A review by tome15
Flatlander by Larry Niven
5.0
Niven, Larry. Flatlander. Del Rey, 1995.
Flatlander brings together a group of Niven novellas featuring the somewhat psychic agent for ARM (Amalgamated Regional Militia), Gil the Arm. The stories are all classics of their kind and are must-reads for fans of science-fiction mystery mashups. For known-space newbies, a Flatlander is someone from Earth, which Gil is, though he managed to lose an arm in the asteroid belt. Many of the stories deal with the stealing of human organs for a burgeoning transplant industry and addiction to electronic implants that directly stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain. “Death by Ecstasy” is a good locked-room mystery with this theme. Of special interest in this edition is an essay in which Niven explains the difficulties of constructing stories that meet the often-conflicting demands of mystery plots and science fiction. Five stars for its narrow audience.
Flatlander brings together a group of Niven novellas featuring the somewhat psychic agent for ARM (Amalgamated Regional Militia), Gil the Arm. The stories are all classics of their kind and are must-reads for fans of science-fiction mystery mashups. For known-space newbies, a Flatlander is someone from Earth, which Gil is, though he managed to lose an arm in the asteroid belt. Many of the stories deal with the stealing of human organs for a burgeoning transplant industry and addiction to electronic implants that directly stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain. “Death by Ecstasy” is a good locked-room mystery with this theme. Of special interest in this edition is an essay in which Niven explains the difficulties of constructing stories that meet the often-conflicting demands of mystery plots and science fiction. Five stars for its narrow audience.