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Bordered in Black

Larry Niven

First published April 1966
Type Short Fiction
Length Short Story

Synopsis

Two men are sent in the first FTL ship to explore an Earth-like planet of Sirius B; only one returns, and destroys the ship. Slowly he recounts how they saw all shores of a bare continent surrounded by a black heat-emiting mass, found the ocean full of a sterile monoculture of engineered algae, and when they landed to investigate...

Notes

In the notes to Convergent Series, Niven says: "Bordered in Black does not belong to the Known Space universe. [...] When I wrote Bordered in Black, Known Space had not taken form. I was playing with some preliminary ideas, and one of these - the 'Blind Spot' effect of this form of faster-than-light travel - was later incorporated into Known Space. But it's a different timeline entirely. Similar statements hold for One Face".

External Links

Wikipedia

Awards

YearAwardCategoryStatus
1967 Nebula Award Short Story Nominee/Finalist

Publications (40)

Date Publication Publisher Type Page
April 1966 The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1966 Mercury Press, Inc. MAGAZINE 112
September 1969 The Shape of Space Ballantine Books Collection 68
September 1969 The Shape of Space Ballantine Books Collection 68
1971 SF: Authors' Choice 3 G. P. Putnam's Sons Anthology 168
February 1973 Inconstant Moon Gollancz Collection 43
August 1973 SF: Author's Choice 3 Berkley Medallion Anthology 205
August 1973 SF: Author's Choice 3 Berkley Medallion Anthology 205
April 1974 Inconstant Moon The Science Fiction Book Club (UK) Collection
October 1974 Inconstant Moon Sphere Books Collection 34
May 1975 Inconstant Moon Sphere Books Collection 34
June 1976 Inconstant Moon Sphere Books Collection 34
1977 Inconstant Moon Sphere Books Collection 34
March 1979 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
March 1979 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
September 1979 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
1980 Convergent Series Orbit / Futura Collection 1
October 1980 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
1981 Convergent Series Orbit Collection 1
September 1981 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
May 1983 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
1984 Convergent Series Orbit Collection 1
August 1986 Convergent Series Orbit Collection 1
August 1986 Inconstant Moon Sphere Books Collection 34
February 1987 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
1990 Convergent Series Orbit Collection 1
September 1990 N-Space Tor Collection 33
1991 Convergent Series Ballantine Books Collection 1
February 1991 N-Space Tor / SFBC Collection 33
August 1991 Inconstant Moon Orbit Collection 34
September 1991 N-Space Tor Collection 39
January 1992 N-Space Orbit Collection 36
January 1992 N-Space Orbit Collection 36
February 1992 N-Space Orbit Collection 36
October 1992 Convergent Series Del Rey / Ballantine Collection 1
May 1997 N-Space Tor Collection 39
1998 N-Space Orbit Collection 36
August 2007 N-Space Tor Collection 33
December 2010 The Best of Larry Niven Subterranean Press Collection 25
December 2010 The Best of Larry Niven Subterranean Press Collection 25
June 2011 Convergent Series Spectrum Literary Agency Collection