mwm@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA (02/10/85)
>Overall, I enjoyed it, but there was a lack of characterization; it seems to >me that this is a general problem with Niven's more recent work. Niven's >most memorable characters, to me, are still Gil Hamilton and Louis Wu. What? Bewulf Shaeffer - hero of "Neutron Star" (a.k.a "There is a Tide") (which you mentioned), first man to know that the center of the Galaxy has exploded, one of the only two men to have visited an anti-matter solar system (and collect on the failure of a GP hull!), one of the few humans to be featured in a kdatlyno touch-sculpture, and father of Louis Wu doesn't make the list? <mike
derek@uwvax.UUCP (Derek Zahn) (02/11/85)
> Beowulf Shaeffer ... father of Louis Wu ...
Well, not biological father. But say, if Bey was the "father" of Louis
(as I had always presumed), there is a passage that confuses me. In
the beginning of Ringworld they spend a great deal of time discussing
the Long Shot, and its previous flight. It seems strange to me that
Louis didn't know it was his own father that had made that flight (I
think his name is even mentioned somewhere, but I couldn't find it).
Also, we know how Louis ends his life (more or less), but what ultimately
becomes of Beowulf Shaeffer? He is by far my favorite Niven character,
and I feel somewhat cheated not knowing what happens to him.
derek
--
Derek Zahn @ wisconsin
...!{allegra,heurikon,ihnp4,seismo,sfwin,ucbvax,uwm-evax}!uwvax!derek
derek@wisc-rsch.arpastudent@nmtvax.UUCP (02/11/85)
In article <551@topaz> mwm@ucbtopaz.UUCP (Praiser of Bob) writes: >What? Bewulf Shaeffer - hero of "Neutron Star" (a.k.a "There is a Tide") >... >... , and father of Louis Wu doesn't >make the list? Carlos Wu was the biological father of Louis Wu with Sharrol Janse the mother. Bewulf was the foster father. Sincerely; Greg Hennessy ..ucbvax!unmvax!nmtvax!student
jsc@ucbvax.ARPA (James Carrington) (02/13/85)
> > Beowulf Shaeffer ... father of Louis Wu ... > > Well, not biological father. But say, if Bey was the "father" of Louis > (as I had always presumed), there is a passage that confuses me. In > the beginning of Ringworld they spend a great deal of time discussing > the Long Shot, and its previous flight. It seems strange to me that > Louis didn't know it was his own father that had made that flight (I > think his name is even mentioned somewhere, but I couldn't find it). Remember, Beowulf was not permitted to have children by earth law (because he was an albino). I guess he was never able to tell Louis... > > Also, we know how Louis ends his life (more or less), but what ultimately > becomes of Beowulf Shaeffer? He is by far my favorite Niven character, > and I feel somewhat cheated not knowing what happens to him. You never know, niven may be planning more stories... I sure hope so... -- James Steven Carrington jsc@berkeley.arpa ucbvax!jsc
mwm@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA (02/14/85)
>> > Beowulf Shaeffer ... father of Louis Wu ... >> Well, not biological father. Correct, but... >> [Query as to why Louis doesn't know about the first flight of the Long >> Shot from his father.] >Remember, Beowulf was not permitted to have children by earth law >(because he was an albino). I guess he was never able to tell Louis... Bey was on his way back to Earth to see his wife & son again, and Carlos (Louis' biological father) had left Earth. I think Louis would have know who his father was. Chalk it up to the stasis box effect, and let it go at that. [Sorry, but I can't resist: "Will Louis find out who his father is? Will Bey make it back to Earth? Will Elephant get his wish? Who will mother Carlos' next child? For the answer to these and other questions, tune in next week to 'As Known Space Churns.'" :-] >> Also, we know how Louis ends his life (more or less), but what ultimately >> becomes of Beowulf Shaeffer? He is by far my favorite Niven character, >> and I feel somewhat cheated not knowing what happens to him. >You never know, niven may be planning more stories... I sure hope so... Yes, but writing about how a character drops out of things doesn't mean Niven has to quit writing stories about the character. After all, all we know about the 200 years of Louis Wu's life before 'Ringworld' is 'There is a Tide' isn't it? So there's lots of Louis Wu stories still to be written. Contrary to what I said earlier, 'There is a Tide' is *not* the same as 'Neutron Star'. Now, didn't 'Neutron Star' appear under another title, and *what was it*? <mike
friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen) (02/18/85)
In article <4772@ucbvax.ARPA> jsc@ucbvax.ARPA (James Carrington) writes: >> >> Also, we know how Louis ends his life (more or less), but what ultimately >> becomes of Beowulf Shaeffer? He is by far my favorite Niven character, >> and I feel somewhat cheated not knowing what happens to him. > >You never know, niven may be planning more stories... I sure hope so... > > No, he is not(at least presently), he has stated that he is done with the "Tales of Known Space" universe, since it is now too difficult to maintain consistancy over so many stories. -- Sarima (Stanley Friesen) {trwrb|allegra|cbosgd|hplabs|ihnp4|aero!uscvax!akgua}!sdcrdcf!psivax!friesen or quad1!psivax!friesen
davidl@orca.UUCP (David Levine) (02/18/85)
Actually, despite the overwhelming evidence that Louis Wu is the son of Beowulf
Shaeffer (well, biologically his father must be Carlos Wu), Niven is adamant
that Louis Wu has never even heard of Bey. (See "Ringworld.") I can't even
speculate why Niven decided to do it that way, but he IS the author, after
all...
I suppose that if, in Known Space, one takes the name of one's biological
father rather than the man one's mother is married to, there must be
thousands of Wus knocking around by the time of "Ringworld." Carlos Wu
had an UNLIMITED Birthright License.
Bonus trivia question: We all know who Beowulf Shaeffer is. What Niven
characters had middle names Launcelot and Gilgamesh? (Answers rot13 after
my signature.)
David D. Levine (...decvax!tektronix!orca!davidl) [UUCP]
(orca!davidl.tektronix@csnet-relay.csnet) [ARPA]
Answers: Yhpnf Ynhaprybg Tneare naq Tvyoreg Tvytnzrfu Unzvygba.@RUTGERS.ARPA:boyajian%akov68.DEC@decwrl.ARPA (02/19/85)
From: boyajian%akov68.DEC@decwrl.ARPA > From: ucbtopaz!mwm > Contrary to what I said earlier, 'There is a Tide' is *not* the same as > 'Neutron Star'. Now, didn't 'Neutron Star' appear under another title, > and *what was it*? No, to my knowledge, "Neutron Star" has *never* appeared under any other title. --- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, Maynard, MA) UUCP: {decvax|ihnp4|allegra|ucbvax|...} !decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-akov68!boyajian ARPA: boyajian%akov68.DEC@DECWRL.ARPA <"Bibliography is my business">
tim@cmu-cs-k.ARPA (Tim Maroney) (02/21/85)
You mean it isn't obvious what happened to Beowulf Schaeffer? Come on, think about it. Obviously on one of his adventures he fell between the inner and outer event horizons of a black hole and was projected a few thousand years into the future, to a time shortly before the Core explosion reached Earth. Landing on an Earth entirely poulated by Teelas, he was immediately shanghaied into yet another adventure that netted a gigantic stasis field generator, high quantum, large enough to envelop the entire solar system (a product of the technology of the race that created the Paks). A ship was positioned on the far side of the solar system from the core with a time-release stasis field neutralizer. The stasis field was activated a year before the first radiation hit Earth. Thus all the Teelas and Beowulf Schaeffer were insulated from the effects, and after the brunt had passed the ship neutralized the stasis field. Gosh, how lucky for the Teelas that the only man who could have saved them turned up at the appropriate moment. They gave their greatest tribute to Beowulf, said tribute being jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. Unfortunately, they didn't realize that without the luck gene, circumstances would not conspire to save him, and the galaxy's greatest hero wound up only half a millimeter thick. So much for greatness. Stay tuned. Next time, we find out what happened to Serge Ortega, the six-armed walrus-snake, and his pet rabbit Bunky. -=- Tim Maroney, Carnegie-Mellon University Computation Center ARPA: Tim.Maroney@CMU-CS-K uucp: seismo!cmu-cs-k!tim CompuServe: 74176,1360 audio: shout "Hey, Tim!" "Remember all ye that existence is pure joy; that all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass & are done; but there is that which remains." Liber AL, II:9.