THE MANY UNIVERSES OF LARRY NIVEN

This is an overview of Larry Niven's various series, including a complete listing of stories for each series.

Known Space
The Man-Kzin Wars (shared universe stories)
Avalon/Destiny
Draco Tavern
Dream Park
The Léshy Circuit
Moties and the Empire of Man
The State
Svetz
Teleportation
The Warlock's Era
The Warlock's Era: Shared Universe Stories


Known Space

Known Space is the name of Larry Niven's largest and best-developed "future history" series of science fiction stories. Its most famous entry is Ringworld, one of the very few novels to win both the Hugo and Nebula awards. The most recent additions to the series are the novels Fleet of Worlds (2007) and Juggler of Worlds (2008), both co-authored by Edward M. Lerner. See also "Overview of Known Space" elsewhere at this website.

The Seven Eras of Known Space

Known Space is roughly divided into seven eras:

The near future — "After 1975" to 2040: A handful of stories concern exploration of planets in own solar system, which in the Known Space series is called Sol System.

The early interstellar period — 2099 to 2135: Using slower-than-light starships, Humans have established hard-won colonies around nearby stars, mainly on marginally habitable worlds: Wunderland, Jinx, We Made It, Plateau, and Down. Sol System's main asteroid belt has been colonized by Belters, and Humans have their first alien encounters. On Earth, population pressure has forced mandatory birth control, strictly regulated by the United Nations (UN) world government. Life-extending organ transplants are supplied by the organ banks, which are mainly supplied by the bodies of executed criminals. The enormous demand for organs has vastly increased use of the death penalty, to include even minor crimes. Gil Hamilton is a member of the ARM, the UN's elite police force. He investigates various crimes relating to organleggers (black market dealers in organ transplants) and newly discovered, dangerous technologies. Dates range from 2099 to 2135 on our Known Space Timeline.

The intermediate era — 2322 to 2386: The organ bank problem has greatly eased, due to various medical advancements. Several technological improvements, such as advanced psychotropic drug treatments and advanced psychiatric therapy, have created a "Golden Age," a society almost completely free of violence, in Sol System. Most of these advancements have been facilitated by the hidden influence of an unseen superhuman protector, one who sees a threat far beyond anything Humans can imagine. On Human colony worlds, life is not so ideal — especially on oppressed Plateau. The Golden Age ends when Human Space is invaded by the Kzinti Empire.

The Man-Kzin Wars — 2366 to 2505: The Human colony of Wunderland is overrun by the Kzinti. Sol System desperately fends off repeated invasion by fleets of Kzinti warships from the much larger, militaristic Kzinti Empire. Unexpected salvation finally comes in the form of hyperdrive technology, sold to Humans by the mysterious alien Outsiders. More wars with the Kzinti Empire follow over the space of a century or so, all of which are easily won by Humans. By the end of the Man-Kzin Wars, the Kzinti Empire is a pale shadow of its former self, and several former Kzinti colonies are now part of Human Space. Most of the stories covering this period are from the Man-Kzin Wars series (see separate entry, below) of shared-universe collections, edited by Larry Niven but written by other writers. The beginning of this era overlaps the last decades of the "Intermediate era" summarized above.

The Beowulf Shaeffer era — 2637 to circa 2685: Over a century after the end of the Man-Kzin Wars, it is a pleasant period of easy interstellar tourism, using hyperdrive starships. Each interstellar species in Known Space has its own independent sphere of influence, and interaction is mainly peaceful trade. These species include the technologically advanced Puppeteers, and a former Kzinti slave species, the Kdatlyno. Over half the stories from this era concern interstellar tourist (and accidental adventurer) Beowulf Shaeffer.

The Ringworld era — 2850 to 2899: Human Space has expanded somewhat, establishing new colony worlds. A few technologies are more advanced. There is one fundamental change: The spread of the so-called "Teela Brown gene," the ultimate in psionic power, which manipulates probability in a manner making its possessor appear incredibly "lucky." Early in the period it seems little else is different from the previous era. But in later sequels to Ringworld, it seems that the UN central government has become somewhat oppressive, with significant restrictions on personal freedom.

The Thousand Worlds — circa 3105: Known Space has exapanded enormously. Protected by the widespread so-called "Teela Brown gene," Humans have entered an era of ubiquitous peace and prosperity. Such an era may be pleasant to live in, but makes for rather dull stories. Only one such has been published: "Safe at Any Speed."

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven CollectionNotes
The Coldest Place1964TK, TB
World of Ptavvs1965incorporated into World of Ptavvs
Becalmed in Hell1965AM, IM, TK, PM, TBNebula nominee
The Warriors1966SS, TK, MK1, TB
Eye of an Octopus1966TK, TB
World of Ptavvs1966TB
How the Heroes Die1966SS, IM, TK, TB
Neutron Star1966NuS, CLHugo winner
At the Core1966NuS, CL
At the Bottom of a Hole1966SS, IM, TK, TB
A Relic of the Empire1966NuS, PM
The Soft Weapon1967NuS, PM
Flatlander1967NuS, CLNebula nominee
The Ethics of Madness1967NuS
Safe at Any Speed1967SS, TK, TB
The Adults1967incorporated into Protector
The Jigsaw Man1967AM, TK, TBHugo nominee
The Handicapped1967NuSorig. title "Handicap"
A Gift from Earth1968TBorig. title Slowboat Cargo
Intent to Deceive1968TK, TBorig. title "The Deceivers"
Grendel1968NuS, CL
There Is a Tide1968HS, TK, TB
Wait It Out1968AM, TK, PM, TB
Death by Ecstasy1969SS, IM, LA, FLorig. title "The Organleggers"
Ringworld1970Hugo winner, Nebula winner, Ditmar winner
Cloak of Anarchy1972TK, NSp
The Defenseless Dead1973LA, FL, PM
Protector1973Hugo nominee, Ditmar winner
ARM1975LA, FLHugo nominee
The Borderland of Sol1975TK, PMHugo winner
The Ringworld Engineers1980Hugo nominee
The Patchwork Girl1980FL
Madness Has Its Place1990MK3, NSp, TB
The Color of Sunfire1993BG read online here!
Procrustes1993BG, CL
Ghost1994CL
The Woman in Del Rey Crater1995FL
Song of the Night People1995 incorporated into The Ringworld Throne
The Ringworld Throne1996
*Choosing Names1998MK8
*Fly-By-Night2002MK9
Ringworld's Children2004
*The Hunting Park2005MK11
Fleet of Worlds2007co-authored by Edward M. Lerner
Juggler of Worlds2008co-authored by Edward M. Lerner

Niven Collections Key:

AMAll the Myriad Ways
BGBridging the Galaxies
CLCrashlander
FLFlatlander
HSA Hole in Space
IMInconstant Moon
LAThe Long ARM of Gil Hamilton
MK1The Man-Kzin Wars
MK2Man-Kzin Wars II
MK3Man-Kzin Wars III
MK4Man-Kzin Wars IV
MK8Choosing Names—Man-Kzin Wars VIII
MK9Man-Kzin Wars IX
MK11  Man-Kzin Wars XI
NuSNeutron Star
NSpN-Space
PMPlaygrounds of the Mind
SBScatterbrain
SSThe Shape of Space
TBThree Books of Known Space
TKTales of Known Space

Chronological Order: See the Known Space Timeline at the Incompleat Known Space Concordance. Warning: This site contains spoilers.

Reading Order: "What to Read First" is a suggested reading order, at the Incompleat Known Space Concordance.

Collecting the Known Space series: With the exception of stories marked with an asterisk (*) on the list above, you can assemble a complete collection of Known Space stories with the following books:

Three Books of Known Space
Flatlander
Protector
Neutron Star
Crashlander
Ringworld
The Ringworld Engineers
The Ringworld Throne
Ringworld's Children
Fleet of Worlds
Juggler of Worlds

More about the series can be found elsewhere at this website, in the notes throughout the collection Tales of Known Space: The Universe of Larry Niven, and at the Incompleat Known Space Concordance.


The Man-Kzin Wars (shared universe stories)

Larry Niven says he does not write war stories. But he has opened the Man-Kzin Wars period of his Known Space series into a shared-universe series, which he edits.

Summaries: The Man-Kzin Wars Series is a complete list of books and stories in the series, along with brief summaries of the stories.

Chronological Order: See the "Man-Kzin Wars Chronological Listing" by Spike MacPhee. Warning: This site contains spoilers.

More about this series can be found in "Canon for the Man-Kzin Wars," in the Niven collection Scatterbrain.


Avalon/Destiny

Earth is rich, crowded, and dull. A few hundred hand-picked from the best and brightest set off to found new colonies around distant stars. They struggle with strange new worlds filled with alien life and unknown dangers.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub. DateNotes
The Legacy of Heorot1987co-authored by Jerry Pournelle & Steven Barnes
Beowulf's Children1995co-authored by Jerry Pournelle & Steven Barnes
Destiny's Road1997

Chronological order is the same as the order of publication listed above.

Suggested reading order: The Legacy of Heorot should be read before the sequel, Beowulf's Children. Destiny's Road may be read at any time.


Draco Tavern

The galaxy is ruled by the benevolent, lobster-like Chirpsithra, who have established a spaceport on Earth. Adjacent to the spaceport, and run by the human Rick Schumann, is a tavern which caters to the various aliens traveling on Chirp ships. This tavern is the setting for the stories, nearly all of which are vignettes.

List of Stories in Chronological Order

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Notes
The Subject is Closed1977DT, CS, NL
Grammar Lesson1977DT, CS, NL
Assimilating Our Culture,
That's What They're Doing!
1979DT, CS, NL, PG
The Schumann Computer1979DT, CS, NL
The Green Marauder1979DT, Lm, NL, PG
The Real Thing1982DT, Lm, NL
War Movie1981DT, Lm, NL, PG
Limits1981DT, Lm, NL, PG
Table Manners1984DT, Lm, NL, PGorig. title "Folk Tale"
The Heights2001DT
The Wisdom of Demons2000DT
Smut Talk2000DT, SBRead online here!
Ssoroghod's People2001DT
The Missing Mass2000DT Read online here!
The Convergence of the Old Mind2002DT
Chrysalis2002DT
The Death Addict2003DT
Storm Front2004DT
The Slow Ones2006DT
Cruel and Unusual1977DT, CS, NL
The Ones Who Stay Home2003DT
Breeding Maze2006DT
Playhouse2006DT
Lost2006DT
Losing Mars2006DT
Playground Earth2006DT

Niven Collections Key:

CSConvergent Series
DTThe Draco Tavern
Lm  Limits
NLNiven's Laws
PMPlaygrounds of the Mind
SBScatterbrain

Suggested reading order is the same as the chronological order given above.

Collecting the series: All stories to date (January 2008) can be found in the Niven collection entitled The Draco Tavern.

More about this series can be found in the "Introduction" to The Draco Tavern collection. Niven also wrote a script for a 1984 WorldCon masquerade (costume contest) presentation: "One Night at the Draco Tavern," which appears in the Niven collections Playgrounds of the Mind and The Draco Tavern.


Dream Park

Dream Park is a futuristic amusement park using holograms and other advanced technologies to entertain customers, including live-action role-players. Dream Park, The Barsoom Project and The California Voodoo Game follow security chief Alex Griffin as he attempts to solve various mysteries set in the park. The other stories in this series have only a peripheral connection. Saturn's Race is a prequel to Achilles' Choice; both involve young adults technologically "upgrading" their bodies in an effort to join the world's ruling elite.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub. Date
Dream Park1981
The Descent of Anansi1982
The Barsoom Project1989
Achilles' Choice1991
The California Voodoo Game1992
Saturn's Race2000

Dream Park Series Chronology

2018The Descent of Anansi
2020   Saturn's Race
2048Achilles' Choice
2051Dream Park
2058The Barsoom Project
2059The California Voodoo Game

Suggested reading order: Dream Park, The Barsoom Project, and The California Voodoo Game should be read in that order. The other books may be read in any order.

More about this series can be found in two "Afterword" commentaries in Dream Park and The Barsoom Project.


The Léshy Circuit

"[F]ive worlds circling five suns in a bent ring, with Earth and Sol making a sixth" form a series of colony worlds, named after lands in James Branch Cabell's "Poictesme" fantasy series. The circuit forms a trade route for Bussard ramscoop ships.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Notes
Passerby1969NSp, AM
The Fourth Profession1972NSp, HSHugo nominee
Night on Mispek Moor1974NSp, CS

Niven Collections Key:

AMAll the Myriad Ways
CSConvergent Series
HSA Hole in Space
NSp  N-Space

The Léshy Circuit Series Chronology: "The Fourth Profession" is first. Beyond that, no determination has been made.

Suggested reading order: The stories can be read in any order.

Collecting the series: All stories to date (January 2008) can be found in the Niven collection entitled N-Space.

More about this series: A fourth story, "Rammer" (1971), was formerly considered part of this series, but is now considered part of "The State" series. "The Léshy Circuit," an unfinished planetarium script contained in Bridging the Galaxies, contains information about the universe, but cannot properly be considered a part of the series.


Moties and the Empire of Man

The interstellar Empire of Man makes contact with a previously undiscovered race of technologically advanced aliens, "Moties" who hold dark secrets. This series of stories is set in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium/Empire of Man universe.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Notes
The Mote in God's Eye1974co-authored by Jerry Pournelle
Hugo nominee, Nebula nominee
Motelight1976NSpco-authored by Jerry Pournelle; a prologue edited out of The Mote in God's Eye; contained in "Building the Mote in God's Eye"
Reflex1983&mdashco-authored by Jerry Pournelle; opening edited out of The Mote in God's Eye; pubbed in There Will Be War, ed. by Jerry Pournelle
In Memoriam: Howard Grote Littlemead1984NLPoem referencing the backstory to The Mote in God's Eye
Brenda1988NSp
The Gripping Hand1993co-authored with Jerry Pournelle

Niven Collections Key:

NLNiven's Laws
NSp  N-Space

Moties and the Empire of Man Series Chronology

2640-2656  Brenda
2862-2902  Motelight
2902In Memoriam: Howard Grote Littlemead
3017Reflex
3017The Mote in God's Eye
3042The Gripping Hand

Suggested reading order: The Mote in God's Eye should be read before its sequel, The Gripping Hand. "Motelight" and "Reflex" tell of events leading up to Mote, but it is not necessary to read them to understand the latter. Other than that, the stories may be read in any order.

More about this series can be found in "Building the Mote in God's Eye" (1976), in the Niven collection N-Space.


The State

Earth is a very grim and very overcrowded dystopia, tightly controlled by "The State," which has attempted to extend its rule to an interstellar empire by seeding planets around nearby stars with life, then planting colonies. But the State finds that distant colony worlds elude its iron grip. One such colony is the unique "Smoke Ring": circling a star is a torus of atmosphere, inhabited by alien animals, enormous "integral trees," and humans which have adapted to live in zero-gee.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Notes
Rammer1971WT, HS, PMincorporated into A World Out of Time
Down and Out1976WTincorporated into A World Out of Time
The Children of the State1976WTincorporated into A World Out of Time
A World Out of Time1976Hugo nominee, Nebula nominee
The Integral Trees1983
The Smoke Ring1987
The Kiteman1990NSp

Niven Collections Key:

HSA Hole in Space
NSp  N-Space
PMPlaygrounds of the Mind
WTA World Out of Time

The State Series Chronology
A World Out of Time—chapters 1-2 (revised from "Rammer" and "Down and Out")
The Integral Trees
The Smoke Ring
The Kiteman
A World Out of Time—chapters 3-9 (orig. "The Children of the State")

Suggested reading order: The Integral Trees, The Smoke Ring, and "The Kiteman" should be read in that order. A World Out of Time may be read at any time.


Svetz

This series came about because Larry Niven believes time travel is fantasy. In these comedy adventures, Svetz is an agent from a polluted future repeatedly sent back in time to fetch extinct animals for his mad ruler's menagerie. What no one understands is that the time machine travels to parallel worlds where magic works, and the hapless Svetz finds himself facing formidable beasts with fearsome powers.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Notes
The Flight of the Horse1969RM, FHorig. title "Get a Horse!"
Leviathan!1970RM, FH, PM
Bird in the Hand1970RM, FH
There's a Wolf in My Time Machine1971RM, FH
Death in a Cage1973RM, FH
Rainbow Mars1999RM

Niven Collections Key:

FHThe Flight of the Horse
PMPlaygrounds of the Mind
RM  Rainbow Mars

Chronological order is the same as the publishing order listed above. (Or perhaps, for this time travel series, that should be "chronological disorder"!)

Suggested reading order is the same as the publishing order listed above.

Collecting the series: All stories to date (January 2009) appear in the Niven collection Rainbow Mars.

More about this series can be found in "Afterword" in the Flight of the Horse collection, and in "Afterword: Svetz and the Beanstalk" in the Rainbow Mars collection.


Teleportation

This near-future series explores the effect on society of a ubiquitous network of teleportation booths, which have replaced nearly all other transportation. Some stories feature reporter Jerryberry Janson.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Flash Crowd1973FH
The Alibi Machine1973HS
All the Bridges Rusting1973BG, HS
A Kind of Murder1974HS
The Last Days of the
Permanent Floating Riot Club
1974HS

Niven Collections Key:

BG  Bridging the Galaxies
FHThe Flight of the Horse
HSA Hole in Space

Chronological order is the same as the publishing order listed above.

Suggested reading order is the same as the publishing order listed above.

Collecting the series: All stories to date (January 2008) can be found in the Niven collection entitled A Hole in Space except for "Flash Crowd", which appears in the Niven collection The Flight of the Horse.

More about this series: Niven's ideas about how teleportation booths might work can be found in his speculative science article "Exercise in Speculation: The Theory and Practice of Teleportation," which appears in the Niven collection All the Myriad Ways.


The Warlock's Era

Once upon a time, many thousands of years ago... It is a golden age of luxury and plenty, provided by powerful magic. All too powerful, for the mana which powers the wizards' spells is fast running out. An ancient sorcerer known only as the Warlock is the first to discover that magicians must make do with less and less in a world in which the magic is going away. This series takes a logical, scientific approach to magic — just what you'd expect from a master of hard-SF.

List of Stories by Order of Publication

StoryPub.
Date
Niven
Collection
Notes
Not Long Before the End1969AM, MC, MR, TWHugo nominee, Nebula nominee
Unfinished Story #11970AM, PM, TWorig. title "Unfinished Story"
What Good Is a Glass Dagger?1972FH, PM, TW
The Magic Goes Away1976Short story; expanded into a novlet in 1978.
The Magic Goes Away1978MC, TWAn expansion first published by Ace Books as an "illustrated novel;" art by Esteban Moroto.
Talisman1981Lm, MC, MMco-authored by Dan Girard
The Lion in His Attic1982Lm, MC, MM, PM
The Wishing Game1989PM
The Portrait of Daryanree the King1989PM
The Burning City2000co-authored by Jerry Pournelle
Chicxulub2004
Boomerang2004
Rhinemaidens2005
Burning Tower2005co-authored by Jerry Pournelle

Niven Collections Key:

AMAll the Myriad Ways
FHThe Flight of the Horse
LmLimits
MCThe Magic Goes Away Collection
MM  More Magic
MRThe Magic May Return
PMPlaygrounds of the Mind
TWThe Time of the Warlock

Chronological order: Some stories in this series offer only vague clues regarding their time frame. Therefore the best we can do at present is a tentative timeline.

The Warlock's Era—Tentative Chronological Order
Chicxulub
Not Long Before the End
Unfinished Story #1
What Good is a Glass Dagger?
Talisman
The Magic Goes Away
The Wishing Game
The Lion in His Attic
The Portrait of Daryanree the King
Rhinemaidens
The Burning City
Burning Tower

Boomerang

Recommended reading order: Reading the stories in order of publication will avoid spoilers. That aside, "Not Long Before the End," "What Good Is a Glass Dagger?," The Magic Goes Away, and "The Wishing Game" form a continuing story, and should be read in that order. The Burning City is followed by its sequel, Burning Tower. Characters from "The Lion in His Attic" later appear in The Burning City, although this continuity does not appear important. "Rhinemaidens" is a sequel to "The Lion in His Attic." The other stories can be read in any order.

Collecting the series: No single book contains all the stories in this series, but the recent The Magic Goes Away Collection (2005) contains The Magic Goes Away plus the two shared universe collections detailed below.

More about this series can be found in the notes at the end of The Time of the Warkock.


The Warlock's Era: Shared Universe Stories

Niven has invited other authors to write stories set in The Warlock/Magic Universe series. Two collections, edited by Larry Niven, have been published.

The Magic May Return
illustrated by Alicia Austin
1981
Not Long Before the EndLarry Niven
EarthshadeFred Saberhagen
ManaspillDean Ing
"...but fear itself"Steven Barnes
StrengthPoul Anderson &
Mildred Downey Broxon
 
More Magic
illustrated by Alicia Austin
1984
The Lion in His AtticLarry Niven
Shadow of WingsBob Shaw
TalismanLarry Niven & Dan Girard
Mana from HeavenRoger Zelazny