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The Integral Trees Audiobook
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(3.01) - 2,649 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Leaving Earth, the crew of the spaceship Discipline were prepared for a routine assignment. Dispatched by the all-powerful State on a mission of interstellar exploration and colonization, Discipline was aided—and secretly spied upon—by Sharls Davis Kendy, an emotionless computer intelligence programmed to monitor the loyalty and obedience of the crew. What they weren't prepared for, however, was the Smoke Ring—an immense, gaseous envelope that had formed around a neutron star directly in their path. The Smoke Ring was home to a variety of plant and animal life-forms evolved to thrive in conditions of continual free fall. When Discipline encountered it, something went wrong. The crew abandoned ship and fled to the unlikely space oasis.
Five hundred years later, the descendants of the Discipline crew living on the Smoke Ring no longer remember their origins. Earth is more myth than memory, and no recollection of the State remains. But Kendy remembers. And just outside the Smoke Ring, Discipline waits patiently to make contact with its wayward children.
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"Another great Larry Niven fiction. Larry has a brilliant imagination. Imagine human beings living in a free-fall world where they depend on giant floating trees as their land! Larry always attempts to bring science into his narratives, and he does so again with his story The Integral Trees."
— Shido (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Niven’s masterly use of SF strategies once more hits every note, springing surprises and plot turns with dizzying pace.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“Niven has come up with an idea about as far out as one can get…This is certainly classic science fiction—the idea is truly the hero.”
— Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine
Awards
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Winner of the 1985 Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
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Finalist for the 1985 Hugo Award for Best Novel
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Nominated for the 1984 Nebula Award for Best Novel
The Integral Trees Listener Reviews
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" Another elementary school late night read. I remember there being so many WTF moments in this book that my disbelief simply kicked in and stayed in. Not what I look for from a book. Need to re-read now and see if I was missing some reach of science on Niven's part. "
— Wetdryvac, 2/9/2014 -
" I'm not sure when I first read this, but I became an instant Larry Niven fan. The combination of fantasy and sci-fi caught me like my friend Matt's Venus fly traps...(heh) "
— Clark, 1/28/2014 -
" Another great world created by Larry Niven, very airy and captivating. "
— Bob, 1/28/2014 -
" Excellent study of a civilization living in a strange environment. A nice addition to Larry's "The State" universe. "
— Jan, 1/25/2014 -
" I love Niven's ability to imagine new worlds, and human societies very different from our own. If you like fun escapist sci-fi, then this should appeal. "
— Frank, 1/23/2014 -
" Doesn't have the humor or character development in Ringworld, but this world is equally imaginative. "
— Phil, 1/9/2014 -
" I loved this book. Growing up, it fueled my imagination and created new worlds, full of imagination and ideas and senses. If you like science OR fiction you must read this book! "
— poetsespresso, 1/8/2014 -
" Just a lot of fun. "
— Nachtkind, 12/12/2013 -
" I sort of liked this book until my favorite character (or the only character I felt any sympathy for) was forced to do something I couldn't forgive. Excellent world-building by Niven. "
— Angella, 12/3/2013 -
" I read this serialized in Analog. "
— Heather, 11/14/2013 -
" As with most Niven books, the setting is the thing. There was more character development than in his other stories to balance the concept of living a primitive existence in zero gravity. "
— Dan, 11/4/2013 -
" Life is interesting living in a gas torus around a neutron star. I have read this book several times and it is always fun!! "
— Charles, 10/24/2013 -
" Entertaining, but some of the "science" seemed implausible (e.g. significant physiological "evolutionary" change to the human species in only 500 years). "
— Ryo, 10/4/2013 -
" I've read this first as a kid and I've reread it several times. It always brings back a sense of nostalgia. "
— Mike, 10/3/2013 -
" Classic old-school sci-fi: weird solar system, no gravity, humans have evolved prehensile toes... you get the picture. I think the book jacket says it all: "The idea is truly the hero." You won't get attached to any of the characters, but it's still engaging reading. "
— Susan, 9/26/2013 -
" Great setting, bad plot, awful characters. "
— Bradford, 4/6/2013 -
" One of my absolute favorite two books of all time. Niven's imagination and the scope of this one was breathtaking. A civilization living in freefall. Wow. "
— Mark, 3/28/2013 -
" Very interesting world, with an acceptable story. "
— Chris, 2/12/2013 -
" This book was a pleasure to read. SciFi that bends what you know about gravity, the earth beneath your feet, and other "absolutes." "
— Adam, 10/22/2012 -
" An amazing idea. Iffy execution. A sign of Niven starting to lose it. "
— Zachary, 8/12/2012 -
" Didn't much care for this book, it was very strange.... "
— Jessica, 6/18/2012 -
" Larry Niven has created a world without gravity. A remarkable departure from the status quo: life in a gas cloud instead of a solid planet. Good fun. "
— Bill, 6/5/2012 -
" Fascinating. Niven creates another believable world. "
— Daniel, 5/25/2012 -
" A confusing book to get started with. So much so that it took me two tries to get into it. But once I started to understand this new universe, the story began to be much more enjoyable. Now I'm on to the next in the two-book series. "
— TQM, 3/2/2012 -
" Probably my favorite Niven. "
— Stacia, 11/10/2011 -
" Life in a zero G atmosphere. Essentially, its a civilization in the sky. Crazy stuff. "
— Bill, 9/29/2011 -
" Great ideas of a spacefaring society living in huge trees living in space. "
— Dev, 8/11/2011 -
" Excellent hard science-fiction. Niven creates a very well-realized setting for his characters and propels them in an engrossing story. "
— Michael, 7/9/2011 -
" The setting is a world fascinating in its oddity...but Niven fails miserably with his characters. They are shallow and boring, and the story goes nowhere. "
— Matt, 4/25/2011 -
" Read in serial form in <em>Analog</em>. "
— Heather, 9/6/2010 -
" I wish I could give this negative stars. Good ideas embedded in sickening sexism and mediocre writing. I couldn't get past the first few chapters. "
— Morgan, 6/2/2010 -
" This was a decent book, with a pretty cool science fiction premise. Not sure I'd necessarily recommend reading it unless you like science fiction or Larry Niven, but it wasn't painful to read it. "
— Chad, 5/13/2010 -
" Comparable with Ringworld, and just as physically interesting. "
— Gendou, 1/23/2010 -
" A Sci-Fi novel that takes places in a breathable gas cloud orbiting a star in a low gravity environment. It might remind you of the "islands in the sky" in the film 'Avatar' though these are humans. "
— Christopher, 1/19/2010 -
" An intriguing set up. Couldn't really geat my head around the science of how the smoke ring worked but it was certainly interesting. "
— Liz, 7/13/2009 -
" Tremendous fun as only Niven can write... a return to "sense of wonder" SF. Another gigantic ring habitat.... but this one is a gas torus around a nearly dead neutron star! Very cool. "
— Matthew, 4/9/2009 -
" While this doesn't quite manage to capture the imagination the way [title: Ringworld] did, it is still an enjoyable read. "
— Linda, 12/14/2007
About Larry Niven
Larry Niven is the multiple Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award–winning author of science fiction short stories and novels, including the Ringworld series, as well as many other science fiction masterpieces. His Footfall, coauthored with Jerry Pournelle, was a New York Times bestseller.
About Tom Weiner
Tom Weiner, a dialogue director and voice artist best known for his roles in video games and television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Transformers, is the winner of eight Earphones Awards and is an Audie Award finalist. He is a former member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.