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Ask Larry Niven

Posted by Roblimo on from the hanging-out-at-the-Draco-Tavern dept.

If you read science fiction at all, you're familiar with Larry Niven. (If you don't, his work is a great place to start.) Anyway, this is a golden opportunity to learn more about a truly innovative author. (Thanks go to Chris DiBona for arranging this interview; he met Larry during one of his TechTV appearances.) One question per post, please. We'll post Larry's answers to 10 of the highest-moderated questions shortly after he gets them back to us.

6 of 531 comments (clear)

  1. ALL YOU MODZ SUCK KNOBZ 1st post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    All you Slashdot fuckers out there Have some of my goatse.

  2. Re:Why is there no religion in Known Space by cetan · · Score: 0, Troll

    Right, because the Dune series never made any mention of religion...

    --
    In Soviet Russia...michael would be rotting in Siberia!
  3. Question by Zeebs · · Score: 0, Troll

    I are tinkin aboot becuming a righter, and i donout know where to start. I got many great ideas about robots and cat people and stuffs, and i gots a verry gud vocbaularly. Wuld you red som of my storyies?

    --

    Happy Noodle Boy says "F###ing doughnut! Mock me? You fried cyclops!!"
  4. Have you read no Niven? by Adam+Rightmann · · Score: -1, Troll
    Have you read none of his Known Space stories? Here's a few, name a religious idea in them:
    • Protector Nope, the Pak are prisoners of pheronomes.
    • Ringworld Nope, unless being Lucky counts.
    • World of Ptaaavs Hmm, an unstoppable beast is running amok, no need to pray there.
    • Neutron Star Hmm, I'm about to be ripped apart by tidal forces, nothing to do but hold on.
    • The Handicapped Gosh, what theological ideas a sessile intelligent east might have.

    Compare this with the Moties religions, the Russian Orthodox religion and others in Mote, a huge world of difference.

    I suspect you are the one with an insufficient grounding in Sci-Fi.

    --
    A. Rightmann
  5. Jerry Pournelle by squiggleslash · · Score: 0, Troll
    What are your thoughts on the observation that, due to a misspent collaboration or two, virtually every other question you're being asked is actually about a considerably less talented writer than yourself?

    Did you realise that accepting an interview with a bunch of geeks was likely to, pretty much inevitably, end up being in front of people who knew of the clueless third rate hack via his Byte column (and dubious status of being the world's first Internet troll, thrown off it back when it was the ArpaNet), but only rarely knew of you, due to the need to read good books to do so?

    Do you regret Lucifer's Hammer et al?

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  6. Why are some of your characters Jews? by BasilBibi · · Score: -1, Troll

    I enjoyed Ringworld but I was sadly distracted by the 'Jewishness' or Jewish references in several of your short stories. Shame. My question to you Larry is this, why do you feel compelled to make some of the main characters in your stories Jews? Don't you feel that this might alienate a lot the audience who might be reading this type of material because they are weary of Jewish supremacy and want to escape trivial religious divisions?