Niven, Larry: Destiny's Road - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

Dave · 31st March 2001, 05:05 PM

Anyone want to talk about this one:

Destiny's Road (1997)

Written by Larry Niven.

Almost 250 years ago, the starcruiser 'Argos' reached the planet 'Destiny', carrying the first settlers. The 'Argos' deserted them, Earth again. And shortly afterwards the landing craft, the 'Cavorite', dissapeared.

But 'Cavorite's final voyage left behind a lasting impression on the planet's surface; one that is still spoken of in terms of awe and wonder by the people of Spiral Town.

For the landing craft hovered just a metre above the surface of the planet and seared a wide, smooth Road into the rock. It's said that the Road crosses the whole planet, but no one knows for sure. Because no settler who has travelled down the Road has ever returned.

However, when young Jemmy Bloocher is accused of murder and forced to flee Spiral Town, there is only one way he can go.

His adventures along the Road on the partly terraformed planet then follow. Through his eyes, we see several different societies on this planet, and how men and women interrelate, and the differing types of economy. There were many gripping moments of adventure that made it hard to put the book down.

The planet has a serious mineral deficiency which prevents Earth-life thriving without supplements. The 'speckles' are therefore worth their weight in Gold. Niven leads up to a big revelation, but although it's not a huge surprise, it's still one of my favourite books.

greyhorse · 30th May 2003, 08:58 PM

Dave, you seem like a BIG Larry Niven fan. I became one as soon as I read N-Space, following up with Playgrounds of the Mind and then his complete novels.

The problem with discussing a lot of Niven books is that after you've read the books, there's not a whole lot to discuss. In most cases Niven's already covered most of what there is to discuss.

If there is a specific part of Destiny's Road or any other novel you'd like to lead a discussion about, shout ahead!

The one think about Destiny's Road that I found hard to believe was just how smart Jemmy is. Like all of Niven's main characters Jemmy has the ability to figure out problems very quickly, but even given Jemmy's superior education I still find it hard to believe how much he was able solve. Especially given Jemmy's age.

-Jeff

Dave · 30th May 2003, 10:35 PM

What I liked most about this was how the whole ecosystem, and hence the story itself was tied into the mineral deficiency (Potassium I think -- whatever was in the speckles?)

It's been a while since I read this, so I'm not sure about Jemmy, I must read it again.

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31st March 2001, 05:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dave Wherever I Am, I'm There Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Greater London Posts: 11,602	Anyone want to talk about this one: Destiny's Road (1997) Written by Larry Niven. Almost 250 years ago, the starcruiser 'Argos' reached the planet 'Destiny', carrying the first settlers. The 'Argos' deserted them, Earth again. And shortly afterwards the landing craft, the 'Cavorite', dissapeared. But 'Cavorite's final voyage left behind a lasting impression on the planet's surface; one that is still spoken of in terms of awe and wonder by the people of Spiral Town. For the landing craft hovered just a metre above the surface of the planet and seared a wide, smooth Road into the rock. It's said that the Road crosses the whole planet, but no one knows for sure. Because no settler who has travelled down the Road has ever returned. However, when young Jemmy Bloocher is accused of murder and forced to flee Spiral Town, there is only one way he can go. His adventures along the Road on the partly terraformed planet then follow. Through his eyes, we see several different societies on this planet, and how men and women interrelate, and the differing types of economy. There were many gripping moments of adventure that made it hard to put the book down. The planet has a serious mineral deficiency which prevents Earth-life thriving without supplements. The 'speckles' are therefore worth their weight in Gold. Niven leads up to a big revelation, but although it's not a huge surprise, it's still one of my favourite books.

30th May 2003, 08:58 PM	#2 (permalink)
greyhorse swinging to the tunes Join Date: May 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 94	Dave, you seem like a BIG Larry Niven fan. I became one as soon as I read N-Space, following up with Playgrounds of the Mind and then his complete novels. The problem with discussing a lot of Niven books is that after you've read the books, there's not a whole lot to discuss. In most cases Niven's already covered most of what there is to discuss. If there is a specific part of Destiny's Road or any other novel you'd like to lead a discussion about, shout ahead! The one think about Destiny's Road that I found hard to believe was just how smart Jemmy is. Like all of Niven's main characters Jemmy has the ability to figure out problems very quickly, but even given Jemmy's superior education I still find it hard to believe how much he was able solve. Especially given Jemmy's age. -Jeff

30th May 2003, 10:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
Dave Wherever I Am, I'm There Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Greater London Posts: 11,602	What I liked most about this was how the whole ecosystem, and hence the story itself was tied into the mineral deficiency (Potassium I think -- whatever was in the speckles?) It's been a while since I read this, so I'm not sure about Jemmy, I must read it again.