Fleet of Worlds

200 Years Before the Discovery of the Ringworld

By: Larry Niven, Edward M. Lerner

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Fleet of Worlds marks Larry Niven's first full novel-length collaboration within his Known Space universe, the playground he created for his best-selling Ringworld series. Teaming up with fellow SF writer Edward M. Lerner, Fleet of Worlds takes a closer look at Human-Puppeteer (Citizen) relations and the events leading up to Niven's first Ringworld novel.

Kirsten Quinn-Kovacks is among the best and brightest of her people. She gratefully serves the gentle race that rescued her ancestors from a dying starship, gave them a world, and nurtures them still. If only the Citizens knew where Kirsten's people came from.

A chain reaction of supernovae at the galaxy's core has unleashed a wave of lethal radiation that will sterilize the galaxy. The Citizens flee, taking their planets, the Fleet of Worlds, with them.

Someone must scout ahead, and Kirsten and her crew eagerly volunteer. Under the guiding eye of Nessus, their Citizen mentor, they explore for any possible dangers in the Fleet's path - and uncover long-hidden truths that will shake the foundations of worlds.

©2007 Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner (P)2007 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Niven is an undisputed master in the field." (David Gerrold)
"For three and a half decades, nobody's done it better than Larry Niven." (Steven Barnes)
"Great storytelling is still alive in science fiction because of Larry Niven, and his finest work is the Ringworld series." (Orson Scott Card)

Very good!

Answers lots of questions about the puppeteers... All Ringworld fans should love it and tell others.

amazing!

absolutely fantastic! and audible makes it so easy to just listen while I work! amazing book!

good but hard to follow

this book was a little harder to follow than the past LN books I have read.

Loved Ringworld?

All I can say it that if you like Larry Niven, and you loved Ringworld and the following books, then you REALLY need to read/listen to this first one. This is both history and background info that in many ways explains many things the original story may not have or simply left untouched. And yes, this first 'Of Worlds' book is a little slow, but as you get into it, it IS a classic in the works and you need to read/listen or hear the whole story, book by book ... and this is just the beginning!
Hat's off to Larry Niven for the WHOLE Ringworld saga, and many thanks for a GREAT story!
d(-_-)b

I only gave it four stars because it is a little slower that the rest of the saga.

Well written, well read

worth it, if you have read ring world and liked it you will enjoy this. narrator and book are great, very entertaining.

The End Makes the Book

I always liked the puppeteers, but not do much now. The manipulation of the fertility lottery was was forgivable in my eyes. However, Tte experimentations done on the colonist paint the puppeteers in a much darker light.

Exhilarating

Discover the secrets of the Fleet of Worlds, and take an intimate look at the lives of the Citizens (Puppeteers) and the estranged human colonists, unknown to the rest of known Space, that call the agricultural worlds of the fleet their home. Witness political intrigue, subterfuge, and romance. Learn about the past of Nessus, before meeting Luis Wu. It's a rather different experience from the Ringworld Series, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you are interested in expanding your knowledge of Known Space Lore, I recommend it highly. The narrator has a pleasant voice and is very versatile. He did a great job.

So very boring

I usually ejoy Larry Nivens' books. My wife and I listened to this book together, and we thought this was the most boring book we've listened to out of hundreds. It seemed as though nothing really happened throughout the story. When the end of the book came, we weren't sure it was over.

not what a Niven books should be!!

I forced myself to listen to 4 chapters, and then quit! Couldn't keep up with the monotonous narration and the endless array of characters that seemingly did nothing! Skip this, this one is no ring world!!

Fleet of....ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz....

Very disappointed in this book. I am a great fan of Ringworld & Ringworlds Children but this one just never got that interesting or compelling. Even with all the different characters introduced not one of them was as interesting as Louis Wu or Speaker to Animals. The little bit of Nessus' home-world we got to explore in Ringworld is far more interesting than what is described in this entire book. This just proves that Ringworld is a hard act to follow, but keep trying Larry, you did it with Ringworlds Children.

As far as the narrator goes, he has an impressive range of voice inflections and is consistent with the tone and style he uses for each character, the listener knows exactly which character is speaking. But, he has the lonnnggggest drawlllll when using his normal narration voice. Also, with as many female characters in this book as well as the unique feminine voices of the puppeteers why wasn't a female narrator used? A female narrator would have pleased the feminine audience that this book was apparently targeted for.
Conclusion: The Puppeteers home-world location is better off unknown to the "wild humans".