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frithnanth's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
chloekg's review against another edition
4.0
Niven does an excellent job using only a few pages to set a tiny stage in a large world. His characters encounter the unexpected with great humor and just enough literary zest to concisely wrap up each arc. The first half seems to have a bit more spark than the second half, but the whole book is playful adventure and very, very fun.
josephbdoner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
curiously_curious's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed - bordered in black, the meddler, dry run, the deadlier weapon, singularities make me nervous, assimilating our culture, that's what they're doing, cautionary tales, rotating cylinders and the possibility of global causality violation,
jbleyle63's review
4.0
A friend loaned me a paperback copy to read over spring break during college freshmen year that sparked a desire to reread to see if these fondly remembered stories held up some 30 years later. For the most part they did, especially the story for which this collection takes its name. Never got around to Niven's novels though did try a chapter or two from the first Ringworld novel which failed to interest. Perhaps down the road though more of his short stories have more immediate appeal.
xterminal's review against another edition
3.0
Larry Niven, Convergent Series (Del Rey, 1979)
Convergent Series is half previously published material and half new material written for this book, including five new Draco's Tavern tales and some new Known Universe stuff. (Some of the previously published stuff is proto-Known Universe material, as well.) If you're a Larry Niven fan, you know what that means. If you aren't, what it means is that this is a pretty good place to get to know Larry Niven.
There is (as there is in most science fiction; about 90% of this collection is solidly in the sci-fi vein, while a story or two is more in the straight mystery genre) a little of the annoying "this was put in just to make this sound like a science fiction story" claptrap here, but it's kept to a bare minimum, and Niven allows the stories to be carried by the characters and the plots within, rather than relying on gadgetry and technology to do the work for him. As such, Niven's science fiction is more accessible than a good deal of the hard stuff, and he's easily as readable as, say, Greg Bear. If you've not managed to glom onto Niven yet, thirty-five years into his career, this collection is a fine way to start. ***
Convergent Series is half previously published material and half new material written for this book, including five new Draco's Tavern tales and some new Known Universe stuff. (Some of the previously published stuff is proto-Known Universe material, as well.) If you're a Larry Niven fan, you know what that means. If you aren't, what it means is that this is a pretty good place to get to know Larry Niven.
There is (as there is in most science fiction; about 90% of this collection is solidly in the sci-fi vein, while a story or two is more in the straight mystery genre) a little of the annoying "this was put in just to make this sound like a science fiction story" claptrap here, but it's kept to a bare minimum, and Niven allows the stories to be carried by the characters and the plots within, rather than relying on gadgetry and technology to do the work for him. As such, Niven's science fiction is more accessible than a good deal of the hard stuff, and he's easily as readable as, say, Greg Bear. If you've not managed to glom onto Niven yet, thirty-five years into his career, this collection is a fine way to start. ***