Sci-Fi Storm Product Display

	Man-Kzin Wars XII
	Release Date:
	Amazon Price: Not currently available - see Amazon Merchants Sales Rank: 862891
	Lowest Prices from Amazon Merchants: New $224.46 Used $32.00

Average Customer Rating:

(7 reviews)

Reviews from Amazon customers:

Review by: Brian L. Hostetler, Seattle, WA United States
Rating:

Series is gasping for life
Not much of the Kzin/Man wars in this book, but rather more stories with "domesticated" Kzin working with or showing admiration for humans. The first story, "Echoes of Distant Guns" by Harrington gives a brief story about the Pierin (The Smart) and a two other small pieces. Nothing terribly exciting, unfortunately, just short story concepts that never got off the ground. The longest story, written by Harrington and Colebatch is about Earth Roman Legionnaires captured by Jotoki two thousand years ago and used to battle the Kzinti. That concept is stretch, but the story still just barely works. The "wacky" ARM agent was a needless distraction. "String" provides more "tamed" Kzin with some laughs. The story provided some tension early on (the imagery of moving through a Kzin ship was nice), but after introducing several Kzin that breezily exchanged conversation with the humans, the story lost its edge and quickly descended into a comedy. "Peace and Freedom"... I had to read the story twice to make sure I caught all the transitions. Unlike Niven's past works, where he would repeat history to bring the reader up to speed (and occasionally adding something new), this story jumped right in and left me struggling to keep track, make sense and remember. Several characters from past works were introduced or mentioned and I had to think about their history more than Niven would have allowed. And again, here we are reading a story in the far future where the characters wallow in late 20th century media and nostalgia. Still, it was a good story with some minor action. "Independent" was a good story, providing a similar feel to Niven's writing style and mood from the original series written in the 60s/70s. To sum up, there is less action in the series these days and more focus on the "domesticated" Kzin interacting with humans. I suppose the Known Space series has always had that human centric feel, combined with a bit of pro-human swagger, but it's too obvious in these stories. Perhaps the series has run out of gas and should be laid to rest?

Review by: R. Stocum, Indianapolis, IN
Rating:

Man-Kzin Wars 12
Outstanding continuations of stories in the Known Space series Man-Kzin Wars. Niven is a genius writer in his own right, but even more a genius to allow these genius writers to contribute to one of his creations. Good Stuff!

Review by: Joy V. Smith, Lakeland, FL United States
Rating:

My favorite story: Aquila Advenio
I've been reading the Man-Kzin Wars series for a long time. The series was created by Larry Niven, but different authors have joined in. In Man-Kzin Wars XII (Baen, 2009), the stories are by Matthew Joseph Harrington, Hal Colebatch, and Paul Chafe. There are six stories... My favorite by far is Aquila Advenio by Colebatch & Harrington; a Kzin and a human have teamed up and are lots of fun! (In case you didn't know, the Kzins started attacking, enslaving, and eating humans a long time ago. Now things are different--depending on where you are...) String is also good; it focuses on a Kzin telepath--usually an unhappy Kzin... Note: This seems to be the story titled Foreign Legion by other reviewers. I presume there was a change in one printing...

Review by: Morphie, USA
Rating:

Haphazard and inconsistent....
I have been an admirer and fan of Larry Niven since the days of "Ringworld" and "Neutron Star"; His plot lines were of good quality, but it was the character development (Puppeteers, Kzin, Louis, Beowulf, etc.) that always distinguished the novels and short stories. Sadly, his legacy is being diluted. While I certainly respect the opinions of other reviewers, I must strongly disagree with the critiques. I find the writing in "Echoes...." and other installments to be somewhat amateurish and disjointed. Plot lines are, at times, incomprehensible. Indeed, there are some entertaining sections, but they are few and far between. "String" does provide a worthwhile diversion with slapstick humor. However, that is the exception. My sense is (and I am certain this is not an original observation) that the use and/or enabling of various authors has altered a classic genre. Everyone seems intent upon placing their own interpretation upon the Hero/Kzin culture. Sadly, this has caused a diminution in both quality and internal consistency. Even Puppeteers, in other works, have become Neo-Nazi's. This is but one reader's opinion. My suggestion is for the legion of Niven fans to make up their own, collective, minds. However, I would wait for the used book prices to drop; this volume is not worth the retail price.

Review by: W Boudville, Terra, Sol 3
Rating:

abducted human soldiers
The book holds together a set of short stories spanning some 500 years of Man-Kzin interactions [mostly hostile]. The first set of stories has intriguing snippets, and they are only snippets, of the early encounters. One alien race, that I think has not been mentioned before in this series, is introduced, as a human ally. They perhaps can influence kzin to sabotage kzin ships. Nothing much really happens in this wise. Maybe a placeholder for later tales? Of the other stories, the most interesting is a variant on the classic theme of alien abduction of human soldiers, to fight for the aliens. As in Pournelle's Janissaries. Or, and closer to the point here, Roman legionnaires in Drake's Ranks of Bronze. The current story by Colebatch et al is a well put together twist. Longtime readers of the series be aware that there is nothing here of a major event or war. The first books mapped out a set of wars. This book is more along the lines of filler. The action scenes are somewhat disappointing, both in terms of space-based or terrestial combat. Maybe S M Stirling can be induced to revisit this series!