A Gift from Earth [Mass Market Paperback]

Larry Niven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 1975

A solitary mountain rises from the searing, toxic blackness of the planet. The organ banks are the centre of this world. To them the subservient colonists contribute living limbs, and from them the overlords obtain the vital parts that keep them alive.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Niven is one of the best-known names in science fiction. He is the Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of many classics in the genre, including most recently DESTINY'S ROAD and RAINBOW MARS. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 12, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345245091
• ISBN-13: 978-0345245090
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,134,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LARRY NIVEN is the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces. He lives in Chatsworth, California. JERRY POURNELLE is an essayist, journalist, and science fiction author. He has advanced degrees in psychology, statistics, engineering, and political science. Together Niven and Pournelle are the authors of many New York Times bestsellers including Inferno, The Mote in God's Eye, Footfall, and Lucifer's Hammer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intersting, and yes, cool., July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Gift From Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

On a planet where the only habitable place is the plateau on a mountain rising fifteen miles above the acidic, roiling surface, a brutal and unjust aristocracy lives long lives on the organs of the people of the lower classes, (colonists), who had committed even the smallest transgressions, while the rich, (crew), do as they wish with no fear of consequences of repercussions. On this world a young colonist with a very strange mental power, that of making himself invisible in others' minds, is about to unwittingly set off a revolution. I said it before, I'll say it again. Cool.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sci-fi adventure romp, January 1, 2000

By 

R. Gossett (Conway, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Gift From Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

Great book! It deals with all kinds of fun, interesting technologies, with enough action to keep anyone hooked. Also some really good discussion of ethics. This book is wholeheartedly suggested

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Good Classic Niven, August 20, 2008

By 

Sugar Fish - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Gift From Earth (Mass Market Paperback)

If you've never read one of Niven's stories, this is probably not the one to start with. Start with the short story collections, like Tales of Known Space. But when you get hooked on his style and find that you can't get enough, do come back to it, buy it, and you will enjoy it thoroughly. It's a really fun, very well-rounded look at a colony whose founders choose, at its inception, to divide its society into haves and the have-nots.