World of Pshaw... I mean, PtavvsReread this recently during one of my many "Niven" binges. This is one of Niven's first novels (converted from a serial?) and it is NOT really one of his best.The World Of Ptavvs is in Larry Niven's Known Space universe but is a stand alone adventure. You get to see some aliens & alien tech from the "early days" of the galaxy. As usual with Niven, there are lots of cool scientific ideas for the most-part well developed. Lots of space travel, hi-tech gadgets, aliens, and a life and death plot... and characters that are very shallow even compared to the Niven standard. Niven's ideas on telepathy and mind-powers are particularly interesting. Unlike some of his later stuff there are also some plot and character motivation problems and the pacing seems weird in places. Overall though the story is still a fun and interesting bit of sci-fi.A short list of spoiler-laden specifics of some "pshaw"-like issues I had with the book follow.(view spoiler)[Top 6 'Pshaw Moments' in World of Ptavvs6. So an alien creature that once enslaved the galaxy is off to capture a device that will let it do so again and regardless of who else might be injured or the possible political and military repercussions, you DON'T try to immediately NUKE IT?5. You finally capture said alien which has been incapacitated, for now; but rather than make sure it can possibly become a threat again, you keep the creature in stasis in a museum? You put its mind-control amplifier into the atmospheric depths of Jupiter, why not place it AND the alien that tried to use it in, say, the heart of the sun?4.Maybe I missed something in this reread, but I don't get the alien's drive. The ship is stuck at some tremendous speed. He can precisely control where its going but CAN'T slow it down or stop it?!3.So alien aims his runaway spacecraft at an outer planet in our system and it impacts the planet at speeds so high that it knocks the planet (Pluto) into an eccentric orbit that takes it far outside its original orbit. How is it that the planet wasn't obliterated entirely?!2.And after all that, the stasis-field protected contents of this spacecraft are still relatively near the surface of this planet?1.Finally, the goofiest of them all is a bit that I loved so much I think it HAD to be in the novel no matter the silliness, namely the way in which the protagonist manages to defeat the alien. (hide spoiler)]
World of Ptaavs was Larry Niven's first novel, published in 1966, and with its 2106 setting it is one of the first stories chronologically in the Known Space canon. It is clearly a weak work, and offers only hints of the wonderful ideas that Niven was to write about only a year later.The novel begins two billion years before the present with the alien Kzanol, a member of the Thrintun race. This race had the ability to control others telepathically and are the Slavers mentioned in later Known Space works. After the drive on Kzanol's ship burns out, Kzanol puts himself into a stasis field and aims himself at Earth. He supposes that only 90 years will pass until he is rescued, but eons go by while he lies in stasis after impacting in Earth's ocean.In the near-future, a scientist believes that he can break open Kzanol's stasis field and enlists the help of Larry Greenberg. A telepath, Greenberg's job is to read the alien's mind for several seconds before the field is reactivated. However, Kzanol's telepathic abilities overwhelm Greenberg, and Greenberg comes to believes he is Kzanol. The two Kzanol's set out to Neptune, racing against each other to claim the telepathic amplifier that Kzanol sent there, with which one could enslave all of Earth. Lucas Garner, an agent with the UN, gives chase.World of Ptaavs was clearly written in the mid-1960's. There is only one female character, and she is a stereotypical June Cleaver housewife. Niven was unable to foreesee the advent of powerful personal computing, and the computers of the novel output their information on paper strips like stocktickers. One amusing part of the novel for modern audiences is a reference to "West Berlin." Even the science of the story is outdated, one part refers to landing on Neptune, but Neptune is a gas giant without a solid surface.It is difficult to recommend World of Ptaavs, it is a very weak novel with wooden characters and clumsy writing. However, the novel is an integral part of Niven's Known Space universe, and much of the elements of this novel went on to play a part in other Known Space works. If you've never read anything by Larry Niven, though, get his collection Neutron Star, or his award-winning novel Ringworld. Check out World of Ptaavs only if you want light shed on certain elements of the Known Space series.
What do You think about The World Of Ptavvs (2000)?
This is one of Larry Niven's lesser known novels, and I had actually put off reading it for some time since I figured if it was lesser known it was probably not one of his better novels (and though I love his good novels, he has also had a couple that I've *really* not liked). Having read it, however, I think it's one of his best: retaining the strong flavour of science, with a much tighter and constantly twisting plot line. It had me from start to finish, as trite and hackneyed as I know that sounds.I usually don't give these sorts of novels higher ratings -- because sure I enjoy them (sometimes very much so), but let's not kid ourselves about the literary value -- but this one deserves every star it receives.
—Mike
Niven is kind of a funny writer for me. Some things I love(the Ringworld series for example) and some I couldn't get through(The Integral Trees and The Smoke Ring). His Dreampark novels with Steven Barnes are fun as well as his team-ups with Jerry Pournelle(specifically The Mote In God's Eye and it's sequel The Gripping Hand).
—Charles
I'm reading this to learn the craft. I'm interested in how Niven deals with expository since his alien creatures and cultures are indeed very alien. I'm also interested in how he deals with explaining the aspects of every day human life that are futuristic and so different from ours. He has a way of talking about such things (like slidewalks, for instance) that succeeds in explaining/introducing them without becoming tedious. Great little yarn, not exactly a classic of science fiction but a really good little book. Great ending, which saves a hopeless situation with such elegant simplicity that I was surprised and happy that the characters survived. Stylistically, I think I learned a lot about expository, for instance, one way to explain alien cultures is to have a telepathic human sort through an alien's memories. Niven gives the reader just enough info to be interesting and intriguing without going into a full-blown narrative, which would detract from the pace of the main story.Incidentally, I think we meet Beowulf Shaeffer's parents, but not sure. The people in question are Belters, and I thought Beowulf was born on We Made It. This is one of the things I have always enjoyed about Niven's vast body of work, he links his universe together not just with things, like planet names or inventions or rocket ships, but also with people.
—Allyson
