The Descent of Anansi

The Descent of Anansi

The Descent of Anansi is a 1982 science fiction novel by Steven Barnes and Larry Niven. (ISBN 0-8125-1292-8)

Contents

Plot summary

Plot setup

A space station-manufactury attempts to become commercially independent from its Government backers by exporting super-strong nanowire that can only be manufactured in free-fall.

Plot conflict

Following an attempt to sabotage their first delivery and high-jack the cargo, the intrepid crew realise they can escape the hijackers. Their shuttle Anansi can become a modern day version of its namesake, an African Spider-god... by descending to Earth on a thread.

Plot resolution

The physics of tidal forces are explained, and the possibilities of orbital tethers to accelerate payloads into higher orbits (or indeed de-orbit shuttles without retro-rockets) are woven into a hard science fiction thriller. The Anansi incident, Falling Angel, and other elements of the story are used as background in the Dream Park series, also written by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes - particularly The Barsoom Project, the second of the series.

v · d · eLarry Niven
Books
(novels and
collections)

World of Ptavvs (1966) · A Gift from Earth (1968) · Neutron Star (1968 collection) · The Shape of Space (1969 collection) · Protector (1973) · Tales of Known Space (1975 collection) · Flatlander (1976 collection, originally The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton) · The Patchwork Girl (1980) · Crashlander (1994 omnibus)

Ringworld
Ringworld (1970) · The Ringworld Engineers (1980) · Guide to Larry Niven's Ringworld (1994, with Kevin Stein) · The Ringworld Throne (1996) · Ringworld's Children (2004)
Man-Kzin
Wars*
*collections by Niven or mostly others: Man-Kzin Wars (1988) · Man-Kzin Wars II (1989) · Man-Kzin Wars III (1990) · Man-Kzin Wars IV (1991) · Man-Kzin Wars V (1992) · Man-Kzin Wars VI (1994) · Man-Kzin Wars VII (1995) · Man-Kzin Wars VIII: Choosing Names (1998) · Man-Kzin Wars IX (2002) · Man-Kzin Wars X: The Wunder War (2003) · Man-Kzin Wars XI (2005) · Destiny's Forge (2007 novel) · Man-Kzin Wars XII (2009) · Man-Kzin Wars XIII (2012)
Fleet of
Worlds*
*with Edward M. Lerner: Fleet of Worlds (2007) · Juggler of Worlds (2008) · Destroyer of Worlds (2009) · Betrayer of Worlds (2010)
The
Warlock
Not Long before the End (1969) · What Good Is a Glass Dagger? (1972) The Magic Goes Away (1978) · The Magic May Return (1981 collection) · More Magic (1984) · The Time of the Warlock (1984)
Golden
Road*
*with Jerry Pournelle: The Burning City (2000) · Burning Tower (2005) · Burning Mountain (in progress)

Inferno (1976) · Lucifer's Hammer (1977) · Oath of Fealty (1982) · Footfall (1985) · Escape from Hell (2009 sequel to Inferno)

Moties (set in
CoDominium series)
The Mote in God's Eye (1974) · The Gripping Hand (1993, UK: The Moat around Murcheson's Eye) · Outies (2010, by J. R. Pournelle)
Heorot (with Steven Barnes
and Jerry Pournelle)
The Legacy of Heorot (1987) · Beowulf's Children (1995, UK: The Dragons of Heorot) · Destiny's Road (1997, by Niven alone)
Dream
Park*
*with Steven Barnes: Dream Park (1981) · The Barsoom Project (1989) · The California Voodoo Game (1992, UK: The Voodoo Game) · The Descent of Anansi (1982) · Achilles' Choice (1991) · Saturn's Race (2001)
Other
novels*
*with various: The Flying Sorcerers (1971, with David Gerrold) · Berserker Base (1984, with Poul Anderson, Edward Bryant, Stephen R. Donaldson, Fred Saberhagen, Connie Willis, and Roger Zelazny) · Fallen Angels (1991, with Jerry Pournelle and Michael Flynn) · Rainbow Mars (1999) · Building Harlequin's Moon (2005, with Brenda Cooper)
Other
collections
All the Myriad Ways (1971) · The Flight of the Horse (1973) · Inconstant Moon (1973) · A Hole in Space (1974) · Convergent Series (1979) · Niven's Laws (1984) · Limits (1985) · N-Space (1990) · Playgrounds of the Mind (1991) · Bridging the Galaxies (1993) · Scatterbrain (2003) · Larry Niven Short Stories Volume 1 (2003) · Larry Niven Short Stories Volume 2 (2003) · Larry Niven Short Stories Volume 3 (2003) · The Draco Tavern (2006) · Stars and Gods (2010) · The Best of Larry Niven (2010)
Comics*
*adapted by various: Death by Ecstasy (1991) · Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale (1992, by John Byrne) · The Magic Goes Away (by Jan Duursema) · "Not Long before the End" (by Doug Moench and Vicente Alcazar) · "All the Myriad Ways" (by Howard Chaykin)
Select
short stories
and novellas
Essays
Niven's laws · "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" · "The Theory and Practice of Time Travel"



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