Scatterbrain by Larry Niven
01/12/2003 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: TOR. 317 page hardback. Price: $24.95 (US), $34.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-30137-7 Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check
out website: www.tor.com
A new anthology by Larry Niven will
always have something to live up to and in his case is his earlier
work, 'All The Myriad Ways' - a seminal work from his most prolific
period.
In the years since, Niven has discovered the art of collaboration
and he explains through examples in this book of how such co-operation worked
out with the likes of Jerry Pournelle, Steven Barnes and Brenda Cooper.
 I
do think that having two pieces of the email correspondence between
himself and Barnes and Cooper is a bit of an over-kill but probably
used to show the differences between them.
Thing is though is that it doesn't show much depth to say I could
come away learning something other than there was a lot of re-writing
was involved in the process.
Having said that, amongst the other stories there are
a few new 'Known Space' gems. A Beowulf Shaeffer story 'Procrustes', Gil Hamilton
in 'The Woman In Del Ray Crater' and a canon piece about the Kzin that should
make many of you pick the book up.
Niven's own observation pieces about
life in the convention lane, the space programme and other bits are interesting
reads as well. Excerpts from 'Ringworld Throne' and 'Destiny's Road' though seem
more like padding if you've already read those books. No doubt someone somewhere
will explain this is to match the 'scatterbrain' title.
Although pretty
much a mixed bag, it is still readable and will already be lining the shelves
of you Larry Niven fans out there now or when it reaches paperback.
GF
Willmetts 
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