[net.sf-lovers] Slower than light space travel

KFL@MIT-MC.ARPA (09/22/85)

From: Keith F. Lynch <KFL@MIT-MC.ARPA>

    From: iddic!dorettas@topaz.rutgers.edu (Doretta Schrock)
    Date: 17 Sep 85 22:39:57 GMT

    Can anyone give me (no deluges or flames, please) title(s) of SF
    coming from the assumption that there is *no* way around the speed
    of light (i.e., no hyperspace, LucasDrive [the drive that allows you
    to go anywhere in the Universe in 20 minutes], etc.).

  Well, most of the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Gregory Benford, Lee
Correy (aka G. Harry Stine), Alexis Gillilan, Jerry Pournelle, Charles
Sheffield, John Varley, and James White concern space travel in the
relatively near future and as such do not involve FTL (faster
than light travel).
  I am someone bothered by the rarity of non-FTL interstellar travel
stories.  Especially since I strongly believe in the possibility of,
and importance of, interstellar flight but not in FTL.
  My favorite non-FTL interstellar epic is the trilogy _Young_Rissa_,
_Rissa_and_Tregare_, and _The_Long_View_ by F.M. Busby (does anyone
know of anything else by this author?)  (Is this a pseudonym for
Robert Heinlein?  Very similar style.)  (Actually, they do invent FTL
near the end of the last book, but it is not important to the plot.)
  Also, _Tau_Zero_ by Poul Anderson, which is an a class of its own.
  Actually, I can't think of any others, except _Universe_ by Robert
Heinlein.  But that is part of his future history, which later includes
FTL.
  Can anyone think of any others?
								...Keith

phil@rice.ARPA (09/27/85)

From: William LeFebvre <phil@rice.ARPA>

> From: iddic!dorettas@topaz.rutgers.edu (Doretta Schrock)
> Can anyone give me (no deluges or flames, please) title(s) of SF
> coming from the assumption that there is *no* way around the speed
> of light...

> Keith F. Lynch <KFL@MIT-MC.ARPA>
>  Can anyone think of any others?

How about _A_Gift_From_Earth_ by Niven?  And other related stories?  A
good portion of Niven's Known Space takes place before FTL was
"discovered".  Most of them are short stories.  But the whole concept
of Ramscoop robots and colony ships is based on non-FTL travel.  I
could rattle off a bunch of names, but my Niven collection is at home,
and besides, I'm sure everyone gets the idea.

			William LeFebvre
			Department of Computer Science
			Rice University
			<phil@Rice.arpa>
                        or, for the daring: <phil@Rice.edu>

oleg@birtch.UUCP (Oleg Kiselev x258) (10/01/85)

Niven had several short stories and novels in Known Space series with
under-FTL speed space travel ( before the Outsider contact - see "Known
Space of Larry Niven" for chronology). I can remember "Protector" , "World of Ptavvs" (sp?) and "Gift from Earth" ...

Also both Nivens's State novels ( " A World Out Of Time" and "Integral Trees").