PLAYGROUNDS OF THE MIND

Completing the huge project of which N-Space (1990) was the first installment—a complete retrospective of Niven's work: solo fiction, nonfiction, and generous selections from his numerous collaborative novels. To Niven fans, much of the fiction here will be familiar if often worth rereading: stories set in Niven's patented, alien- filled Known Space; well-known collaborations with Jerry Pournelle or Steven Barnes, sometimes both together, along with useful commentaries; tales from Niven's fantasy universe, a world where magic works but is slowly leaking away; plus some amusing vignettes amply displaying Niven's wry if not always accurate sense of humor. Also: engrossing nonfiction, ranging from ideas piled upon ideas (slower than light starships, ringworlds and Dyson spheres, world- building with collaborators, unused and perhaps unusable inventions) to sf conventions, thoughts on war, comics, criticism, and glimpses of works in progress (including a sequel to The Mote in God's Eye). An abundance of Niven's curious yet disciplined inventiveness and his fun-filled knack for turning seemingly absurd notions into credible, absorbing fiction. Grand entertainment.