World of Ptavvs
2 journalers for this copy...
This is an old book (1966) so some of the technology is a little dated. The story is still good.
Nothing quite prepared telepath Lary Greenberg for mind-to-mind contact with an alien.
In the interst of science, Larry tapped the mind of Kzanol... and that ws his first mistake!
Kzanol was a thrint from a distant falaxy. He had been trapped on Earth in a time stasis field for two billion years. Now he was on the loose, and Larry knew everything he was thinking.
Thrints lived to plunder and enslave lesser planets... and the planet Kzanol had in mind was Earth!
Nothing quite prepared telepath Lary Greenberg for mind-to-mind contact with an alien.
In the interst of science, Larry tapped the mind of Kzanol... and that ws his first mistake!
Kzanol was a thrint from a distant falaxy. He had been trapped on Earth in a time stasis field for two billion years. Now he was on the loose, and Larry knew everything he was thinking.
Thrints lived to plunder and enslave lesser planets... and the planet Kzanol had in mind was Earth!
Journal Entry 2 by R2 at Second Cup - 2312 4ST SW in Calgary, Alberta Canada on Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Released 19 yrs ago (4/12/2005 UTC) at Second Cup - 2312 4ST SW in Calgary, Alberta Canada
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
RELEASE NOTES:
I will leave this book at the monthly bookcrossing meety-up.
I will leave this book at the monthly bookcrossing meety-up.
First of all, the name of the book is "World of Ptavvs", not "World of Ptarvis", or "World of Ptravis".
An interesting book if you are a fan of the golden age of science fiction (1940s to the late 1960s), of which the author, Larry Niven, was in the forefront. He created a whole universe a la Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. The difference is he wrote a whole whack of books before he died & managed to flesh out almost all of the back story he created in other books. This is one of those back-story books.
I must have found it right after it was dropped off, and was very excited to see it, as most of Niven's stuff is out of print & it's only by luck or perseverence that one stumbles across one that hasn't been seen before.
As for the book itself, it's not one of his better efforts - the first couple of Ringworld books are probably his best. As I said before, it's one of the back-story books that fleshes out the story of the Slavers, a long-dead race that would enslave every species they enocuntered. They are responsible for a great deal of the technology that is present "today", but nobody knows too much about them. In "World of Ptavvs", a member of the Slavers is revived from a frozen state by humans two billion years after every other member of his race has mysteriously gone extinct. Hijinx ensues. I won't elaborate further on the story. Suffice it to say, that like many of Niven's less brilliant outings, it starts extremely strong - you're hooked very early, but the ending is very unsatisfying - a bit of color-by numbers novel-writing. That's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable book - it's always a treat to find a rare gem like this one. Thanx for releasing this into the wild guys - truly a delightful find.
An interesting book if you are a fan of the golden age of science fiction (1940s to the late 1960s), of which the author, Larry Niven, was in the forefront. He created a whole universe a la Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. The difference is he wrote a whole whack of books before he died & managed to flesh out almost all of the back story he created in other books. This is one of those back-story books.
I must have found it right after it was dropped off, and was very excited to see it, as most of Niven's stuff is out of print & it's only by luck or perseverence that one stumbles across one that hasn't been seen before.
As for the book itself, it's not one of his better efforts - the first couple of Ringworld books are probably his best. As I said before, it's one of the back-story books that fleshes out the story of the Slavers, a long-dead race that would enslave every species they enocuntered. They are responsible for a great deal of the technology that is present "today", but nobody knows too much about them. In "World of Ptavvs", a member of the Slavers is revived from a frozen state by humans two billion years after every other member of his race has mysteriously gone extinct. Hijinx ensues. I won't elaborate further on the story. Suffice it to say, that like many of Niven's less brilliant outings, it starts extremely strong - you're hooked very early, but the ending is very unsatisfying - a bit of color-by numbers novel-writing. That's not to say it wasn't an enjoyable book - it's always a treat to find a rare gem like this one. Thanx for releasing this into the wild guys - truly a delightful find.
Oh Yeah,
I'm on vacation in New Brunswick this week, and am going to release it here.
I'm on vacation in New Brunswick this week, and am going to release it here.
