The Ringworld Throne
Encyclopedia
The Ringworld Throne is a novel by Larry Niven
, first published in 1996. It is the direct sequel to his previous work The Ringworld Engineers
(1980). He wrote it as a replacement after being unable to finish his contracted novel The Ghost Ships, the sequel to The Integral Trees
and The Smoke Ring.
, as early on in this book Niven tells us that relatively few of the hominids died when Louis Wu
and the Hindmost restabilised the ring at the end of the previous book.
The second part of the book details the continuing adventures of Louis Wu, who is now aging and ill. Eventually he and Chmee return to the Hindmost and are healed, only for the pair of them—and also a Kzin called Acolyte, who is Chmee's son—to be enslaved by a vampire Pak protector. What follows is a power struggle between Protectors on the rim wall and the vampire protectors who have control of the ringworld's defences. In many of the situations in this section of the book Louis, the Hindmost and Acolyte are present only as observers, as it is the Protectors
who are the main protagonists of the story.
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
, first published in 1996. It is the direct sequel to his previous work The Ringworld Engineers
The Ringworld Engineers
The Ringworld Engineers is a 1980 science fiction novel by Larry Niven. It is the first sequel to Niven's award-winning Ringworld and was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1981.-Origin:...
(1980). He wrote it as a replacement after being unable to finish his contracted novel The Ghost Ships, the sequel to The Integral Trees
The Integral Trees
The Integral Trees is a 1984 science fiction novel by Larry Niven . Like much of Niven's work, the story is heavily influenced by the setting: a gas torus, a ring of air around a neutron star...
and The Smoke Ring.
Plot summary
This book consists of two main plot threads, which only come together towards the end of the book. The majority of the first half of the story is devoted to a plot where a variety of hominid species from the ring join together to kill a large nest of vampires (the shadow nest) which has been feeding on all of them. Some of the characters are also found in The Ringworld EngineersThe Ringworld Engineers
The Ringworld Engineers is a 1980 science fiction novel by Larry Niven. It is the first sequel to Niven's award-winning Ringworld and was nominated for both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1981.-Origin:...
, as early on in this book Niven tells us that relatively few of the hominids died when Louis Wu
Louis Wu
Louis Gridley Wu, a fictional character, is the main protagonist in the Ringworld series of books, written by Larry Niven.Louis Wu was born in 2650 to Carlos Wu and Sharrol Janss. When he appears in Ringworld, Louis is 6'2" tall...
and the Hindmost restabilised the ring at the end of the previous book.
The second part of the book details the continuing adventures of Louis Wu, who is now aging and ill. Eventually he and Chmee return to the Hindmost and are healed, only for the pair of them—and also a Kzin called Acolyte, who is Chmee's son—to be enslaved by a vampire Pak protector. What follows is a power struggle between Protectors on the rim wall and the vampire protectors who have control of the ringworld's defences. In many of the situations in this section of the book Louis, the Hindmost and Acolyte are present only as observers, as it is the Protectors
Pak Protector
Pak Breeders and Pak Protectors are two forms of fictional life in Larry Niven's Known Space universe. The Pak first appeared in "The Adults," which appeared in Galaxy in 1967; this story was expanded into the novel Protector by Larry Niven...
who are the main protagonists of the story.
Release details
- June 1996, HB, ISBN 0-345-35861-9, US edition, Ballantine Books
- 1996, HB, ISBN 1-85723-399-9, UK edition
- June 2004, HB, ISBN 0-765-30167-9, US edition, Tor
- July 1997, PB, ISBN 1-85723-470-7, UK edition, Orbit
- March 1997, PB, ISBN 0-345-41296-6, US edition, Del Rey