Just a quick note to let you know that Larry Niven has graciously agreed to be the author Guest Of Honor for our upcoming convention, SheVaCon 17.  It will be held at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood, Roanoke, Virginia.  The dates are Feb. 27-March 1, 2009.  Further info can be found at our web site:  www.shevacon.org

Thanks!

-Keith Stanley
(co-Chair)

Discussion regarding the book (although not many details) can be found in the April 2008 Niven chat log.

* * * * *

Aldo Spadoni participated in April's monthly Niven chat, and gave us some details about the "Larry Niven's Free Fall" video game project. He said "I’m designing the spacecraft and much of the technology. Even dolphin spacesuits!" Aldo also reported "We are in selling mode and have to close a deal with a game publisher. There is definitely interest." He added "I’m guessing we’ll have a pretty good idea if it will sell before this fall."

The entire Q&A session can be seen at Paradoxically by Paradox Olbers, a website run by long-time Niven fan Spike MacPhee.

Larry Niven will appearing as Guest of Honour at SiliCon 2008, October 3-5, at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose.

Keep checking in at the SiliCon 2008 site for more information as it becomes available.

Thanks to Matthew Joseph Harrington for this information. 

Larry announced in a chat in February, 2008 that he and Edward M. Lerner are discussing plans for a third novel. If they go forward with this,
it may be, at least in part, a sequel to Protector.

Larry Niven is creating an original game background and writing the script for a game console entry from Alchemic Productions entitled "Larry Niven's Free Fall". It is set in the Solar System, and involves interplanetary travel. Larry says the movements of spacecraft, orbital trajectories, and all other scientific aspects of the game are entirely realistic, except for use of artificial gravity.

Also involved in the project is artist Aldo Spadoni, president of Aerospace Imagineering, whose paintings of spacecraft from some of Larry Niven's stories can be found at The Niven Project page at the Incompleat Known Space Concordance.

Larry says the project is still in development, and is not certain it will be completed and published.

More info can be found here.

Next month Larry Niven is due to arrive for a week's visit to Israel, where he will be GoH and keynote speaker at a conference on fantasy and science fiction at Bar Ilan University on March 18-19, then attend a mini-con with members of the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy hosted by the Weizmann Institute of Science, on March 20.

Sites for these cons (both in Hebrew): www.biu.ac.il/HU/events.html, www.k-space.sf-f.org.il

For the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy,

Emanuel Lottem

Phone (+9723) 6966045 Fax (+9723) 6960858

Frank Gasperik passed away on May 3rd.

Many readers of Larry Niven dot Org knew or have met Frank. He was a musician, filker, frequent con attendee and performer, and the character basis for Harry Reddington in Footfall and Fallen Angels, and a dear friend of mine.

Those of us who knew and miss Frank Gasperik will be meeting in the #knownspace IRC Chatroom on Memorial Day at noon California time for a Memorial Chat, Virtual Wake.

The easiest way to get there is through the JAVA site from "Known Space: The Future Worlds of Larry Niven" web site: www.larryniven.org/java/index.shtml

Frank was instrumental in getting us this IRC Chatroom, and a gem in reminding people to show up for our regular chats. He could be found there looking for a conversation almost any evening.

Frank also has a website, with various of his writings, and a precious few of his filk performances at http://www.larryniven.org/frank.shtml.