikes" ...’ appeared in the SFWA FORUM but has since been revised. ..

Next Time

A 100-word "drabble" for The Drabble Project

The Roentgen Standard

Larry solves the problems of Economic Malaise and Nuclear waste in one modest proposal.

The Color of Sunfire

An "obsolete" Known Space story, which has been superseded by other Known Space stories and novels, however it shows the origins of many ideas seen in later works.

The Pastel Terror

An outline for a STAR TREK plot reprinted from T-Negative #17. "I dreamed this up years ago, during STAR TREK's second or third season.  I never tried to sell it, for reasons which will probably become clear as you read on."

Cloak of Anarchy

Anything goes in a free park, and, with the exception of violent acts. But what happens when the copseyes fall out of the sky simultaneously?

Words in Science Fiction

This article originally published back in 1974 explains how Larry came up with some of the fantastic names of his characters and their devices

The Missing Mass

This is a recent Draco Tavern story which was recently published in the December 2000 issue of Analog Magazine. "The Missing Mass" Except for electronic publications of that magazine, is published here for the second time.

Smut Talk

Another Draco Tavern story. "Smut Talk" was first published in Playboy, January 2000, A discussion about sex practices starting with the black-widow reflex of the Grey Mourners Flu-addled Rick Schuuman can think of better places to be.

Last Necronomicon, The

"The Last Necronomicon," was first published in the fanzines APA-L#315, and IS #4 which was published in October, 1971, one year after the publication of RINGWORLD.  Readership must have been light, and this, its third publication, is the first opportunity most fans have had to read it

Down in Flames

A plot for this unpublished novel that would destroy Known Space.  Fortunately Larry got Dyson Spheres into his head and came up with Ringworld instead.

Niven's Laws 2002

Niven's Laws was originally published by Owlswick Press for the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society in 1984, and was later reproduced in N-Space, the latest edition (2002) is published here after featuring in Analog (November 2002 edition).

In the Cellar

This story was first published in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in February 1979 (vol 3 no 2, whole no. 12) and is published here, with permission, for the first time since then..

Albacon Trip Report

This is a trip report, not final draft, for Albacon, written three weeks after the World Trade Center disaster.