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Man-Kzin Wars #3
Man-Kzin Wars 3
IT'S HOWLING TIME IN KNOWN SPACE
Those war-crazed fur-balls from the planet Kzin just won't give up, even though the canny pseudo-pacifists from Planet Earth cut through the Kzinti like a laser through catmeat (once the humans rediscovered old technologies and old instincts that never quite bred out). The ferocious Kzinti never seemed to be able to come up with a more complicated strategy than "Scream and Leap."
But after three hard-fought wars, a few of the powerful pussycats have learned from their foes. Now, they are ready, and all that stands between freedom and a feline-filled universe is the human race. Good luck, monkey-boys.
Cover illustration: Steven Hickman
Those war-crazed fur-balls from the planet Kzin just won't give up, even though the canny pseudo-pacifists from Planet Earth cut through the Kzinti like a laser through catmeat (once the humans rediscovered old technologies and old instincts that never quite bred out). The ferocious Kzinti never seemed to be able to come up with a more complicated strategy than "Scream and Leap."
But after three hard-fought wars, a few of the powerful pussycats have learned from their foes. Now, they are ready, and all that stands between freedom and a feline-filled universe is the human race. Good luck, monkey-boys.
Cover illustration: Steven Hickman
313 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
47 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Larry Niven
689 books3,312 followersLaurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths.
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 30, 2013
This is the third in the “Man Kzin Wars” series, which I believe is now up to XIV. I would strongly recommend that you read at least “Ringworld” and the two previous volumes of this series before this one, gives you a context, sometimes confusing as it can be. I would also recommend the Wikipedia article on “Kzin,” which gives some back story and some details of the Kzinti culture.
This volume has three short novels: “Madness has its Place, by Larry Niven; “The Asteroid Queen” by Jerry Pournelle (one of Niven’s frequent collaborators) and S. M. Stirling; and Inconstant Star,” by Poul Anderson. Per usual, I found the writing uneven and at times difficult to follow. My favorite was the last (and longest), as it finds our intrepid hero Robert Saxtorph being called upon by an equally intrepid beautiful woman, Tyra Nordbo, to seek out and finds her father Peter, who had been kidnapped by Yaio-Captain, a high ranking Kzin, and both of whom disappeared in the quest to find out the nature of an astronomical anomaly/event. There are a number of familiar characters from other stories, as well as new ones, including Ib, Tyra’s brother, who initially appears just a whiny guy but who is more than he appears. This has more adventure, intrigue and interesting characters, and a plot line which is fairly easy to follow.
So, three stars overall. Currently reading “Ringworld’s Children,” after which I will alternate the Man-Kzin Wars books with other works.
This volume has three short novels: “Madness has its Place, by Larry Niven; “The Asteroid Queen” by Jerry Pournelle (one of Niven’s frequent collaborators) and S. M. Stirling; and Inconstant Star,” by Poul Anderson. Per usual, I found the writing uneven and at times difficult to follow. My favorite was the last (and longest), as it finds our intrepid hero Robert Saxtorph being called upon by an equally intrepid beautiful woman, Tyra Nordbo, to seek out and finds her father Peter, who had been kidnapped by Yaio-Captain, a high ranking Kzin, and both of whom disappeared in the quest to find out the nature of an astronomical anomaly/event. There are a number of familiar characters from other stories, as well as new ones, including Ib, Tyra’s brother, who initially appears just a whiny guy but who is more than he appears. This has more adventure, intrigue and interesting characters, and a plot line which is fairly easy to follow.
So, three stars overall. Currently reading “Ringworld’s Children,” after which I will alternate the Man-Kzin Wars books with other works.
August 24, 2011
A long running anthology series with stories set during the Man-Kzin Wars in Larry Niven’s Known Space universe. Niven started this thing up because while the Wars were very significant in the history of Known Space, he himself was not adept at writing about conflict. Niven has written some of the stories but most are by other authors. The writing ranges from average to excellent. Recommended if you are a fan of Known Space.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1026
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1026
January 6, 2009
Re-reading the series before taking them over to the used book store. They're an enjoyable read, but not something I really, really have to own anymore.
FYI: Vols II & III were mostly novellas vs short stories & they tied quite closely into previous storylines, which I barely remembered.
Highly recommended to read these in order.
FYI: Vols II & III were mostly novellas vs short stories & they tied quite closely into previous storylines, which I barely remembered.
Highly recommended to read these in order.
February 6, 2014
The cats verses the monkeys wars continues. My favorite invention form Larry Nivens universe enjoys the contribution of some of the best and boldest writers of our time as the legend grows more elaborate and interesting.
May 10, 2015
Good trilogy of SiFi stories set in the Niven shared universe. Good easy reads. Recommended
July 9, 2025
Dude, how can a book with such a badass cover be so boring?
So, there are like 16 books in this series, but they seemed pulpy, and I figured jumping into number three was not a big deal. I grabbed this at a used book shop and even joked "Will I be lost if I didn't read the first two??" because I'm not above making small talk with the clerk like that.
First of all, those badass looking cat dudes on the cover? The titular race of the series?? COMPLETE bait and switch. Those guys rarely show up, and when they do, they're mostly growling at each other. The overwhelming majority of this book is exposition while characters are talking in spaceships or space bars, or wherever. There was some interesting moments with this other kind of telepathic alien; the way the writer conveyed mind control was interesting, but most of the text is seriously just jerks talking about more exciting stuff that happened in the past or is happening off screen. After awhile, I found myself just skimming page after page of what felt like needless dialogue. Did I really have to read the first two books for any of this to make sense? I want to say "no" because the book is divided into a short story and two novellas, all written by different people, and this seems to be the format of the other books in the series too. Given how disjointed that format is, you'd think these stories would be episodic, stand-alone bits, right?
Alright, full confession: I still got like 80 pages left to go. But something tells me nothing is going to change. And, if a book only gets "good" after you make the reader slog through the first 3/4 of it, fuck you, that's a terrible waste of time.
What expected: space tiger badassery
What I got: "Zelga Germansoundingname sipped her space cocktail in the space lounge, and reminisced about the big space war . . ."
So, there are like 16 books in this series, but they seemed pulpy, and I figured jumping into number three was not a big deal. I grabbed this at a used book shop and even joked "Will I be lost if I didn't read the first two??" because I'm not above making small talk with the clerk like that.
First of all, those badass looking cat dudes on the cover? The titular race of the series?? COMPLETE bait and switch. Those guys rarely show up, and when they do, they're mostly growling at each other. The overwhelming majority of this book is exposition while characters are talking in spaceships or space bars, or wherever. There was some interesting moments with this other kind of telepathic alien; the way the writer conveyed mind control was interesting, but most of the text is seriously just jerks talking about more exciting stuff that happened in the past or is happening off screen. After awhile, I found myself just skimming page after page of what felt like needless dialogue. Did I really have to read the first two books for any of this to make sense? I want to say "no" because the book is divided into a short story and two novellas, all written by different people, and this seems to be the format of the other books in the series too. Given how disjointed that format is, you'd think these stories would be episodic, stand-alone bits, right?
Alright, full confession: I still got like 80 pages left to go. But something tells me nothing is going to change. And, if a book only gets "good" after you make the reader slog through the first 3/4 of it, fuck you, that's a terrible waste of time.
What expected: space tiger badassery
What I got: "Zelga Germansoundingname sipped her space cocktail in the space lounge, and reminisced about the big space war . . ."
January 27, 2020
I think the Known Space universe was not quite developed enough when this is written... it doesn't feel as coordinated as some of the later works. But the stories are still good - maybe even better than average.
April 13, 2019
A fun sci-fi read... three short stories exploring the wars between mankind and the Kzin...
December 15, 2025
Classic Military Sci-Fi
In this book we get a new short story by Larry Niven plus second stories from authors of prior events.
In this book we get a new short story by Larry Niven plus second stories from authors of prior events.
Read
August 23, 2007fiction,science fiction,short stories
books-with-go-references
June 13, 2010Brief go reference in the story "Inconstant Star".
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews