Larry Niven is best known for his Ringworld series, but that science fiction universe is far larger, including dozens of short stories and more from multiple authors writing in Niven’s universe.
Whats on the Known Space Reading Order?
Known Space consists of several series by Larry Niven that he stitched together into one cohesive universe. One of those series, Man-Kzin Wars, is a collection of short stories written by various authors, and compiled/edited by Larry Niven. The end of the Man-Kzin Wars also includes the book Treasure Planet, which is a modernized version of Treasure Island, and was itself adapted as an animated film by Disney.
So here is the comprehensive Known Space reading order. Let us know if you see anything that needs changing, adding, or otherwise modified. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy. If you do, be sure to check out some of our other timelines, such as Asimov’s Foundation Universe.
Where to Start?
While you could start with the Man-Kzin Wars, one of the better places to start is with the original Ringworld. It’s the one that got all of this started, even though there are multiple entry points.
#
Amazon
Name
Media
Author/Director
Series
Date
Notes
1
Ringworld
Novel
Larry Niven
Ringworld
1970-10-01
2
The Ringworld Engineers
Novel
Larry Niven
Ringworld
1980-01-01
4 parts
3
The Ringworld Throne
Novel
Larry Niven
Ringworld
1996-01-01
4
Ringworld's Children
Novel
Larry Niven
Ringworld
2004-01-01
5
The Coldest Place
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1964-12-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
6
World of Ptavvs
Novel
Larry Niven
Known Space
1966-01-01
7
Becalmed in Hell
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1973-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
8
Eye of an Octopus
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1966-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
9
The Warriors
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1966-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
10
How the Heroes Die
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1973-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
11
Neutron Star
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1966-10-01
Collected in Neutron Star
12
At the Core
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1966-11-01
Collected in Neutron Star
13
At the Bottom of a Hole
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1973-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
14
A Relic of the Empire
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1966-01-01
Collected in Neutron Star
15
The Jigsaw Man
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
16
The Handicapped
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-12-01
Collected in Neutron Star
17
The Soft Weapon
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-02-01
Collected in Neutron Star
18
Flatlander
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-03-01
Collected in Neutron Star
19
The Ethics of Madness
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-01-01
Collected in Neutron Star
20
Safe at Any Speed
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
21
The Adults
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1967-01-01
22
Wait it Out
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1968-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
23
Grendel
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1968-01-01
Collected in Neutron Star
24
The Deceivers
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1968-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
25
Tere is a Tide
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1968-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
26
A Gift from Earth
Novel
Larry Niven
Known Space
1968-01-01
3 parts
27
Cloak of Anarchy
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1972-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
28
Protector
Novel
Larry Niven
Known Space
1974-01-01
29
The Borderland of Sol
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1975-01-01
Collected in Tales of Known Space
30
Procrustes
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1994-01-01
Collected in Crashlander
31
Ghost
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1994-01-01
Collected in Crashlander
32
Death by Ecstasy
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1969-01-01
Collected in Flatlander
33
The Defenseless Dead
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1973-01-01
Collected in Flatlander
34
ARM
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1975-01-01
Collected in Flatlander
35
The Patchword Girl
Novel
Larry Niven
Known Space
1980-01-01
Collected in Flatlander
36
The Woman in Del Rey Crater
Short Story
Larry Niven
Known Space
1995-01-01
Collected in Flatlander
37
The Man-Kzin Wars
Anthology
Larry Niven
Man-Kzin Wars
1988-01-01
The Man-Kzin Wars are a series of short stories collected into several anthologies. They are roughly in order, so they are presented here as anthologies, not individual short stories.