Bowl of Heaven by Gregory Benford and Larry Niven
Last month at Conjecture I acquired a signed copy of Bowl of Heaven, by Gregory Benford and Larry Niven. During the summer of 2012 I got to hear Dr. Benford lecture, and he talked about the book, which wasn't out yet. Then, because I don't take notes, I totally forgot about it.
But then I remembered! Because it was right in front of me, and Larry Niven was standing right next to me.
It's a BDO book. Big Dumb Objects (Dyson spheres, Ringworld, Culture orbitals, Can Full of Sky) are a staple of science fiction, and I love them, end employ them shamelessly. In fact, at this moment in Schlock Mercenary we are inside of one. So I knew I'd enjoy Bowl of Heaven, and I turned out to be right. In addition to the eponymous BDO, the book features alien aliens, smart characters out-of-their-depth, and piles of fun science.
The problem with Bowl of Heaven is that it's half the story. Shipstar, the sequel (or 2nd installment? I don't know) comes out in April, and while Bowl of Heaven was satisfying, I didn't find quite enough resolution in the ending. I did, however, find plenty of desire to order Shipstar. Will you want to wait? Maybe. I suppose it depends on how patient you are.