Burning Tower

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Authors: Larry Niven

BOOK: Burning Tower
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Acclaim for Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
and
The Burning City

“Pournelle and Niven provide a full quota of invention, speculation, and adventure. Their characters leap vibrantly off the page.”

—Realms of Fantasy

“Another absorbing book from [Niven and Pournelle]…bodes well for yet more of the collaborations.”

—Booklist

“Niven and Pournelle are in fine form….”

—Locus

“Vivid and unusual.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Larry Niven

TALES OF KNOWN SPACE

THE INTEGRAL TREES

WORLD OF PTAVVS

RINGWORLD

PROTECTOR

THE SMOKE RING

N-SPACE

PLAYGROUNDS OF THE MIND

CRASHLANDER

FLATLANDER

THE RINGWORLD THRONE

DESTINY'S ROAD

RAINBOW MARS

Jerry Pournelle

JANISSARIES

HIGH JUSTICE

KING DAVID'S SPACESHIP

EXILES TO GLORY

RED HEROIN

PRINCE OF MERCENARIES

FALKENBERG'S LEGION

STARSWARM

Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle

INFERNO

OATH OF FEALTY

THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE

LUCIFER'S HAMMER

FOOTFALL

THE GRIPPING HAND

THE BURNING CITY

BURNING TOWER

Larry Niven & Steven Barnes

DREAM PARK

THE BARSOOM PROJECT

THE CALIFORNIA VOODOO GAME

DESCENT OF ANANSI

ACHILLES' CHOICE

SATURN'S RACE

Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Steven Barnes

LEGACY OF HEOROT

BEOWULF'S CHILDREN

Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle & Michael Flynn

FALLEN ANGELS

Jerry Pournelle & Roland Green

TRAN

Jerry Pournelle & S. M. Stirling

GO TELL THE SPARTANS

PRINCE OF SPARTA

Jerry Pournelle & Charles Sheffield

HIGHER EDUCATION

POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2005 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Originally published in hardcover in 2005 by Pocket Books

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-4871-3
ISBN-10: 1-4165-4871-8

POCKET and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Maps by Paul Pugliese

Visit us on the World Wide Web:

http://www.SimonSays.com

For Roberta and Marilyn

Cast of Characters
Tep's Town Basin

L
ORD
R
EGAPISK
: Sandry's cousin, assigned to Fire Watch

L
ORD
S
ANDRY
: Chief of the Fire Watch

P
EACEVOICE
F
ULLERMAN
: Lordsman assigned to Fire Watch

Y
ANGIN
-A
TEP
: the fire god, now gone mythical

S
TRAFREERIT
: a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk

W
ANSHIG
: Lordkin chieftain, “Lord” of Serpent's Walk, and brother of Whandall Feathersnake

L
ORD
W
ITNESS
Q
IRAMA
: a judge

G
LEGRON
: Lordkin Fireman killed by fire

B
ONWESS
: Chieftain of the band of Lordkin called Bull Pizzles

S
HANDA
: Sandry's aunt, First Lady of Lordshills

R
ONI
: Shanda's daughter

Q
UINTANA
: Lord Chief Witness of Lordshills, Lord's Town, and Tep's Town

C
HALKER
: Sandry's valet, a retired Peacevoice of the Lordsmen

Y
OUNGLORD
M
AYDREO
: an officer cadet

T
ORONEXTI
: a Lordkin band; formerly tax collectors

B
ORDERMASTER
(once M
ASTER
P
EACEVOICE)
W
ATERMAN
: Lordsman

D
IBANTOT
Lordkin of Serpent's Walk, guardian of the Fire Sale Inn

L
ORDSMAN
Y
ILER
: spearman

S
ECKLERS
: a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk

E
GMATEL THE
S
AGE
: a Wizard hired by the Lords Witness

W
ALE
: apprentice to the Sage Egmatel

L
ADY
W
HALANI
: Lord Sandry's mother

H
ENRY
: a Lordsman guard

Bison Tribe and the Wagon Train

B
URNING
T
OWER OF
B
ISON
T
RIBE
: daughter of Whandall Feathersnake and Willow

G
REEN
S
TONE
: wagonmaster of the lesser Feathersnake Bison Tribe wagon train; younger son of Whandall Feathersnake and Willow; Burning Tower's older brother

N
OTHING
W
AS
S
EEN
(L
URK
): a bandit's child now adopted into Bison Tribe and a scout in the Feathersnake wagon train

T
WISTED
C
LOUD OF
B
ISON
T
RIBE
: wagon train shaman; daughter of Hickamore, deceased, once shaman of the Bison Tribe wagon train

C
LEVER
S
QUIRREL
(S
QUIRRELY
): daughter of Twisted Cloud and the god Coyote

M
OUSE
W
ARRIOR OF
B
ISON
T
RIBE
: A wagon train guard officer

W
HANDALL
F
EATHERSNAKE
: master trader; born a Lordkin in Tep's Town, now a merchant prince of Bison Tribe; owner of the wagon train

W
ILLOW
F
EATHERSNAKE
: born a kinless of Tep's Town, now Whandall's wife and mother of Green Stone and Burning Tower

Avalon

W
HEEREEZZ
: a mer wizard schoolmaster

C
ONAL
: a wizard of Avalon

M
ORTH OF
A
TLANTIS
: Atlantean wizard; refugee, formerly of Tep's Town and now resident in Carlem Marcle, a sea town far north of Tep's Town

C
OYOTE
: a god

The Wagon Expedition

T
REBATY
, a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk

S
ECKLERS,
a Lordkin of Serpent's Walk

Y
OUNGLORD
M
AYDREO

Y
OUNGLORD
W
HANE

F
ALLEN
W
OLF
: of Bison Tribe

L
EFT
-H
ANDED
H
UMMINGBIRD
: a god

S
PIKE
: a one-horn born as a kinless pony

Condigeo

P
ERGAMMON
: Commodore of Condigeo

G
RANTON
: First Captain of Condigeo

P
EARL
, wife of First Captain Granton

G
RANDIN
: wife of Captain Wartin

L
ORD
W
ITNESS
Q
U'YUMA
: Lady Shanda's husband and Roni's father; ambassador from Lordshills to Condige

B
ETTING
M
ASTER
C
ALAFI:
of Bell's of Condigeo

T
RAS PREETROR
: a teller; onetime friend of Whandall Feathersnake

A
RSHUR THE
M
AGNIFICENT
: a Northern Barbarian

S
POTTED
L
IZARD OF THE
H
IGH
T
RAIL
: a guide

J
UNIOR
W
ARMAN
G
UNDRIN
of the Condigeo Marines: an officer cadet

L
ORDSMAN
B
ANE

The
Angie Queen

S
AZIFF
: captain

T
HE
O
ARMASTER

F
ETHIWONG
and T
HE
G
HOST
: oarsmen

R
AILILIEE
: first mate

Crescent City

Z
EPHANS
M
ISHAGNOS
: an Atlantean wizard

B
UZZARD AT
P
LAY
: Mayor of Crescent City; onetime shaman of the Road Runner wagon train

F
UR
S
LIPPER
: a shaman

J
ADE
C
OIN
: a money changer

R
USER OF
L
OW
S
TREET
: a jeweler

E
RN
: Wagonmaster of the Road Runner wagon train

B
LACK
S
TONE
: proprietor of Black Stone Inn

L
AUGHING
R
OCK
: his daughter

Sunfall Crater

G
REAT
M
ISTRESS
H
AZEL
S
KY
: Governor

C
APTAIN
S
AREG
: of the Imperial Guard

R
EGLY
: Chief of the Office of Imperial Gifts

T
HUNDERCLOUD
: Chief of the Office of Rain

J
ARAVISK
: Chief Apprentice in the Office of Rain

M
ANROOT
: an Imperial Officer

Aztlan

F
LENSEVAN THE
J
EWELER
: brother and partner of Ruser of Low Street

Archpriests:

C
OYOTE

R
OAD
R
UNNER

J
AGUAR

P
RIEST
M
ANY
N
AMES

L
EFT
-H
ANDED
H
UMMINGBIRD

B
IGHORN
S
HEEP

B
ISON
W
OMAN

M
AMMOTH

P
RAIRIE
D
OG

T
HE
E
MPEROR
: the Almighty one, Son of the Sun

L
ADY
A
NNALUN
: a talented courtesan

M
OUNTAIN
C
AT
: of Bison Tribe (resident at New Castle, present by sand painting)

D
OENTIVAR
: the Grandson of the Sun, heir to the Emperor

P
INK
R
ABBIT
: son of Flensevan

E
GRET
: the stronger son of Flensevan

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