Fate of Worlds: Return from the Ringworld

For decades, the spacefaring species of Known Space have battled over the largest artifact – and grandest prize – in the galaxy: the all-but-limitless resources and technology of the Ringworld. But without warning, the Ringworld has vanished, leaving behind three rival war fleets. Something must justify the blood and treasure that have been spent. If the fallen civilization of the Ringworld can no longer be despoiled of its secrets, the Puppeteers will be forced to surrender theirs. Everyone knows that the Puppeteers are cowards. But the crises converging upon the trillion Puppeteers of the Fleet of Worlds go far beyond even the onrushing armadas: Adventurer Louis Wu and the exiled Puppeteer known only as Hindmost, marooned together for more than a decade, escaped from the Ringworld before it disappeared. And throughout those years, as he studied Ringworld technology, Hindmost has plotted to reclaim his power ... Ol't'ro, the Gw'oth ensemble mind – and the Fleet of Worlds' unsuspected puppet master for a century – is deviously brilliant. And increasingly unbalanced ... Proteus, the artificial intelligence on which, in desperation, the Puppeteers rely to manage their defenses, is outgrowing its programming – and the supposed constraints on its initiative ... Sigmund Ausfaller, paranoid and disgraced hero of the lost human colony of New Terra, knows that something threatens his adopted home world – and that it must be stopped ... Achilles, the megalomaniac Puppeteer – twice banished, and twice rehabilitated – sees the Fleet of Worlds' existential crisis as a new opportunity to reclaim supreme power. Whatever the risks ... One way or another, the fabled race of Puppeteers may have come to the end of their days. Review ”Widescreen galactic scope, nifty super-science, crafty aliens, corporate corruption and cover-ups, and a multileveled spy vs. spy vs. spy mystery...a first-class example of pure SF entertainment.” —SF Site on Juggler of Worlds “Exceptional freshness and suspense...full of startling revelations about human and puppeteer politics.” —Booklist “A new Known Space book, particularly one with new information about Puppeteers and their doings behind the scenes of human history, needs recommending within the science fiction community about as much as a new Harry Potter novel does, well, anywhere. But Niven and Lerner have produced a novel that can stand on its own as well as part of the Known Space franchise.” —Locus From the Back Cover Praise for the Fleet of Worlds series “Exceptional freshness and suspense ... full of startling revelations about human and puppeteer politics.” – Booklist “A new Known Space book, particularly one with new information about Puppeteers and their doings behind the scenes of human history, needs recommending within the science fiction community about as much as a new Harry Potter novel does – well, anywhere. But Niven and Lerner have produced a novel that can stand on its own as well as part of the Known Space franchise.” – Locus “A far-future SF mystery/adventure set two centuries before the discovery of the Ringworld by humans ... Intriguing human and alien characters and lucid scientific detail.” – Library Journal “A very worthy addition to the ongoing Known Space future history.” – SciFi.com “Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner have teamed up to write the prequel [to Ringworld], and it's well worth reading whether you've read Ringworld and its subsequent books or not.” – SFRevu.com “As we have long expected from Niven, it's a great read, and Lerner – as Analog readers know – has the knack as well. You'll enjoy this one.” – Analog Science Fiction and Fact Praise for the Works of Larry Niven “The premier hard SF writer of the day.” – The Baltimore Sun “Great storytelling is still alive in science fiction because of Larry Niven.” – Orson Scott Card “For three and a half decades, nobody's done it better than Larry Niven.” – Steven Barnes Praise for Edward M. Lerner “Lerner's world-building and extrapolating are top notch.” – SFScope on InterstellarNet: Origins “A fast, fun read.” – Sci Fi Weekly on Fools' Experiments “Suspense and action enough to fuel any thriller, and even to drive it to the big screen.” – SFRevu on Small Miracles