Authors: Larry Niven
“Pournelle and Niven provide a full quota of invention, speculation, and adventure. Their characters leap vibrantly off the page.”
âRealms of Fantasy
“Another absorbing book from [Niven and Pournelle]â¦bodes well for yet more of the collaborations.”
âBooklist
“Niven and Pournelle are in fine formâ¦.”
âLocus
“Vivid and unusual.”
âKirkus Reviews
Larry Niven
TALES OF KNOWN SPACE
THE INTEGRAL TREES
WORLD OF PTAVVS
RINGWORLD
PROTECTOR
THE SMOKE RING
N-SPACE
PLAYGROUNDS OF THE MIND
CRASHLANDER
FLATLANDER
THE RINGWORLD THRONE
DESTINY'S ROAD
RAINBOW MARS
Jerry Pournelle
JANISSARIES
HIGH JUSTICE
KING DAVID'S SPACESHIP
EXILES TO GLORY
RED HEROIN
PRINCE OF MERCENARIES
FALKENBERG'S LEGION
STARSWARM
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
INFERNO
OATH OF FEALTY
THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE
LUCIFER'S HAMMER
FOOTFALL
THE GRIPPING HAND
THE BURNING CITY
BURNING TOWER
Larry Niven & Steven Barnes
DREAM PARK
THE BARSOOM PROJECT
THE CALIFORNIA VOODOO GAME
DESCENT OF ANANSI
ACHILLES' CHOICE
SATURN'S RACE
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Steven Barnes
LEGACY OF HEOROT
BEOWULF'S CHILDREN
Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Michael Flynn
FALLEN ANGELS
Jerry Pournelle & Roland Green
TRAN
Jerry Pournelle & S. M. Stirling
GO TELL THE SPARTANS
PRINCE OF SPARTA
Jerry Pournelle & Charles Sheffield
HIGHER EDUCATION
POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2005 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Originally published in hardcover in 2005 by Pocket Books
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-4871-3
ISBN-10: 1-4165-4871-8
POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Maps by Paul Pugliese
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For Roberta and Marilyn
L
ORD
R
EGAPISK
: Sandry's cousin, assigned to Fire Watch
L
ORD
S
ANDRY
: Chief of the Fire Watch
P
EACEVOICE
F
ULLERMAN
: Lordsman assigned to Fire Watch
Y
ANGIN
-A
TEP
: the fire god, now gone mythical
S
TRAFREERIT
: a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk
W
ANSHIG
: Lordkin chieftain, “Lord” of Serpent's Walk, and brother of Whandall Feathersnake
L
ORD
W
ITNESS
Q
IRAMA
: a judge
G
LEGRON
: Lordkin Fireman killed by fire
B
ONWESS
: Chieftain of the band of Lordkin called Bull Pizzles
S
HANDA
: Sandry's aunt, First Lady of Lordshills
R
ONI
: Shanda's daughter
Q
UINTANA
: Lord Chief Witness of Lordshills, Lord's Town, and Tep's Town
C
HALKER
: Sandry's valet, a retired Peacevoice of the Lordsmen
Y
OUNGLORD
M
AYDREO
: an officer cadet
T
ORONEXTI
: a Lordkin band; formerly tax collectors
B
ORDERMASTER
(once M
ASTER
P
EACEVOICE)
W
ATERMAN
: Lordsman
D
IBANTOT
Lordkin of Serpent's Walk, guardian of the Fire Sale Inn
L
ORDSMAN
Y
ILER
: spearman
S
ECKLERS
: a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk
E
GMATEL THE
S
AGE
: a Wizard hired by the Lords Witness
W
ALE
: apprentice to the Sage Egmatel
L
ADY
W
HALANI
: Lord Sandry's mother
H
ENRY
: a Lordsman guard
B
URNING
T
OWER OF
B
ISON
T
RIBE
: daughter of Whandall Feathersnake and Willow
G
REEN
S
TONE
: wagonmaster of the lesser Feathersnake Bison Tribe wagon train; younger son of Whandall Feathersnake and Willow; Burning Tower's older brother
N
OTHING
W
AS
S
EEN
(L
URK
): a bandit's child now adopted into Bison Tribe and a scout in the Feathersnake wagon train
T
WISTED
C
LOUD OF
B
ISON
T
RIBE
: wagon train shaman; daughter of Hickamore, deceased, once shaman of the Bison Tribe wagon train
C
LEVER
S
QUIRREL
(S
QUIRRELY
): daughter of Twisted Cloud and the god Coyote
M
OUSE
W
ARRIOR OF
B
ISON
T
RIBE
: A wagon train guard officer
W
HANDALL
F
EATHERSNAKE
: master trader; born a Lordkin in Tep's Town, now a merchant prince of Bison Tribe; owner of the wagon train
W
ILLOW
F
EATHERSNAKE
: born a kinless of Tep's Town, now Whandall's wife and mother of Green Stone and Burning Tower
W
HEEREEZZ
: a mer wizard schoolmaster
C
ONAL
: a wizard of Avalon
M
ORTH OF
A
TLANTIS
: Atlantean wizard; refugee, formerly of Tep's Town and now resident in Carlem Marcle, a sea town far north of Tep's Town
C
OYOTE
: a god
T
REBATY
, a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk
S
ECKLERS,
a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk
Y
OUNGLORD
M
AYDREO
Y
OUNGLORD
W
HANE
F
ALLEN
W
OLF
: of Bison Tribe
L
EFT
-H
ANDED
H
UMMINGBIRD
: a god
S
PIKE
: a one-horn born as a kinless pony
P
ERGAMMON
: Commodore of Condigeo
G
RANTON
: First Captain of Condigeo
P
EARL
, wife of First Captain Granton
G
RANDIN
: wife of Captain Wartin
L
ORD
W
ITNESS
Q
U'YUMA
: Lady Shanda's husband and Roni's father; ambassador from Lordshills to Condige
B
ETTING
M
ASTER
C
ALAFI:
of Bell's of Condigeo
T
RAS PREETROR
: a teller; onetime friend of Whandall Feathersnake
A
RSHUR THE
M
AGNIFICENT
: a Northern Barbarian
S
POTTED
L
IZARD OF THE
H
IGH
T
RAIL
: a guide
J
UNIOR
W
ARMAN
G
UNDRIN
of the Condigeo Marines: an officer cadet
L
ORDSMAN
B
ANE
S
AZIFF
: captain
T
HE
O
ARMASTER
F
ETHIWONG
and T
HE
G
HOST
: oarsmen
R
AILILIEE
: first mate
Z
EPHANS
M
ISHAGNOS
: an Atlantean wizard
B
UZZARD AT
P
LAY
: Mayor of Crescent City; onetime shaman of the Road Runner wagon train
F
UR
S
LIPPER
: a shaman
J
ADE
C
OIN
: a money changer
R
USER OF
L
OW
S
TREET
: a jeweler
E
RN
: Wagonmaster of the Road Runner wagon train
B
LACK
S
TONE
: proprietor of Black Stone Inn
L
AUGHING
R
OCK
: his daughter
G
REAT
M
ISTRESS
H
AZEL
S
KY
: Governor
C
APTAIN
S
AREG
: of the Imperial Guard
R
EGLY
: Chief of the Office of Imperial Gifts
T
HUNDERCLOUD
: Chief of the Office of Rain
J
ARAVISK
: Chief Apprentice in the Office of Rain
M
ANROOT
: an Imperial Officer
F
LENSEVAN THE
J
EWELER
: brother and partner of Ruser of Low Street
Archpriests:
C
OYOTE
R
OAD
R
UNNER
J
AGUAR
P
RIEST
M
ANY
N
AMES
L
EFT
-H
ANDED
H
UMMINGBIRD
B
IGHORN
S
HEEP
B
ISON
W
OMAN
M
AMMOTH
P
RAIRIE
D
OG
T
HE
E
MPEROR
: the Almighty one, Son of the Sun
L
ADY
A
NNALUN
: a talented courtesan
M
OUNTAIN
C
AT
: of Bison Tribe (resident at New Castle, present by sand painting)
D
OENTIVAR
: the Grandson of the Sun, heir to the Emperor
P
INK
R
ABBIT
: son of Flensevan
E
GRET
: the stronger son of Flensevan