A Gift From Earth is a science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and ties into numerous other books set in Known Space.
Chapters[]
- Chapter I - The Ramrobot
- Chapter II - The Sons of Earth
- Chapter III - The Car
- Chapter IV - The Question Man
- Chapter V - The Hospital
- Chapter VI - The Vivarium
- Chapter VII - The Bleeding Heart
- Chapter VIII - Polly's Eyes
- Chapter IX - The Way Back
- Chapter X - Parlette's Hand
- Chapter XI - Interview With The Head
- Chapter XII - The Slowboat
- Chapter XIII - It All Happened At Once
- Chapter XIV - Balance Of Power
Plot summary[]
This novel tells the story of the colony on the planet Plateau, a Venus-like planet of the Tau Ceti system. The plateau on Mount Lookitthat is the only habitable area of the planet, with an area about the size of US state of California. The colony is run by the privileged descendents of the original slowship Crew. The majority of the population are second-class citizens.
The plot starts 300 years after the first landing on the planet with a man, rebel Matthew Keller, escaping the police force by leaping off the sheer cliff that defines the plateau. At the bottom of the 40 mile high cliffs was the true surface of the planet, hot enough to melt lead and with an atmosphere 60 times as thick as Earth's.
Killing yourself in this way was considered to be the worst of all possible crimes as none of the body would then be available to the Organ Bank.
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References[]