Destroyer of Worlds

By: Larry Niven, Edward M. Lerner

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

200 Years before the Discovery of Ringworld

The newly liberated humans of the Fleet of Worlds and Sigmund Ausfaller, who had been transported by the Puppeteers from Earth to the Fleet, must contend not only with the sly Puppeteers but also the threat of the Pak, a very smart and utterly ruthless species who are fleeing the exploding galactic core in an armada of ships at near light speed. The Pak are headed towards the Fleet of Worlds, having destroyed entire planets in their wake. Sigmund and his human allies are sent by the Puppeteers to reconnoiter and divert the Pak. A Pak is captured, but even a well-guarded Pak prisoner can be lethal. Sigmund and the human colonists must cope with many unpleasant surprises, between the manipulative Puppeteers, the brilliant, violent Pak and a new species called the Gw'oth who, while seeming to be allies, have own agenda.

©2009 Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Niven and Lerner...clearly enjoy revisiting aliens familiar from Niven's menagerie while spinning an elaborate tale of interplanetary intrigue. Their many fans will, too." ( Booklist)
"Niven and Lerner...adroitly expand upon familiar ground...and, at the same time, pour it into an entirely new bottle." ( Starlog)

Yet another riveting tale!

Niven and Lerner have once again thrill my mind with a mixing, churning suspenseful tale. I can't wait to get the next one!

It could be worse...

Good but with annoying holes and strange ideas. Altogether, it's doable as a good technical exercise in writing popular fiction (conflict, conflict, conflict) but life is short and you deserve better.

sleeper awoke!

I was having trouble getting into the story during chapter 1 and just stuck it out to see if 2 would be better. Wow, it was non stop riveting fun and I had to go back and listen to chapter 1 again because it was so important to the story. very cool science, very cool characters, exciting story, and great performance! I recommend.

Good listen and very little profanity

I enjoyed both the story and narrator. The characters were a little wild but not so much that they did not fit. This one was good.

A wonderful story in Known Space

I'll preface this by saying I'm a big Niven fan. Since first picking up Ringworld and being completely blown away by his ability to open up new worlds to the reader, I began to slowly devour his anthology of works. My favorites were always the books that helped flesh out Known Space: Ringworld, Ringworld Engineers, Protector, The Integral Trees, etc. But I also have read many of his other works, such as Inferno, The Magic Goes Away collection, Lucifer's Hammer, etc.

There were times where I felt Niven had missed the mark. I was not very impressed with The Ringworld Throne. And I was even less impressed with Ringworld's Children. Those books just didnt capture my imagination like the first two in the series. I questioned whether I would read (or hear) another book from Niven that would bring the excitement back. That is, until I purchased this audible.

The story is excellent and the characters are full and real. Another plus is Tom Weiner's reading, which really brings each character and the world to life. After listening to Destroyer of Worlds, I realized that there are two other books that preceed this one, as a series! I guess that is a testement to how good this story is; it is able to stand on its own. But I'm hooked again on Niven. I'll be listening to Fleet of Worlds and Juggler of Worlds over the next few weeks.