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From: okie@ihuxs.UUCP (B.K. Cobb)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Non-human aliens - (nf)
Message-ID: <536@ihuxs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-May-84 10:13:50 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxs.536
Posted: Fri May 25 10:13:50 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 31-May-84 20:28:22 EDT
References: <162@iwpba.UUCP>, <12500083@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 53

For fascinating non-human aliens, you should read
Larry Niven.  He has a number of good ones, the most
conspicuous being the 'Moties' from 'The Mote in
God's Eye.'  Constantly throughout the book, we are
given the human point of view, and the characters
treat them as human--but we find out differently in
the last one-fourth of the book.

Another good Niven alien is the puppeteer--a being
to whom cowardice is honorable, a three-legged creature
with two heads on stalks above the main body...well,
in Niven's words, imagine "a three-legged Centaur without
the human head, but with two Cecil the Sea-Sick Sea Serpent
puppets on stalks instead."  They pop up in many short
stories, and figure prominently in the two 'Ringworld'
novels.

There are also the kzinti, a carniverous, war-like race
of giant orange cat-like beings...the Grogs, a telepathic
race that can't leave it's one planet, or even move around
on it...the Slavers, the ancient race that once ruled the
Galaxy (also by telepathy) but was too stupid to keep it...
the bandersnatchi, large white intelligent slugs that make
treaties with humans for mutual hunts...

I almost include Phsstpok the Pak and the Pak race with
these, but not quite.  While humans are the mutated breeder
stage of the Pak, humans and Pak are quite different in
culture, drives, activities, thought, etc.  The Pak race
is the ultimate race of warriors, born and bred for fighting
and protecting their families--fast, resourceful, incredibly
tough, and frighteningly intelligent.

I hope I've whetted your appetite for these interesting and
bizarre characters.  I may have missed a few, but these are
(in my humble opinion) the best ones.  A short list of 'where
to find them' (albeit incomplete) follows:

	Moties			The Mote in God's Eye (novel)
	Puppeteers		Ringworld (novel)
				The Ringworld Engineers (novel)
				Tales of Known Space (collection)
				Neutron Star (collection)
	Kzinti			Ringworld/Ringworld Engineers
				Tales of Known Space
				Neutron Star
	Slavers			World of Ptaavs (novel)
	Bandersnatchi		World of Ptaavs
	Pak			Protector (novel)
				Ringworld Engineers

B.K. Cobb
ihnp4!ihuxs!okie