Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Del Rey (1985), Mass Market Paperback
Description
For a long time, the State used slower-than-light spacecraft to prepare star systems for colonization by Man. Normally the ramseeders traveled centuries-long circuits which began and ended at Earth. Normally the mixed crew of citizens and "corpsicle" convicts remained with their ship. Normally ultimate control of the mission was exercised by a built-in cyborg "adviser," the true despot of the tiny State microcosm that was the ship. But little happened normally when Discipline reached the double-star system of T3 and LeVoy's Star. There an immense doughnut-shaped gaseous envelope had formed around a neutron star-and a vast volume of that nearly-empty cloud was comfortably habitable to Man. Though it had very little usable land, the Smoke Ring had evolved a huge variety of free-fall life-forms, most of which were edible and all of which could fly.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member isabelx
Gavving was fourteen years old, as measured by passings of the sun behind Voy. He had never been above Quinn Tuft until now.
The trunk went straight up, straight out from Voy. It seemed to go out forever, a vast brown wall that narrowed to a cylinder, to a dark line with a gentle westward curve to
A cloud of brown-tinged green dropped away below him, spreading out into the main body of the tuft. Looking east, with the wind whipping his long hair forward, Gavving could see the branch emerging from its green sheath as a half-klomter of bare wood: a slender fin.
This is a hard science fiction book about humans living in the gas torus surrounding a neutron star, and the diagrams at the beginning of the book are a great help to the reader in visualising the setting. A decaying gas giant orbits the neutron star, creating the Smoke Ring, a region of the gas torus that has a high enough concentration of air, water and other chemicals to support life. Humans have only lived there for the past 500 years, but have adapted well to their new environments, although in most of the tribes it is only the Scientist who knows much about their space-faring past. The AI that controlled the ship they arrived in is still waiting outside the smoke ring, and worrying about what has become of the descendants of the crew.
The unique environment has both benefits and limitations for the people who live in the smoke ring, and it is no utopia. The original composition of the ship's crew has led some of the tribes to practise slavery, and in both cases where a woman is approached by a man with a view to marriage, she immediately finds herself someone she prefers and marries him the very same day, so it seems that refusing to marry someone just because you don't want to is unacceptable. Unlike the 'birds' and most other creatures that inhabit the smoke ring, the humans do not have wings so they cannot leave the trees to go hunting. and they now live in isolated groups, some in low-gravity environments on the tufts at the ends of huge trees, and others in free-fall amidst floating jungles of foliage. They eat leaves and fungus growing on the trees, grow some crops and catch passing 'birds' for meat, using harpoons and bows. The tree-dwellers have evolved to be much taller and thinner than standard humans, and the few people who are still born with the old body-shape are seen as dwarfs, while the jungle dweller are even more elongated due to living in free-fall.
As the story begins, things are going badly for the the Quinn Tuft tribe, as the Dalton-Quinn tree has been knocked out of the fertile central region of the smoke ring after passing too close to the planet Gold, and the Quinn Tuft tribe's Scientist believes that the tree is dying. A group of tribe members considered persona non grata by the tribe's Chairman is sent on an expedition along the tree in search of food and water and end up going much further than they ever expected.
I have read this book before, over 20 years ago, but although I remembered the unique setting, with the low gravity and the trees, I didn't remember the plot at all, although certain events rang faint bells with me during this re-read. I've ordered a copy of the sequel, and I hope it will be equally fascinating.
The trunk went straight up, straight out from Voy. It seemed to go out forever, a vast brown wall that narrowed to a cylinder, to a dark line with a gentle westward curve to
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it, to a point at infinity—and the point was tipped with green. The far tuft.A cloud of brown-tinged green dropped away below him, spreading out into the main body of the tuft. Looking east, with the wind whipping his long hair forward, Gavving could see the branch emerging from its green sheath as a half-klomter of bare wood: a slender fin.
This is a hard science fiction book about humans living in the gas torus surrounding a neutron star, and the diagrams at the beginning of the book are a great help to the reader in visualising the setting. A decaying gas giant orbits the neutron star, creating the Smoke Ring, a region of the gas torus that has a high enough concentration of air, water and other chemicals to support life. Humans have only lived there for the past 500 years, but have adapted well to their new environments, although in most of the tribes it is only the Scientist who knows much about their space-faring past. The AI that controlled the ship they arrived in is still waiting outside the smoke ring, and worrying about what has become of the descendants of the crew.
The unique environment has both benefits and limitations for the people who live in the smoke ring, and it is no utopia. The original composition of the ship's crew has led some of the tribes to practise slavery, and in both cases where a woman is approached by a man with a view to marriage, she immediately finds herself someone she prefers and marries him the very same day, so it seems that refusing to marry someone just because you don't want to is unacceptable. Unlike the 'birds' and most other creatures that inhabit the smoke ring, the humans do not have wings so they cannot leave the trees to go hunting. and they now live in isolated groups, some in low-gravity environments on the tufts at the ends of huge trees, and others in free-fall amidst floating jungles of foliage. They eat leaves and fungus growing on the trees, grow some crops and catch passing 'birds' for meat, using harpoons and bows. The tree-dwellers have evolved to be much taller and thinner than standard humans, and the few people who are still born with the old body-shape are seen as dwarfs, while the jungle dweller are even more elongated due to living in free-fall.
As the story begins, things are going badly for the the Quinn Tuft tribe, as the Dalton-Quinn tree has been knocked out of the fertile central region of the smoke ring after passing too close to the planet Gold, and the Quinn Tuft tribe's Scientist believes that the tree is dying. A group of tribe members considered persona non grata by the tribe's Chairman is sent on an expedition along the tree in search of food and water and end up going much further than they ever expected.
I have read this book before, over 20 years ago, but although I remembered the unique setting, with the low gravity and the trees, I didn't remember the plot at all, although certain events rang faint bells with me during this re-read. I've ordered a copy of the sequel, and I hope it will be equally fascinating.
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LibraryThing member kainlane
I must admit, I love this story. I have read it three times and I recently went through it again in audio format. Though as far as the audiobook, I could not stand the narrator! It was read by Pat Botino, who I think is the most dry sounding, worst acting (if there is any), terrible audiobook
The Integral Trees takes place in a gas planet with very low gravity. Within this gas, or smoke, ring floats giant trees, hence the name, to which descendants of humans live in the ends, or tufts, of the trees. Because of the low gravity, the people involved have become highly elongated and almost fragile in their body structure. The story starts with a group of people from a primitive colony embark on a journey to save their village from famine and drought. And what an adventure they have!
This is the only book by Larry Niven I have read, so I can't compare them to his other works. I have read that he is a fantastic world builder, and this is a prime example. I loved finding out new things that the people would discover and how they used centuries old technology for what has become a fairly primitive culture.
Some people say that the characters in this book are rather shallow, but I tend to disagree. They may not be the deepest characters I have ever read, but are by no means shallow. I enjoyed the thought processes of the different characters and how they acted. The things that set them apart came from what function they held within the tribe. The characters seemed quite real to me, especially in the case of their culture.
Overall, excellent book! As I said, this was the fourth time I went through this novel much to my delight. I have never read the sequel, The Smoke Ring, though I definitely have new plans to do so. I just hope it is as good as the first.
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narrator I have ever listened to. Granted, I haven't listened to many audiobooks, but I would definitely avoid anything else involving him.The Integral Trees takes place in a gas planet with very low gravity. Within this gas, or smoke, ring floats giant trees, hence the name, to which descendants of humans live in the ends, or tufts, of the trees. Because of the low gravity, the people involved have become highly elongated and almost fragile in their body structure. The story starts with a group of people from a primitive colony embark on a journey to save their village from famine and drought. And what an adventure they have!
This is the only book by Larry Niven I have read, so I can't compare them to his other works. I have read that he is a fantastic world builder, and this is a prime example. I loved finding out new things that the people would discover and how they used centuries old technology for what has become a fairly primitive culture.
Some people say that the characters in this book are rather shallow, but I tend to disagree. They may not be the deepest characters I have ever read, but are by no means shallow. I enjoyed the thought processes of the different characters and how they acted. The things that set them apart came from what function they held within the tribe. The characters seemed quite real to me, especially in the case of their culture.
Overall, excellent book! As I said, this was the fourth time I went through this novel much to my delight. I have never read the sequel, The Smoke Ring, though I definitely have new plans to do so. I just hope it is as good as the first.
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LibraryThing member HALLERAN1
This fits the universe of Known Space but isn't really part of it. Typical of Niven, it is a well thought out exploration of a new world. Character development and plot are very good, but also serve to lead one from place to place so one sees this world from a variety of angles. The science is
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excellent, characters memorable, and the whole concept makes me hope that some day we find such a thing...just to explore it. Show Less
LibraryThing member jclark88
One of my favorite childhood science fiction books. I still read it from time to time along with the sequel. It's a fantastic concept that really captures the imagination.
LibraryThing member Apollo11
I bought this book in hardback when first published and reread it recently for the fourth or fifth time. It's always enjoyable. There's just something about the idea of living a life in near freefall that is very appealing. I find the cover art (my favorite of ANY book) fascinating. The story and
I've always appreciated the work that Larry Niven puts in to get the physics correct before he goes any further.
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characters are fine but it's the "Smoke Ring" it'self that's the main character.I've always appreciated the work that Larry Niven puts in to get the physics correct before he goes any further.
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LibraryThing member lloannna
I enjoyed it, but I'm the kind of girl who is a little bit miffed that the aliens on Star Trek only speak in Klingon (that the viewer can hear) when they're deliberately cursing or otherwise trying to talk in Klingon - and the "universal translator" makes them speak in English 100% of the time that
Which is to say, if you are the kind of person whose responses to "it looks like an integral sign" and "go feed the tree" are laced with frustration and annoyance ("I didn't take Calculus!"; "Just say what you mean instead of making up clever in-world sayings, geez!") then you might be kind of more annoyed than thrilled with this book.
Also, if you're more interested in epic fantasy type stuff - "we cross the world in order to get rid of this ring because we were fated to do so and then the ring is gotten rid of and the world is saved even if we ourselves can never go home" - the lack of a strong sense of fate/destiny, the fact that most of the time the characters are primarily focused on immediate survival, the lack of clearly articulated global themes, etc., will probably be aggravating.
Honestly, I'm also the kind of girl who goes for the epic fantasy stuff, which is the big reason this isn't a 5-star book for me. I liked it, and it was well-executed for what it is, but like looking at a piece of Op Art, there's just a bit of me that's left weirdly cold at the end anyhow. Not Niven's fault; if you are a hard sci-fi addict you should absolutely read this one and I strongly suspect you'll love it. If you're more of a generalist or have noticed some stuff up above that may annoy you, I suggest you go for one of Niven's later works, or cowritten novels, to get a taste of Niven that you'll really enjoy.
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it's not a plot point.Which is to say, if you are the kind of person whose responses to "it looks like an integral sign" and "go feed the tree" are laced with frustration and annoyance ("I didn't take Calculus!"; "Just say what you mean instead of making up clever in-world sayings, geez!") then you might be kind of more annoyed than thrilled with this book.
Also, if you're more interested in epic fantasy type stuff - "we cross the world in order to get rid of this ring because we were fated to do so and then the ring is gotten rid of and the world is saved even if we ourselves can never go home" - the lack of a strong sense of fate/destiny, the fact that most of the time the characters are primarily focused on immediate survival, the lack of clearly articulated global themes, etc., will probably be aggravating.
Honestly, I'm also the kind of girl who goes for the epic fantasy stuff, which is the big reason this isn't a 5-star book for me. I liked it, and it was well-executed for what it is, but like looking at a piece of Op Art, there's just a bit of me that's left weirdly cold at the end anyhow. Not Niven's fault; if you are a hard sci-fi addict you should absolutely read this one and I strongly suspect you'll love it. If you're more of a generalist or have noticed some stuff up above that may annoy you, I suggest you go for one of Niven's later works, or cowritten novels, to get a taste of Niven that you'll really enjoy.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
A fun little story about a world with without real gravity, just centripetal force holding people to objects as the object revolves. The story is solid - with an interesting premise, and interesting ecology. The enemy in the story seems a bit... tacked on. I liked that the story included both men
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and women as interesting characters, although generally, the story is male dominated. Also, some of the ugliness of this world was glossed over. Over all, a good story, with good characterization, set in a world not much explored. Show Less
LibraryThing member DLMorrese
This is a story of humans colonizing huge orbiting trees - an interesting and imaginative setting. But that is about all this has. The setting gets 5 stars for imagination but the story, well, that's something else. The characters are poorly developed and uninspiring and a cohesive plot never seems
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to develop. I didn't find myself caring about what happened to any of them and the interesting premise wasn't interesting enough to compensate for that. Show Less
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Listened to this 7+45 hour book for an hour and a half; it never really gelled in my mind and I had better things to do then listen to "Charlie Brown's teacher." Put this one in the category of "did not finish." While the teaser held promise, it never developed. One must either be a die hard Niven
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fan or a dedicated sci fi nut to complete this book. I imagine that I'll look askance at Niven books after this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
Another masterpiece of inventing a new world from Niven. In a gaseous ring surrounding a neutron star there exists free fall life forms which provide all the comforts humans could want. So the crew of the star ship Discipline mutiny and flee the ship leaving behind only one sentient being. Sharls
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Davis Kendy is a cyborg and so he is able to wait five centuries to track down the mutineers' descendants. Show Less
LibraryThing member petrojoh
Incredible imagination
LibraryThing member Karlstar
Another unique world created by Larry Niven. This time the world is an orbiting cloud 'world', with very little land, mostly enormous trees, hence the name. A fascinating book about an entirely different type of habitat.
Subjects
Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1985)
Nebula Award (Nominee — Novel — 1984)
Locus Award (Finalist — Science Fiction Novel — 1985)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1984-03
Physical description
272 p.; 17.2 cm
ISBN
0345320654 / 9780345320650
Local notes
Omslag: Michael Whelan
Omslaget viser en person, der opholder sig i gasskyen omkring en neutronstjerne under jordlignende forhold, men selvfølgelig uden tyngdekraft
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Bogen er dedikeret til Robert Forward
Omslaget viser en person, der opholder sig i gasskyen omkring en neutronstjerne under jordlignende forhold, men selvfølgelig uden tyngdekraft
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Bogen er dedikeret til Robert Forward
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Pages
272
DDC/MDS
| 813.54 |