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| Title | : | A Gift from Earth (Known Space) |
| Author | : | Larry Niven |
| Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 256 pages |
| Published | : | July 12th 1984 by Del Rey (first published 1968) |
| Categories | : | Science Fiction. Fiction |
Commentary During Books A Gift from Earth (Known Space)
Browsing through the Niven backlist of Known Space books, and after the stellar Protector and Ringworld's Children, expectations were ramped up for A Gift from Earth. And this does start with a great setup: on a world where the only livable landmass is 40 miles up on a plateau, we find the colony of Mount Lookitthat. Not only do its inhabitants live on the edge of a steep death, but they are further burdened with a repressive society of haves and have-nots. The privileged 'Crew' can have any organ of the body transplanted except for the nervous system, promising themselves extended lifetimes. Organs are harvested from the 'Colonists' who must watch out for any transgression that may get them a death sentence at the organ banks. A diabolical scenario, for sure.
There is only one path for the colonists, and they are moved on this path by the arrival of a gift from earth. Thus, we have another complex concept book from Niven.
Gift ought to be a tale of anger and reprisal, a revolution brewing and exploding, Anthem with real passion, but instead the author chooses to follow the adventures of Matthew Keller. To be sure, Keller has something unique that makes him an interesting character. But in the background I expected true angst, lives wrecked by repression, a passionate insurgency rather than an intellectual, logical one. I kept looking for this even after the last page.
A rational book for an irrational social order. Keeping my rating of 3 stars.
Present Books In Pursuance Of A Gift from Earth (Known Space)
| Original Title: | A Gift from Earth |
| ISBN: | 0345350510 (ISBN13: 9780345350510) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Known Space |
| Characters: | Matthew Keller |
Rating About Books A Gift from Earth (Known Space)
Ratings: 3.84 From 3151 Users | 75 ReviewsDiscuss About Books A Gift from Earth (Known Space)
This is one of Niven's earliest books, but still an interesting read bearing in mind it's extrapolating from mid-1960's beliefs and assumptions. It's a scientific and political exploration set in the framework of his Known Space series, and while the characterization may be a bit on the weak side the plot throws out a stream of challenges and postulations that more than make up for any other shortcomings. (Mt. Lookitthat was always one of my favorite settings.)I enjoyed this. I read this after reading Ringworld. It didn't go where I expected it to, but it was still a fun story.
For some reason I have so far found two copies of this book in my shelves and boxes of books. I am unsure why I never read this back when I was reading all that Larry Niven wrote. The story starts strong, lots of world building and backstory in this book, but it kind of peters out in the end. Frankly, the story did not age well. Story points such as that before sending the colony ship to this world there was only one probe dispatched to examine the system / world. No one in this day and age
I was initially inclined to dock this book one star for its reliance on parapsychology. The plot here leans very heavily on the protagonist's psychic powers (specifically, a type of telekinesis) which acts as the book's perpetuum mobile. Matt Keller's psychic powers are so fundamental to this story that without them there would be no story to speak of. But then I realized that when this book was written -- during the late 1960s -- the jury was still out on the legitimacy of parapsychological
If you are a fan of sci-fi, especially stories of colonization in space, I believe that you'll enjoy this book! Most of the time with Larry Niven, I find myself pacing back to re-read a page or section, as his way of writing dialogue can be a little confusing at times. All in all, a short and interesting read!
If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review.Known Space: "A Gift from Earth" by Larry Niven(Original Review, 1980-09-08)Oof! a very palpable hit! --- although I would offer that the fault is more in the condensation of several months' lengthy discussions of nearly four years ago than of a sexist bias. I think I misquoted one of the arguments proffered by someone who was at the time raising a 5-year-old;
Niven, Larry. A Gift from Earth. Del Rey, 1984.Nivens Known Space series is always fun and can be morphed into any number of genres and keep several balls in the air at the same time. Gift begins with the question of what would happen if a tyrannical society that uses organ harvesting as a form of punishment suddenly received disruptive technology that made organ harvesting obsolete. To this it adds the question of what happens if you put a man with the power to render himself virtually
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