Customer Reviews

Annals of the Man-Kzin-Wars: An Unofficial Companion Guide

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This trade paperback promises to be a reference and companion to the Man-Kzin Wars series of short stories and novelettes. A promise barely fulfilled. The reason I'm not happy with the book is simple enough: it doesn't reference the specific stories or volumes in the series. There is a timeline but though events are placed on it the story in which the event occurs isn't listed. If a reader wanted to read the stories in the order of their Known Space chronology, for instance, this book would be no help at all. I can't understand how a companion/guide as it's subtitled would fail to contain references to the specific stories, an appendix for characters (though there are some character profiles throughout the book) or a glossery. The books and stories in them are not even listed anywhere. The only thing that's redeeming is that it does include some information about the rest of the Known Space series in addition to events of the Man-Kzin wars. This isn't much of a reference book especially considering the cost.

While not ususally a big fan of companion guides, I found this one an engaging overview of a complex universe. Some apparent oversights on the part of a few Man-Kzin authors have been been cleverly explained away. There are also some pleasant digressions from the normal layout of this sort of work. Kzinti evolution, while only hinted at in the short stories, is unveiled here in a manner both unique and sound. The artwork is true to the mark, depicting all major species with insightful clarity. A must read for the diehard? I would say so. There is definitely some fodder here for discussion among fans of the series.

The unofficial companion guide to the Man-Kzin Wars is based on the first eight books. A fully illustrated book, with character bios, alien breakdowns, maps, timeline and observations of Kzinti behavior. This book is a great little book for any fan of the Man-Kzin Wars or any fan of Larry Niven's Known Space stories. I held back one star because it was so short! I wanted more!

This book is a labour of love that will increase the reader's understanding of the fascinating Man-Kzin Wars - a unique and enthralling space saga. My complaints are that it is too short and does not bring in the stories after Vol. VIII (Vol X is about to come out) I am sure a new updated edition would remedy both these problems and hope to see it soon. It could also do with mmore illustrations - those the author has provided whet the reader's appetite for more.

this is a great book, though I admit a little pricey. I've been a MKW fan for over ten years and was glad to see that someone took the time to chronicle the series. I found the timeline to be very helpful when rereading the series.
Some reviewers would like to see a chronological list of the stories (as opposed to events in the stories) so they'll know what order to read them in, but I say just read them in the order they were written. Most of the stories are set concurrently so couldn't really be listed in a chronological order anyway. Great pics too! I'd love to see an update to this one.