Known Space - Larry Niven - Part 3 - Years 2351 - 2650 AD (including the The Man - Kzin Wars)

 

Tales of Known Space - Larry Niven - Reading order 

 

This is part 3 of  a suggested reading order for Larry Niven's novels set in Known Space.

Parts 1 & 2 covering the Belter & Slower Than Light Stories are here.

There are about 9 novels and 35 short stories set in this universe spanning  over 1000 years in the future. The region covers a small portion of the Milky way.

Beginning with the first human explorations of the solar system, the later stories describe humanity's expansion into other near systems.

 

You can probably divide this time span into 4 periods:

1.  Early Exploration (Pre 2000 AD)

2.  Slower-Than-Light (2000 to 2350AD)

3.  Years 2351 - 2650 AD (including the The Man - Kzin Wars)

4.  Faster-Than-Light (2651 AD and later)

 

This page covers the 3rd part -- Years 2351 - 2650 AD (including the The Man - Kzin Wars)

Space travel still uses the slower than light ramscoop starships which travel very close to lightspeed in the early books, though later, hyperdrives are introduced, paving the way for the Faster-Than-Light (2651 AD and later) period.

Niven later joined the slower/faster than light periods into a single universe in the short story "A Relic of the Empire" (If, December 1966). Then in the 1980's he started writing stories of the Man-Kzin Wars. The first volume was published in 1988. This filled in the 300 year gap (between 2350 to 2651).

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Years 2351 - 2650 AD (including the The Man - Kzin Wars)

I think Neutron Star is a great place to begin exploring this period.

It was first published in April 1968.

Ballantine Books.

All stories are set in Niven's Known Space universe

between the years 2350 to 2658 AD 

This collection features the following eight stories:

• "Neutron Star" ( Worlds of If October 1966)
  
• "A Relic of the Empire" ( ''If'' December 1966)
• "At the Core" (Worlds of If, November 1966)
• "The Soft Weapon" ..If February 1967
• "Flatlander" Worlds of If, March 1967
• "The Ethics of Madness" Worlds of If, April1967
• "The Handicapped" December 1967 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction
• "Grendel"

 

The individual stories were published in If and Galaxy Science Fiction in 1966–1967, 

under Frederik Pohl as editor.  

 

A bit about the Kzin:

The Kzinti were initially introduced in Niven's story "The Warriors" (originally in Worlds of If (1966), collected in Tales of Known Space (1975)) and "The Soft Weapon" (1967), collected in Neutron Star (1968).

The Man-Kzin Wars, has so far reached fifteen volumes.

The first published in June 1988 

Kzinti also appear in Juggler of Worlds (2008) and Fate of Worlds (2012), novels.

They are extremely violent. Often described as anthropomorphic tigers.

They are larger than humans, standing around 8 feet (2.4 m) tall and weighing around 500 pounds (230 kg). 

One human gave an apt description of Kzin as "eight feet of death".  

MKW = Man Kzin War

There are 4 official wars (Wars 5 & 6 are unofficial)

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• 
  
  [2361 AD] Protector (Protector)

 

• 
  
  [2326-2390 AD approx] Ethics of Madness (Neutron Star)

 Worlds of If, April1967 

the ethics of madness larry niven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2360 AD approx] The Warriors (TKS)
• If, February 1966
  

 The Kzin make a first appearance.

 + tHE Warriors - Larry Niven

 

 ***

 

 

 

 

 

• [2360 AD approx] Telepath's Dance (MKW 8) Hal Colebatch
• [2363 AD approx.] Echoes of Distant Guns (MKW12)

• 
  
   First Man-Kzin War – 2367-2433 AD
• The first wars begins when a Kzinti warship attacks the Earth colony Wunderland in the Alpha Centauri system in 2367.
• 
  
•  
• [2367 AD] One War for Wunderland (MKW10)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2367-2419 AD] Pick of the Litter (MKW13)
• [2363 AD approx.] Misunderstanding (MKW13)
• [2363 AD approx] The Colonel’s Tiger (MKW7)

 

• 
  
  [2375-2384 AD] Madness Has Its Place.

  Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, June 1990

Also found in Man-Kzin Wars III; N-Space;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•  
• [2380 AD approx.] Slowboat Nightmare (MKW8)
• [2382 AD] The Trooper and the Triangle (MKW12)

 

• 
  
  [2383 AD] Choosing Names (MKW 8)

 Written by Larry Niven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2389 AD approx] The Man Who Would Be Kzin (MKW4)
• [2391-2435 AD] The Survivor (MKW4)
• [2400 AD. approx] Two Types of Teeth (MKW13)
• [2402 AD] Trojan Cat (MKW6)
• [2404 AD] Galley  Slave (MKW8)

 

• 
  
  [2408 AD] The Corporal In the Caves  (MKW10)
• Author Hal Colebatch
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2413 AD approx.] A Darker Geometry (MKW7, expanded and published as stand-alone novel)
• [2413-2420 AD] Tomcat Tactics (MKW13)
• [2419-2420 AD] Deadly Knowledge (MKW14)
• [2419 AD.] The Children’s Hour (MKW2)

 

• 
  
  [2420 AD.] His Sergeant’s Honor (MKW9)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2420 AD.] The Asteroid Queen (MKW3)
• [2421 AD.] In the Hall of the Mountain King (MKW5)
• [2425-2328 AD]  The Music Box (MKW 10)
• [2427 AD] Three At Table (MKW11)
• [2430 AD] Grossgeister Swamp (MKW11)
• [2433 AD] Catspaws (MKW11) (Introduction takes place in 2406 C.E.)

 

• 
  
  [2435 AD approx.]  Treasure Planet (Man-Kzin Wars Stand-alone Novel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2435-2439 AD.] The Heroic Myth of Lt Nora Argamentine (MKW6)
• [2437 AD.] A Man Named Saul (MKW14)
• [2438 AD] The Marmalade Problem (MKW14)

 

• 
  
  [2440 AD.] Iron (MKW1)
• Written by Poul Anderson
  

 An unarmed human space vessel is set upon by a warship from the planet Kzin - the super warrior aliens, however, discovering that the humans are not too bad at war either.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2440 AD.] Inconstant Star (MKW3)
• [2445 AD.] Windows of the Soul aka Windows on the world (MKW9)
• [2445 AD] Pele (MKW9)

 

• Second Man-Kzin War: 2449-2475 AD
•  It begins in 2449 when the Kzinti launch  attack  Sigma Draconis and Barnard's Star  and ends in 2475 with the liberation of the Kdatlyno from Kzin rule.
•  
• [2449 AD] Heritage (MKW14)
•  
• 
  
   Neutron Star (Neutron Star)

 ***

Worlds of If October 1966

 

 "Neutron Star"

 

 This occurs around the year 2462 AD

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2490 AD approx] Destiny’s Forge (Man-Kzin Wars Stand-alone Novel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2504 C.E. approx] Teacher’s Pet (MKW11)
• [2410 C.E. approx] Bound for the Promised Land (MKW13)
•  
• Third Man-Kzin War: 2490-2495 C.E. (approx.) (ended by the Wunderland Treatymaker)
• This war is covered in Destiny's Forge
•  
  
• Fourth Man-Kzin War: 2500-2505 C.E. (approx.) (Ended with Covenants of Shast)
•  
• [2531 C.E.] Cathouse (MKW1) Written by Dean Ing
  
• [2531 C.E.] Briar Patch (MKW2) Written by Dean Ing
• [2531 C.E.] Hey Diddle Diddle (MKW5)
• [2554 C.E.] Aquila Advenio aka Foreign Legion (MKW12)

 

• 
  
  [2560 C.E.] Procrustes (Crashlander)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2566 C.E.] At The Gates (MKW13)
• [2570 C.E.] Zeno’s Roulette (MKW13)
•  
• Fifth Man-Kzin War: 2575 C.E. (approx.) (Unofficial War)
•  
• [2578 C.E.] Lions On The Beach (MKW14)
• [2580 C.E. approx] War and Peace (MKW11)
•  
• Sixth Man-Kzin War: 2600-2618 C.E. (approx.) (Unofficial War)
•  
• [2610 C.E. approx.] Leftovers (MKW14)
• [2630 C.E. approx] Prisoner of War (MKW7)

 

• 
  
  [2630 C.E. approx] Destiny’s Forge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2630 AD approx] Independent (MKW12)

 

• 
  
  A Relic of Empire
•  ( ''If'' December 1966)
• This story can also be found in Neutron Star.
   
  
   Niven joined the slower than light & faster than light periods with this book.  It's set in the year 2645 AD.
  
   
   

 

 

 

 

 

• [2646 AD] At the Core (Neutron Star)

 

Worlds of If, November 1966

This story can also be found in Neutron Star.

 

 At the Core

the Quantum II hyperdrive is introduced

 

• 
  
  [2646 AD] Flatlander 
• This story can also be found in Neutron Star.
  

 Worlds of If, March 1967

Flatlander

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2647 C.E.] The Handicapped 
• This story can also be found in Neutron Star.
  

 December 1967 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction as "Handicap". 

 

Set in the Known Space universe, the story introduces the Grogs, the sessile but sentient inhabitants of the planet Down.

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2648 C.E.] Grendel (Neutron Star)
• The short story was originally published in Neutron Star (1968), and reprinted in Crashlander (1994)
• It is the fourth in the series of Known Space stories featuring crashlander Beowulf Shaeffer. 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2650 C.E.] The Borderland of Sol (Crashlander)

 

 The soft weapon is just 8 years into the "Faster than Light" period.

The soft weapon 2658 AD
Worlds of If , February 1967

 

This story can also be found in Neutron Star.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-

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In alphabetical Order, The complete stories & novels set in the Known Universe are:

 

 

• The Adults (short story)
• ARM (short story)
• At The Bottom Of A Hole (short story)
• At The Core (short story)
• Becalmed In Hell (short story)
• The Borderland Of Sol (short story)
• Choosing Names (short story)
• Cloak Of Anarchy (short story)
• The Coldest Place (short story)
• The Deceivers (short story)
• The Defenseless Dead (short story)
• The Ethics Of Madness (short story)
• Eye Of An Octopus (short story)
• Flatlander (short story)
• Fleet Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Juggler Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Destroyer Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Betrayer Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Fate Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
• Fly-By-Night (short story)
• Ghost (short story)
• A Gift From Earth (novel)
• Grendel (short story)
• The Handicapped (short story)
• How The Heroes Die (short story)
• The Hunting Park (short story)
• The Jigsaw Man (short story)
• Madness Has Its Place (short story)
• N-Space (anthology)
• Neutron Star (short story)
• The Organleggers (short story)
• The Patchwork Girl (novel)
• Procrustes (short story)
• Protector (novel)
• A Relic Of The Empire (short story)
• Ring World (novel)
  • The Ringworld Engineers (novel)
  • The Ringworld Throne (novel)
  • Ringworld's Children (novel)
• Safe At Any Speed (short story)
• Slowboat Cargo (short story)
• There Is A Tide (short story)
• The Soft Weapon (short story, adapted into an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series)
• Wait It Out (short story)
• The Warriors (short story, introduced the Kzin)
• The Woman In Del Rey Crater (short story)
• World Of Ptavvs (novel)

Do let me know is there are any mistakes, errors or omissions. 

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