The Legacy of Heorot

By: Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Best-selling science fiction superstars Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle combine their talents with those of Steven Barnes in an extraordinary adventure of humankind’s first outpost in the farthest reaches of space.

Light years from Earth, colonists land on a planet they name Avalon. It seems like a paradise—until native creatures savagely attack. It will take every bit of intelligence, courage, and military-style discipline to survive.

©1987 Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Outstanding!…The best ever, by the best in the field…. The ultimate combination of imagination and realism.” (Tom Clancy)

"The Legacy of Heorot is well written, action packed, and tension filled…. Makes Aliens look like a Disney nature film.” (Washington Post)

“Page-turning action and suspense, good characterization, and convincing setting…. May be the best thing any of those authors has written.” (Denver Post)

meh :(!

Flat characters, plot linear and obviously hinted. I was expecting better from tge authors. I don't recommend it.

Good!

Not my favorite sci-fi work, but certainly worth the listen. Overall, I’d say the story was a lot less scientifically technical than I though it should have been given that the book details “humanity’s first time settling a planet.” Further, the “ice crystals on the brain” that the colonists get from staying in sleep too long played almost no role in the entire book. I was anticipating a space gained ailment to play a much more significant role in the development of characters and events. Overall, it was classic sci-fi, found myself feeling like the book was grossly incomplete at the end, as the colonists never went to the mainland.

A horror story on a distant planet

Well written and action packed. An ecological horror story with credible aliens and believably naive colonists. I first read The Legacy of Heorot, shortly after it was published and was captivated. I returned to it recently as an audible book and found it holds up well, 30 years later. It's a science fiction novel with roots deeply sunk in in the classic Nordic tale of Beowulf.

Used to love this book.

When I was younger I thought this book was great, but man, it did not hold up. The main protagonist is a badly written. It's unclear why he IS the main protagnist. He a whiny little child for the whole book. Not a compelling reason to read this. The other characters are completely one sided. I stopped paying attention to their names, because they all acted the same way. At least in the audio book the (bad) accents allowed me to tell them apart. The dialog was garbage. it sounded like a teenagers idea of witty writing. Will not listen again. Will not finish the series. I can remember adoring this series at 16, now it's not even worth listening to in the background. I was rooting for the monsters by the end.

Ok story

Didn't find this particularly impressive given the authors are well known. Likely will not listen to rest of series.

I also wasn't overly thrilled with the narrators choice of character voices.

Enjoyed it in print years ago

The story didn't really hold up well for me, and while the narrator did a fair enough job for most, his voice and tone for the protagonist seemed really off.

Great Book!

I loved the characters and storyline! I binged this and thrilled there’s more to come!

A great sci-fi yarn

This book is energizing, intelligently written, and fun to listen to—a truly great sci-fi yarn.
I've been a fan of Larry Niven since his early tales of Beowulf Shaeffer—yet freely acknowledge that when he collaborates with other writers, his plots become more concise, and his characters become more nuanced and interesting. This book is a case in point. With these three authors working together, one could expect great action, great plot, and great entertainment—and "The Legacy of Heorot" delivers.
Although at first I wasn't sold on Tom Weiner's narration, it quickly grew on me. Any time I find myself more focused on the story than the narrator—that's a good thing, and Mr. Weiner brings the story across with coherent characterizations that blur the boundary between performance and mere narration—with positive results.
Next up for me, "Beowulf's Children."

A great story for new colony in alien frontier

A great read and the performance was perfect--bringing the likable cast of characters alive. I've enjoyed all the books where Pournelle and Niven co-authored, this time joined by Barnes.

You'll like this book if:
1 - You don't mind this sci-fi story being on a planet in near semi-primitive reality (albeit with shuttles, AI computers and modern machinery) where the problem is with the native life. No space battles. No alien invasion.

2 - If you like a self-contained story as opposed to a n-book series (there is a sequel book however)

3 - If you like traditional characters without having identity politics jammed down your throat.

4 - You're okay with good, but not shock-and-awe story challenges

Good story, hard to understand sometimes

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book. While under 30 years old, you can still tell the difference in societal norms. Cigarette smoking being glamorous, women in mostly subservient roles to men. But still a very good story. Because of the deepness of the narrator's voice it was sometimes hard to understand, but overall a very enjoyable listening experience.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, the narrator did a very good job.