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Brad Guy Niven and Pournelle were under a tight deadline when writing Footfall, and they had a preset page limit. 500 pages does not seem excessive in 2019, bu…moreNiven and Pournelle were under a tight deadline when writing Footfall, and they had a preset page limit. 500 pages does not seem excessive in 2019, but in 1985 it was considered a doorstop of a novel. As they drew toward the final act, they were running out of time and pages, and there was still so much story to tell. So in a huge rush of back-and-forth typing, they banged out the climax and brought it in at 495 pages. But there was no room for the denouement, and no time to edit the fat out of the first chapters to make room for it. Still, it worked well enough.(less)

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In chapter 26, the Fithp are watching video-tapes brought from Earth in an attempt to understand humans. One is clearly Deepthroat, which really throws them for a loop. But the other seems to be a musical. Any idea what it is?

Bob Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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Where can I find a chapter summary online? There so many characters I'm lost already and I'm only going onto chapter 6.

Joshua ChatGPT is the best option here. It will give you chapter summaries.

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I read this book when it came out years ago and seem to remember a quote from the paper back version just before they launched the battleship into space. "Necessity wasn't the mother of invention, The sci-fi writer was" I recently read an ebook version and that line wasn't in the book. It explained why they gathered the sci-fi writers to help design the ship. Do I have 2 books confused together?

Peter Tillman I haven't read either book in years, but the other book you might be thinking of is "Fallen Angels", by Niven & collabs, which does have some stuff re…moreI haven't read either book in years, but the other book you might be thinking of is "Fallen Angels", by Niven & collabs, which does have some stuff re SF writers in space.

If memory serves, Jerry Pournelle had at least some role in persuading Pres. Reagan to approve the Star Wars missile-defense. Which, if nothing else, scared the hell out of the Soviets.(less)

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