Larry Niven

Black Holes! Glamour! Ultra-Violent Reality TV! August Books Have It All

August brings some exciting new speculative fiction releases. We’ve got conclusions for the Hunger Games and Void trilogies, plus Regency magic and a sentient MMORPG. Here are the books you can’t miss out on this month. The Evolutionary Void, Peter Hamilton (Del Rey) Sprawling, ambitious: Peter Hamilton’s Void Trilogy is an example par excellence of…

Books & Comics Kelly Faircloth

What did we think was at the center of our galaxy?

Scientists now believe there’s a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. But back in the day, we dreamed the galactic center held God’s home planet. Or a super-civilization. What else did science-fiction authors think we’d find there? A super matter transmitter: In the Perry Rhodan books, Rhodan discovers a gigantic matter transmitter,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Ringworld is a lot like Lost, but there’s a crucial difference

Larry Niven’s Hugo-winning novel from 1971 has a surprising amount in common with network television’s biggest sci-fi hit. But what’s really interesting is how Ringworld differs from Lost. Now, the cynics among you might think I’m comparing a classic 40-year-old book to a massively popular TV show that recently ended simply because I hope it…

Books & Comics Josh Wimmer

Interactive guide to Larry Niven’s Ringworld is the next best thing to going there

Dennis Antinori’s guide to Larry Niven’s Ringworld teems with information about its specs, but that’s not all. There’s also the equivalent of Google maps for Ringworld — it even lets you zoom in on key locations. Awesome. [Ringworld, via Metafilter]

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

When Keeping It Skeptical In Science Fiction Goes Wrong

A defining thread of modern scientific thought is skepticism, the tendency to question accepted ideas until evidence is found to confirm or reject them. But what do skeptics do in worlds of magic, aliens, and other matters fantastic? Science fiction authors often face a difficult task in incorporating skepticism into their works. After all, they’re…

Television Alasdair Wilkins

There’s A Special Place In Hell For Kurt Vonnegut, In Larry Niven And Jerry Pournelle’s Travelogue

Kurt Vonnegut was still alive when Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle consigned him to the sixth circle of Hell, in their 1976 novel Dante-inspired novel Inferno, which just had a follow-up, Escape From Hell. Blogger Robert R. Chase points our attention to the Vonnegut cameo in Inferno, which takes place during science-fiction author Allen Carpenter’s…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Which Science-Fiction Book Series Do You Secretly Wish You Could Take Over?

We all complain every time Brian Herbert or Eoin Colfer takes over a beloved book saga. Why can’t they just leave it alone? But which book series do you secretly fantasize about taking over and totally rocking out with? Which book series do you secretly fantasize about taking over?(poll) Dune book cover: Font is “Orthodox…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Is This The Beginnings Of The First Megacity?

The idea of an arcology, a single hyper-structure that houses an entire town or city, has haunted science-fiction stories like H.G. Wells’ The Sleeper Awakes, Judge Dredd comics and Larry Niven novels. But now they’re building one in the desert. Paolo Soleri, who coined the term “arcology” to describe a super-dense hyperstructure that houses tons…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Greatest Swashbuckling Heroes From 100+ Years Of SF Books

They swagger, they fight, they laugh in the face of danger. Science-fiction books have given us some of the greatest swashbuckling heroes, cutting a swathe through space and countless alternate timelines. Here are some of our favorite book heroes. When we asked our friends to name their favorite swashbuckling heroes from SF books, first we…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

The 6 Types Of Brains In Jars

When you’re a brain in a tank, you’ve got a lot of time to think about stuff. And one of the things you ponder is: how many kinds of disembodied brains does science fiction have? The answer: six! And yes, we’re only doing this list because Chip Overclock demanded it. https://gizmodo.com/the-life-and-times-of-a-brain-in-a-jar-5378292 Evil overlords of braininess:…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Larry Niven Helped Usher In Our Weird World

Ringworld author Larry Niven didn’t just pioneer the “cool massive object in space” genre — he also helped predict today’s world, including flashmobs, cochlear implants and planets orbiting Epsilon Eridani. NASA even found a possible ringworld, in 2004. [USA Today]

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Larry Niven And Steven Barnes Challenge You To The Most Dangerous Game: Lunar Edition!

When he’s not serving as science advisor on Land Of The Lost, Larry Niven is reinventing African politics of the future, with the help of frequent contributor Steven Barnes. The duo are writing a new book, The Moon Maze Game. According to Publisher’s Marketplace, The Moon Maze Game takes place in the same universe as…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders

Our Alien Origins: 21 Panspermia Tales

Planet Earth might be home sweet home, but is it really humanity’s birthplace? We explore science fiction stories where humans come from everywhere but Earth, be it by colonization, alien experiments, or good old-fashioned panspermia. Panspermia is the term for the most scientifically plausible version of this concept, but it isn’t necessarily what science fiction…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins

Larry Niven’s Iron-Clad Rules For Predicting Future Tech

How can you predict future technologies? You can’t, according to five great science fiction authors quoted in the new CIO Magazine. But at least you can predict what types of problems will crop up. You shouldn’t even bother trying to predict the future of technological progress, argues The Space Merchants author Frederick Pohl: No sensible…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Ringworld

Ringworld’s habitable surface would be an amazing thing to see. The setting for Larry Niven’s Ringworld novels has thousands of miles of tall mountains at the rim, so you won’t fall off the edge (and they also help contain the atmosphere.) More importantly, conditions on Ringworld vary depending on where the sun hits the ring,…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Science Fiction Is The Literature Of Refugees

When you think about the archetypal science fiction story, chances are you think of the bold explorer, setting foot on a newfound planet in the name of a secure homeworld. But possibly the most pervasive narrative in science fiction is actually the story of refugees. They flee from planetary destruction, war, or just from overcrowding…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Aliens Should Always Have Poetic Weaknesses

The greatest alien visitors in science fiction are totally invulnerable — except for one crucial weakness. And the best almost-unstoppable aliens have a weakness that is more poetic than Sylvia Plath and William Blake put together. Just look at our video compilation of aliens encountering their most poetic Achilles heels, and then check out our…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Soak Your Head With The Greatest Cocktails From Science Fiction

After a long week of conquering the stars — which may seem like decades to a stationary observer — you deserve a stiff drink. Luckily, science fiction has a huge selection of bizarre cocktails, from the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster to the Flaming Rum Monkey. Sure, some of them may be poisonous to humans, but that’s…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Larry Niven Tells DHS to Spread Organ Harvesting Rumors

There’s a small group of science fiction authors who call themselves SIGMA and offer the U.S. government advice on futuristic scenarios. Many of them are invited to conferences and events where they dispense wisdom to security types, and just recently one of them — Larry “Ringworld” Niven — offered the Department of Homeland Security some…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The 23 Biggest Slackers In Science Fiction

Our promiscuous, body-swapping descendants will hit the skids in the third book in John Varley’s Steel Beach trilogy — if he ever gets around to finishing it. Varley’s Irontown Blues is one of the most long overdue books in science fiction according to SF Signal. Varley told Locus the book would be a futuristic detective…

Books & Comics Charliejane

Black Holes! Glamour! Ultra-Violent Reality TV! August Books Have It All

What did we think was at the center of our galaxy?

Ringworld is a lot like Lost, but there’s a crucial difference

Interactive guide to Larry Niven’s Ringworld is the next best thing to going there

When Keeping It Skeptical In Science Fiction Goes Wrong

There’s A Special Place In Hell For Kurt Vonnegut, In Larry Niven And Jerry Pournelle’s Travelogue

Which Science-Fiction Book Series Do You Secretly Wish You Could Take Over?

Is This The Beginnings Of The First Megacity?

Greatest Swashbuckling Heroes From 100+ Years Of SF Books

The 6 Types Of Brains In Jars

Larry Niven Helped Usher In Our Weird World

Larry Niven And Steven Barnes Challenge You To The Most Dangerous Game: Lunar Edition!

Our Alien Origins: 21 Panspermia Tales

Larry Niven’s Iron-Clad Rules For Predicting Future Tech

Ringworld

Science Fiction Is The Literature Of Refugees

Aliens Should Always Have Poetic Weaknesses

Soak Your Head With The Greatest Cocktails From Science Fiction

Larry Niven Tells DHS to Spread Organ Harvesting Rumors

The 23 Biggest Slackers In Science Fiction

‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Stinks

‘Scream 4’ Is Back, and on Tape

Iran Threatens to Attack U.S. Tech Companies Starting April 1

Amazon Clears Out Netflix-Licensed Nebula Capsule 3 Mini Projector at 32% Off, Dolby Audio Home Theater for Less

Anker 160W Laptop Charger Briefly Returns to Black Friday Pricing in a Last-Minute Amazon Spring Sale Deal

The New ‘Backrooms’ Trailer Is Packed Full of Endless Dread

Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo Falls Under $25, a Budget Bundle Deal in the Final Hours of Spring Sale

Liquids Crack With an Audible Snap, Study Finds

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

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