Juggler of Worlds

By Erich Lessing and George Konrád

Book Overview

For too long, the Puppeteers have controlled the fate of worlds. Now Sigmund is pulling the strings...Covert agent Sigmund Ausfaller is Earth's secret weapon, humanity's best defense against all conspiracies, real and potential - and imaginary - of foes both human and alien. Who better than a brilliant paranoid to expose the devious plots of others?He may finally have met his match in Nessus, representative of the secretive Puppeteers, the elder race who wield vastly superior technologies. Nessus schemes in the shadows with Earth's traitors and adversaries, even after the race he represents abruptly vanishes from Known Space.As a paranoid, Sigmund had always known things would end horribly for him. Only the when, where, how, why, and by whom of it all had eluded him. That fog has begun to lift...But even Sigmund has never imagined how far his investigations will take him - or that his destiny is entwined with the fates of worlds. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765357844
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.2" x 4.4"

Customer Reviews

Even Better Together

This sequel to "Fleet of Worlds" expands the history of Niven's Known Space, focusing on the Puppeteers' flight from the exploding galactic core. Although much time is spent recapping events on Earth that were occurring during the events that take place in "Fleet of Worlds" (including some clever references to previous Niven stories involving Beowulf Shaeffer and others), the two threads are eventually brought together through...

Yes it revisits old stories, but...

...it is from a new perspective -ARM Agent Sigmund Ausfaller's viewpoint. And there is more new than old, despite what the negative reviewers say To me, this is back to classic Niven as it explores the effects of technology on society, the ethics of alien cultures, and the age old question: Can one be paranoid *enough*? Much better Known Space than the recent Ringworld or Man-Kzin War stories (done to *death* IMO). Very...

End the hate!

After reading this book, I have a hard time seeing where all the hate has come from. This is a fine Niven book, and an excellent prequel to Ringworld in many aspects. It's not perfect, but then again Niven's writing has never been perfect, and I'll go into that later. The book does feature quite a bit of "retreading" events discussed in "Fleet of Worlds" and elsewhere. Only instead of being a flat retread, you get to see...

Standard Larry Niven.

Pretty much like every other Niven book- Brilliant. Most authors have a central theme, a grand idea which their book is written around. Niven crams multiple themes and endless ideas into every book he writes, with nearly every idea being worthy of a book itself. If you have read the Known Space series, this book is a truly epic addition. Even as a stand alone, I would recommend this book. This book takes us deep into the...

Different perspective on existing stories

This is a revisiting of a number of the "Known Space" stories, from the perspective of a professional paranoid. Sigmund Ausfaller is a UN law officer, and professional paranoid, albeit a natural paranoid rather than a chemically induced one, like some of his peers. Sigmund gets a human face, as his sordid past is revealed, his romantic life is considered, and his fears for the human race are discussed. And the key question;...