Down In Flames (Was Re: Jill Tarter kicks Stephen Hawking's ass)

In article <p04ds75q11bkibd6rs9uo6gsm5jfpst3cj@xxxxxxx>,
Jaimie Vandenbergh <jaimie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Wed, 30 May 2012 13:39:00 -0700, Don Bruder <dakidd@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

Maybe Down In Flames? But then it would be the tnuctipin(sp).

Purely by coincidence, I just discovered/read that one - day before
yesterday, as a matter of fact.

Based on both the text itself, and material that was posted along with
it, I gotta say "No".

Larry's own commentary on it boils down to "Down In Flames has not been,
is not, and almost certainly never will be canonical." He goes on to say
that it was a thought experiment on how to utterly destroy the Known
Space setting in an entirely self-consistent way should he decide that
it was time for it to be permanently shut down for one reason or
another. A sort of "kill switch" for the setting.

I can't find my copy, so would you remind me: After the thought
experoment of _Down in Flames_, he instead continued on and wrote
_Ringworld_, is that right?

Apparently. I only discovered Down In Flames for the first time two days
ago, and beyond the fact that it exists, and what I've said about it
here, don't know much about it. See for yourself:
<http://www.larryniven.net/stories/downinflames.shtml> (Looking there, I
see that it shows a copyright of 1977, and in the discussion Larry
gives, it apparently came together in 1968. But instead of bothering to
retype what Larry has to say, I'll let you go look at it for yourself.)

Oh, and Wayne: I was thinking this afternoon after my previous post, and
I think I now know where you got the "blowing up suns in a war" thing -
I can't remember which one it was for sure, although I'm wanting to say
"King David's Spaceship" - but I'm fairly certain that it was something
that happened in Pournelle's "Co-dominion" universe. I recall a chunk
that spoke of bringing "outies" back into the empire by simply dropping
an asteroid or some such into a sun to cause a flare, then waiting for
the flare to die down and moving in on the surviving "rebels".

Since Larry and Jerry have done several projects together, (Including
sharing the Co-dominion for "Mote In God's Eye" and "Gripping Hand")
and, at least to me, work together fairly seamlessly, I don't have any
real trouble imagining someone conflating separate events in the
Co-dominion and Known Space universes (Universi?).

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Down In Flames (Was Re: Jill Tarter kicks Stephen Hawkings ass)
    ... that it was a thought experiment on how to utterly destroy the Known ... I only discovered Down In Flames for the first time two days ... retype what Larry has to say, I'll let you go look at it for yourself.) ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: Jill Tarter kicks Stephen Hawkings ass
    ... I just discovered/read that one - day before ... as a matter of fact. ... Larry's own commentary on it boils down to "Down In Flames has not been, ... Space setting in an entirely self-consistent way should he decide that ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: Down In Flames (Was Re: Jill Tarter kicks Stephen Hawkings ass)
    ... Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote: ... experoment of _Down in Flames_, he instead continued on and wrote ... _Ringworld_, is that right? ... retype what Larry has to say, I'll let you go look at it for yourself.) ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)