The Children's Hour [Mass Market Paperback]

Jerry Pournelle (Author), S. M. Stirling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1991

The fastest way to get ahead in Kzin society is to cut through the endless challenges and duels to the death--and take on your father. But Chuut-Riit, Planetary Governor of occupied planet Wunderland, is teaching his kits a new way--the way of the humans. And the humans don't like it, at all. Expanded from parts of Man-Kzin Wars II and Man-Kzin Wars III.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Baen (October 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671720899
• ISBN-13: 978-0671720896
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,705,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent addition to Larry Niven's Known Space Saga, September 3, 1997

By 

Allyn Gibson <[e-mail]> (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Children's Hour (Mass Market Paperback)

In "The Children's Hour" Jerry Pournelle and S.M. Stirling have crafted a gripping novel of war and betrayal, love and loss, set against the background of Larry Niven's "Known Space" universe. (Other books in the "Known Space cycle" include "Ringworld" and "Protector".) While the book feels more like two disjointed stories (which in fact were published separately in the Man-Kzin Wars series), several addition pages of linking material make the book a true novel. Well written and well presented, "The Children's Hour" is an excellent way to spend an afternoon.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A charming look at Larry Niven's Kzin, at home., December 3, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Children's Hour (Mass Market Paperback)

One of the most popular parts of Larry Niven's Known Space universe is his felinoid aliens, the Kzinti. Ruthless militarists with a habit of striking before they're quite ready, they have been defeated several times in Niven's own work. Since he has opened up the Man-Kzin war period of his future history to other writers,we now have a chance to see the Kzin as he sees himself. Kzinti society is very social-darwinist, but easy to understand in some ways, and lacks the built-in tension in our own culture between the ideals we set for ourselves and our deeper, predatory instincts. Chuut-Riit, the main character, is a talented leader trying to ensure his race's eventual victory over those monkeys from Earth. This becoming known on Earth, an assassination team is sent to stop him

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I didn't think Jerry Pournelle could write a bad book..., October 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Children's Hour (Mass Market Paperback)

...but this is it. Recycling old plots is an honored sci-fi tradition, but here Pournelle and Stirling combine at least two or three and can't really make a unified whole out of them. I found the "Casablanca" references distracting, the Kzinti childrens' quarters irrelevant, and the Thrint subplot extraneous, and (as in "The Stone Dogs") even Stirling couldn't give me a believable, comprehensible war in space. If you're a known space fan you've read a lot of this, and you don't need to read it again.