Man-Kzin Wars XIII [Paperback]

Alex Hernandez (Author), David Bartell (Author), Charles E. Gannon (Author), Jane Lindskold (Author), Hal Colebatch (Author), Larry Niven (Creator)

Book Description

Release date: April 3, 2012 | Series: Man-Kzin Wars (Book 13)

The perennially best-selling series set in Larry Niven’s Man-Kzin universe continues with entry #13 including   hard-hitting and thought-inducing tales from a host of talented contributors.  The catlike alien kzin, formerly invincible conquerors of all they encountered, must learn to compromise with humans if they wish to survive and prosper once again as a species.

Alex Hernandez lives in South Florida with his wife and daughter. He is a librarian, with an M.A. from the University of South Florida. Hernandez began as a science fiction webcomics creator before moving on to prose. He spends his free time reading, photographing Florida's wetlands, and running. 

Larry Niven’s bestselling Man-Kzin series continues! The kzin, formerly invincible conquerors of all they encountered, had a hard time dealing with their ignominious defeat by the leaf-eating humans. Some secretly hatched schemes for a rematch, others concentrated on gathering power within the kzin hierarchy, and some shamefully cooperated with the contemptible humans, though often for hidden motives. In war and in uneasy peace, kzin and humans continue their adventures with a  masterful addition to the Man-Kzin Wars shared universe created by multiple New York Times best-seller, incomparable tale-spinner, and Nebula- and five-time Hugo-Award-winner, Larry Niven. Stories by Jane Lindskold, Charles E. Gannon, Bud Sparhawk, and more.

About the Man-Kzin War Series:

“[The Man-Kzin Wars series is] excellent . . .gripping . . .and expands well on Larry Niven’s universe. . . .” –Locus

About series creator Larry Niven:

“Niven’s masterly use of SF strategies hits every note. . . “–Los Angeles Time

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Niven is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, both alone (The Integral Trees, The Ringworld Throne) and in collaboration with Jerry Pournelle (The Mote in God’s Eye, Lucifer’s Hammer, Footfall). His Known Space series, from which the highly successful Man-Kzin Wars books derive, is a landmark of modern science fiction, rating favorable comparison to Heinlein’s Future History series and Asimov’s Foundation series. Winner of a Nebula award and five Hugo awards, SF legend Niven remains among the foremost writers of the new century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Baen; Original edition (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451638167
• ISBN-13: 978-1451638165
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #650,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Charles E. Gannon is a Distinguished Professor of English (St. Bonaventure University) and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in American Literature & Culture from 2004-2009.

Dr. Gannon's series include hard-sf interstellar epics (the Fire With Fire series), urban fantasy (the forthcoming Taints), and he also collaborates in several others, including two New York Times Best Selling series: the Starfire military sf series (e.g. "Extremis") and Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series (e.g. "1635: The Papal Stakes"). He has also had many novellas published or forthcoming in various anthologies (Ring of Fire/1632, War World, Man-Kzin Wars, David Weber's Honorverse, etc.) and in Analog SF Magazine. You can visit and learn more about his various SF universes and projects--past, present, and future-- at: www.charlesegannon.com.

Along with about 50 other SF writers (such as Larry Niven, Ben Bova, and Greg Benford), he is a member of SIGMA, the "SF think-tank" which advises intelligence and defense agencies (cf. www.sigmaforum.org). In 2011, he was one of the featured speakers on Discovery Channel's second installment of "Curiosity," titled "When Aliens Attack."

His earlier work includes various products and ultra-short/flash fiction for the gaming business. He worked as both author and editor for Games Design Workship on their award-winning games "Traveller," "2300 AD," "Dark Conspiracy," and "Twilight: 2000."

Dr. Gannon has many credits in non-fiction; his most noteworthy is his book "Rumors of War and Infernal Machines: Technomilitary Agenda Setting in American and British Speculative Fiction." Now in second edition, it won the 2006 American Library Association Award for Outstanding Book, and was the topic of discussion when he was interviewed by NPR (Morning Edition).

Dr. Gannon has been a Fulbright Fellow at Liverpool University, Palacky University (Czech Republic), and the University of Dundee. He also received Fulbright and Embassy Travel grants to these countries, as well as The Netherlands, Slovakia, England, and Italy. Holding degrees from Brown (BA), Syracuse (MS), and Fordham (MA,PhD), he has published extensively on the interaction of fiction, technology (particularly military and space), and political influence.

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Gannon worked as a scriptwriter and producer in New York City, where his clients included the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and The President's Council on Physical Fitness.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Man-Kzin Interaction May 1, 2012

By Arthur W. Jordin

Format:Paperback

Man-Kzin Wars XIII (2012) is the thirteenth military SF anthology in this series, following Man-Kzin Wars XII. The initial work in this sequence is The Man-Kzin Wars. This work contains seven original novelettes.

In the previous volumes, the Kzin mostly attack human ships and worlds. The Kzin are initially slow learners, staging four invasions against humanity and loosing each one. Over three centuries, the humans had suppressed their own aggression. But now they gradually reshape their society to produce warriors.

- "Misunderstanding" by Hal Colebatch & Jessica Q. Fox relates a contact between a Kzin warship and the Dilillipsans. The ship captain was a narrow minded creature and soon convinced the Dilillipsans that the only relationship they would have with the Kzin was as slaves or prey.

- "Two Type of Teeth" by Jane Lindskold tells of the capture and treatment of a kzin Alien Technology Officer. The human in charge of his treatment convinces him to work with her. Her boss -- the man from intelligence -- only wants to drain the captive of all useful info and then send him back as a bioweapon.

- "Pick of the Litter" by Charles E. Gannon describes the capture of five kzin kits and their internment in a human facility. The human leaders think that they can tame the kzin, but others disagree. One kzin kit seems to have imprinted on his captor.

- "Tomcat Tactics" by Charles E. Gannon reveals the testing of a new weapon on Wunderland. The tester was inserted on the planet during a major attack on Kzin facilities. He was found by five Resistance fighters and then attracted the attention of locals in a swamp.

- "At the Gates" by Alex Hernandez discloses the actions of a pair of youngsters interested in a recently discovered Kzin warship in their system. The human confronts the leaders of his colony and learns the orbital parameters of the damaged ship. The kzin fights his father for permission to take a barge into space to investigate the ship.

- "Zeno's Roulette" by David Bartell discusses the attempt of a pair of Jinxian lovers to abduct a wealthy kzin for a Puppeteer. They are dropped onto the planet with six mercenaries. The woman is lost in her small craft, so the man hacks the kzin's data system.

- "Bound for the Promised Land" by Alex Hernandez follows the plotting of a kzin telepath and an ARM agent. after discovering a newborn kzin with telepathic potential and three sentient females, the telepath asks for help from the ARM agent. The telepath only has a short time before his captain will send warriors after him.

These tales look at the Kzin interaction with humans and others. Such relationships range from armed conflict to friendship. The further they are from the Patriarchy, the less hostile individual kzin can be.

Several stories dwell on the affect of nature and nurture on kzin kits. Despite the hopes of some characters, the Kzin are not going to become pseudohumans. However, some can learn to work with other species after proper early training.

Highly recommended for Niven fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alien relations, human intrigue, and strange friendships. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Spotty, not the best but it is more Known Space, so I had to read it... May 18, 2012

By J. Roberts

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The first story was meant to be funny (or clever) and the joke lasted WAY too long. It would have been a clever 5 page story, but it went on forever.
The best story was Tomcat Tactics, in which the situation mirrors situations in real life which makes you think outside your own box. This has been a cornerstone of the Known Space series which deals with psychology, science, how circumstances affect thinking and cultural norms, etc. The other stories do that well, but some of them tend to drag. Zeno's Roulette is interesting until the end, where the final solution shows that there would have been so many other ways to accomplish the task. If you have nanobot level technology, why do you need a human delivery system?
I love the known space series and this was an overall fulfilling book that carries the stories further and fills in details and nuances of an already amazingly detailed universe. Known Space is awesome, I have every book in it and I would love to get a 2nd copy of each book so I could put the stories in chron order so I'd have an excuse to reread them all again! Larry Niven is the only author who could write a book about their own work like N-Space and have me read it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars They're still leaping and screaming all over the map! June 14, 2012

By Joy V. Smith VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I liked all the stories, but Bound for the Promised Land, Tomcat Tactics, Pick of the Litter, and Misunderstanding (the quirkiest) were my favorites. This anthology is highly recommended. (It's rare when all the stories in an anthology are this good.)
Misunderstanding by Hal Colebatch & Jessica Q Fox is a fun story where the Kzin are befuddled by some strangely different aliens.
Two Types of Teeth by Jane Lindskold: I enjoy stories where Kzin and human work together to confound other Kzin or humans.
Pick of the Litter by Charles E. Gannon: Humans attempt to capture and raise and socialize Kzin kits... This premise caught my attention right away. Well executed.
Tomcat Tactics by Charles E. Gannon: A Wunderland (the planet) story. Humans fight back against Kzin occupying their planet. Another good premise, and I was happy to see another Wunderland story.
At the Gates by Alex Hernandez: Humans and Kzin inhabit a lost colony of Earth when a damaged Kzin ship appears above the planet. Suspenseful with a good payoff. (Hmm. I could have added this to my favorites, but I didn't want to include them all!)
Zeno's Roulette by David Bartell: A story involving the Puppeteers and a secret they use humans to retrieve. The Puppeteers aren't my favorite characters, but it was interesting to see them included in another anthology--and it was a puzzling mystery.
Bound for the Promised Land by Alex Hernandez: Bobcat, a tailess Kzin telepath, comes across an opportunity to escape his ship with a telepathic ARM agent hot on his trail. (Btw, I'd heard earlier that Alex Herandez was a good, upcoming addition to the anthology authors. Welcome aboard, and thanks for two great stories!)