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A review by sleeping_while_awake
Destroyer of Worlds by Edward M. Lerner, Larry Niven
4.0
Destroyer of Worlds is a nice step up from the disappointing Juggler of Worlds. This book ties in an older book of Niven's, Protector, which I haven't read yet, but there was enough backstory that I didn't feel lost.
The Gw'oth, the aquatic race discovered in the first Fleet of Worlds book, have noted a large disturbance in space. Turns out, it's the Pak, and they are destroying much in their wake. Sigmund, his crew, and the puppeteer Baedeker team up with some Gw'oth to investigate.
As they investigate, they discover a lone Pak that was stranded on an alien world. There's plenty of action and sci-technobabble throughout. Sigmund and co know they need to do something about the Pak, as there isn't going to be time to gather a huge defense force. Plus the Pak are so intelligent, resistance would likely be futile, and an innovative solution needs to be found.
There's an interesting dynamic in the book between the Gw'oth and the other races. The Gw'oth are rapidly developing knowledge, but the others want to prevent them from getting too much information, lest they become too powerful.
Although Nessus makes a few short appearances, there isn't much of the normal Puppeteer influence on the plot. Baedeker is kind of a rogue Puppeteer and he doesn't factor too much into the narrative.
The ending was a big cliffhanger!
The Gw'oth, the aquatic race discovered in the first Fleet of Worlds book, have noted a large disturbance in space. Turns out, it's the Pak, and they are destroying much in their wake. Sigmund, his crew, and the puppeteer Baedeker team up with some Gw'oth to investigate.
As they investigate, they discover a lone Pak that was stranded on an alien world. There's plenty of action and sci-technobabble throughout. Sigmund and co know they need to do something about the Pak, as there isn't going to be time to gather a huge defense force. Plus the Pak are so intelligent, resistance would likely be futile, and an innovative solution needs to be found.
There's an interesting dynamic in the book between the Gw'oth and the other races. The Gw'oth are rapidly developing knowledge, but the others want to prevent them from getting too much information, lest they become too powerful.
Spoiler
At the end, I assume their action of stranding Baedeker and Sigmund are due to everyone keeping them at a distance.Although Nessus makes a few short appearances, there isn't much of the normal Puppeteer influence on the plot. Baedeker is kind of a rogue Puppeteer and he doesn't factor too much into the narrative.
The ending was a big cliffhanger!