Another Snag

[bloodyrosemccoy]

God DAMMIT, Larry Niven.

 

So I’m really barreling along on this Doctors! story, which explores among other things my genius idea about a species of fragile little critters for whom cowardice is a survival tactic, and bravery is considered a form of insanity, and whose only contact with the Galactic Union is through these Insane Ones (who are still remarkable wimps, but not as much as the Sane Ones) who are willing to space travel and more importantly to break their routine—

 

And then I go and read Ringworld and find out that Larry Niven already bloody did that.

 

Right down to the whole “No other species has ever met a sane member of this species.” God dammit.

 

Granted, the story is different—no exploding galaxy in mine, for one thing, and for another, his “insane” aliens—the brave ones—actually do have traits humans would consider mentally unstable, like bipolarity and schizophrenia. My idea was to mess with the definition of insanity on a broad level—sanity for the qazhus was supposed to be something along the lines of what we’d find unhealthy, like separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive personality and even outright OCD, agoraphobia, hypochondria, paranoia—all the things that in our world seem counterproductive are the very things that keep them from getting eaten.

 

Also, the plot is much different.

 

But still.

 

DAMN YOU, LARRY NIVEN.

Comments

[spotweld.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation, Ringworld can be described as a dressed up version of The Wizard of Oz.

[10cents.livejournal.com]

cowardice is a survival tactic, and bravery is considered a form of insanity

...You mean... this alien culture's idea isn't how normal humans view the world? Man, I've been operating under that assumption my entire life!

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Amazing, isn't it? I am a genius! ;)

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

I'd still like to see your version.

[biomekanic.livejournal.com]

Hell, even mention it...
"They're like the aliens from this old novel, only, actually crazy, you know?"

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

's what I normally do. Along with some facetious cussing about these bastards having the idea before me ...

[shadesofmauve]

They have an unfair advantage. It's not your fault they were born before you! Run with your idea anyway!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wastrel/]

If anything, I think I like your idea even better, because I think it demonstrates how cultural, constructed and context-bound definitions of what constitutes sane and insane behavior better - I think the other traits he throws in there may draw attention away from that aspect of his concept.

After all, it's only paranoia if they're not really out to get you, isn't it?

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I know just how you feel. Or, as Niven would put it, Tanj!! (sorry-- couldn't resist. Besides, that really has become one of my favorite swear-words). There are no knew ideas-- rest assured that your use of the idea will be significantly different and interesting.

I don't know how far you've gotten in (Ringworld, I assume?), but what found hilarious when Mark talked me into reading it was that Niven, though a brilliant sci-fi writer, knows squat-all about linguistics. Apart from some nice interspecies quirks like the one you just mentioned, his grasp of the social sciences is downright lousy.