The Burning City

THE
B
URNING
C
ITY

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

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

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

Copyright © 2000 by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

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 978-1-4165-7508-5
eISBN-13: 978-1-43912-018-7

First Pocket Books hardcover printing March 2000 10 98765 4 321

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

Maps by Paul Pugliese

Printed in the U.S.A.

For Roberta and Marilyn

The editor would like to thank Larry Niven
and Jerry Pournelle for that rarest of all novels,
one with something to say.

“It is not God who kills the children. Not fate that
butchers them or destiny that feeds them to
the dogs. It's us. Only us.”

From
Watchmen
by Alan Moore

 

Y
ANGIN
-A
TEP
(T
EP
, F
IREBRINGER
)

Z
OOSH

C
OYOTE

B
EHEMOTH

L
OKI

P
ROMETHEUS

W
HANDALL
P
LACEHOLD
(Seshmarl)

P
OTHEFIT:
Whandall's father

S
HASTERN:
Whandall's younger brother

S
HIG:
Whandall's younger brother

M
OTHER'S
M
OTHER:
Dargramnet

W
ANSHIG:
Whandall's older half brother

R
ESALET:
Whandall's father's brother and leader of the Placehold

W
ESS:
a girl about Whandall's age

L
ENORBA

V
INSPEL

I
LYESSA:
Whandall's sister

T
HOMER

T
OTTO

T
RIG:
Whandall's brother

E
LRISS

R
UBYFLOWER

I
LTHERN

S
HARLATTA

F
REETHSPAT

L
ORD
P
ELZED

G
ERAVIM

T
UMBANTON

T
RAZALAC

S
TANT
C
ORLES

D
UDDIGRACT

R
ENWILDS

C
OSCARTIN

S
HEALOS

THE
F
ORIGAFT BROTHERS

K
RAEMAR

R
OUPEND

C
HAPOKA

M
IRACOS

H
ARTANBATH

B
ANSH

I
LTHER

A
LFERTH

T
ARNISOS

ILSERN:
a tough, athletic woman

C
HIEF
W
ULLTID

I
DREEPUCT

F
ALCONS:
called Dirty Birds by most but not to their faces

S
TAXIR

K
REEG
M
ILLER

R
IGMASTER

W
ILLOW
R
OPEWALKER

C
ARVER
R
OPEWALKER

C
ARTER
R
OPEWALKER

H
AMMER
M
ILLER

I
RIS
M
ILLER

H
YACINTH
M
ILLER

O
PAL
M
ILLER

D
REAM
-L
OTUS
I
NNKEEP

L
ORD
C
HIEF
W
ITNESS
S
AMORTY

L
ORD
C
HANTHOR

L
ORD
Q
IRINTY:
a lord fascinated by magic

L
ADY
R
AWANDA:
first lady of lordshills

L
ORD
J
ERREFF

S
HANDA

R
ABBLIE
(L
ORD
R
ABILARD
)

L
ORD
Q
UINTANA:
later becomes Lord Chief Witness

M
ORTH OF
A
TLANTIS

L
ORD
Q
UIRINTHAL THE
F
IRST

R
OWENA

L
ADY
S
IRESEE

S
ERANA:
a cook; later, chief cook

A
NTANIO

B
ERTRANA
(M
ISS
B
ATTY
): governess

P
EACEVOICE
W
ATERMAN

P
LACEHOLD

S
ERPENT'S
W
ALK

P
EACEGIVEN
S
QUARE

B
ULL
P
IZZLE

F
ALCON
L
AIR:
generally called Dirty Bird

THE
W
EDGE:
the meadow at the top of Deerpiss River

C
ONDIGEO

L
ORD'S
T
OWN

THE
L
ORDSHILLS

W
OLVERINES

T
EP'S
T
OWN
(V
ALLEY OF
S
MOKES
, B
URNING
C
ITY
)

W
ATER
D
EVILS

S
ANVIN
S
TREET:
winds over the low hills that separate Serpent's Walk from the harbor

THE
B
LACK
P
IT

A
TLANTIS

B
ARBAR
M
OUNTAINS

T
OROV

M
AZE
W
ALKERS

E
ASTERN
A
RC

G
OOD
H
AND
H
ARBOR

O
WL
B
EAK

M
ARKET
R
OUND

S
ERPENT
S
TREET