Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven—known as Larry Niven—is an American science fiction writer. His best-known work is Ringworld, which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America named him the 2015 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. It also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes the series The Magic Goes Away,...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth30 April 1938
CountryUnited States of America
If one must explain a magic trick, one should do so after the show is over.
For each human being there is an optimum ratio between change and stasis. Too little change, he grows bored. Too little stability, he panics and loses his ability to adapt. One who marries six times in ten years won't change jobs. One who moves often to serve his company will maintain a stable marriage. A woman chained to one home and family may redecorate frantically or take a lover or go to many costume parties.
In challenging a kzin, a simple scream of rage is sufficient. You scream and you leap.
Never be embarrassed or ashamed by anything you choose to write.
I have a kind of psychic invisibility. As long as I can stay scared, I can keep people from seeing me. That's what we have to count on.
The human species really could have faced global thermonuclear war. During seventy years of Cold War we grew used to it.
The best advice I was ever given was on my twenty-first birthday when my father said, Son, here's a million dollars. Don't lose it.
In general, I don't know when inspiration will pop up.
I'd repair our education system or replace it with something that works.
I do suspect that privacy was a passing fad.
Bruce Sterling is one terrific writer and he's relatively new, but I don't know how long he's been doing it; he probably doesn't need the publicity anymore!
We're looking as far ahead as we can, and we don't get penalized for mistakes.
I've got five or six unpublished stories kicking around looking for somebody to buy them.
I'm not predicting; I just love playing with superconductors.