Scatterbrain

August 1, 2003
Larry Niven, winner of five Hugo Awards and one Nebula, presents Scatterbrain, his third collection (after N-Space and Playgrounds of the Mind) to showcase his versatile talent. Selections include novel excerpts, short fiction, collaborative stories and speculative articles on such subjects as Mars, the space station and autograph etiquette.

October 15, 2003
From a lesson in author/fan relationships ("Autograph Etiquette") to excerpts from Destiny's Road and The Ringworld Throne, this volume of Niven's collected writings demonstrates the writer's agile mind at work. Correspondence with co-writers, short stories, and interviews round out this selection and provide a glimpse into the life and works of one of the genre's most prolific and accessible talents. Recommended for sf or literature collections.

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2003
The title appropriately describes the book, and Niven claims it also describes him, at least when he is creating mental playgrounds. Certainly, this is as eclectic a volume as Niven has ever issued. It includes excerpts with comments from novel collaborations with Jerry Pournelle ("The Burning City," 2000, and "Burning Tower," forthcoming) and Steve Barnes ("Saturn's Race," 2000) and a story cowritten with Brenda Cooper that throw light on collaborators and the dynamics of collaboration. There are also several short stories, including "Procrustes," about aging Niven creation Beowulf Schaeffer, and "Smut Talk," a Draco Tavern story originally and aptly published in "Playboy." There is much literate space advocacy that avoids extremism, and in the epilogue, Niven's recovery from a torn knee tendon segues into a presentation to librarians on what they can do to encourage curiosity in young readers. Niven started writing during the original era of "the sense of wonder" (about space exploration); now he is readably, vigorously advancing a new one. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)