false <![CDATA[The Integral Trees and The Smoke Ring]]> 218460 1 When leaving Earth, the crew of the spaceship <i>Discipline</i> was prepared for a routine assignment. Dispatched by the all-powerful State on a mission of interstellar exploration and colonization, <i>Discipline</i> was aided (and secretly spied upon) by Sharls Davis Kendy, an emotionless computer intelligence programmed to monitor the loyalty and obedience of the crew. But what they weren&#8217;t prepared for was the smoke ring&#8211;an immense gaseous envelope that had formed around a neutron star directly in their path. The Smoke Ring was home to a variety of plant and animal life-forms evolved to thrive in conditions of continual free-fall. When <i>Discipline</i> encountered it, something went wrong. The crew abandoned ship and fled to the unlikely space oasis.<br><br>Five hundred years later, the descendants of the <i>Discipline</i> crew living on the Smoke Ring no longer remember their origins. Earth is more myth than memory, and no recollection of the State remains. But Kendy remembers. And just outside the Smoke Ring, <i>Discipline</i> waits patiently to make contact with its wayward children. <br><br><i><br></i> 211515 book 1983 The Integral Trees total:937|5:158|4:339|3:329|2:99|1:12| 937 3343 1084 40 1 1 false false Tue Sep 09 16:01:37 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 16:39:17 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Dec 02 23:41:55 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 02 23:48:25 -0800 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Dec 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 09:26:17 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 10 09:43:23 -0800 2008 4 The Integral Trees is good second-tier Niven, from early in the latter portion of his career, when his writing ability was just starting to fade. Call it his "Silver Age", if you like. In a fractional rating system, I'd give it a 3.6.

The story is set in the "Smoke Ring"...more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1985 Wed Aug 27 00:34:31 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 30 16:46:02 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Tue Sep 16 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 21 04:56:47 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 21 05:05:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon May 26 19:05:31 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 19:08:01 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 14 12:12:18 -0800 2007 Fri Dec 14 12:14:56 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Sat Jun 14 09:19:45 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 14 09:46:49 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Sep 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 11:27:18 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 19:24:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 19 14:41:57 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 19 14:48:34 -0700 2008
The Dalta/Quinn tree is dying, though they don't want to admit it. Their last hope lying in the final ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1986 Tue Apr 28 11:10:20 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 11:11:59 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 22:27:03 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 22:29:03 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1988 Wed Jan 07 22:33:34 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 22:35:57 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1987 Wed Jan 21 20:12:34 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 20:14:19 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1995 Mon Jul 13 19:03:51 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 13 19:05:56 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Jul 17 19:17:51 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 17 19:18:14 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sat Sep 05 20:25:32 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 20:26:00 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1983 Mon Mar 16 06:21:59 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 06:23:38 -0700 2009 Analog.]]> 4 0 false false Sat May 01 00:00:00 -0700 1993 Thu Aug 16 22:11:39 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 16 22:38:54 -0700 2007
Integral Trees. I remember a delusional robot and t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 12 22:29:27 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 22:29:38 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=218460