Larry Niven has published 73 novels, 1 novella, 9 short story collections and 3 other books, beginning with Neutron Star (1966). The 3 series include Ringworld (9 books, starting with Ringworld), The State (3 books, starting with A World Out of Time) and CoDominium (2 books, starting with The Mote in God's Eye). The best-known is Ringworld (1970). The latest is Glorious (2020).
Updated September 2026
Ringworld books in order (9)Series page
Reading order: 1 Ringworld (1970) · 2 The Ringworld Engineers (1979) · 3 The Ringworld Throne (1996) · 4 Ringworld's Children (2004) · 5 Fleet of Worlds (2007) · 6 Juggler of Worlds (2008) · 7 Destroyer of Worlds (2009) · 8 Betrayer of Worlds (2010) · 9 Fate of Worlds: Return from the Ringworld (2012)
- 1.
Ringworld (Oct 1970)
- 2.
The Ringworld Engineers (Dec 1979)
- 3.
The Ringworld Throne (Jun 1996)
- 4.
Ringworld's Children (2004)
- 5.
Fleet of Worlds (Oct 2007)
- 6.
Juggler of Worlds (Sep 2008)
- 7.
Destroyer of Worlds (Nov 2009)
- 8.
Betrayer of Worlds (2010)
- 9.
Fate of Worlds: Return from the Ringworld (2012)
The State books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 A World Out of Time (1976) · 2 The Integral Trees (1984) · 3 The Smoke Ring (1987)
- 1.
A World Out of Time (Sep 1976)
- 2.
The Integral Trees (Mar 1984)
- 3.
The Smoke Ring (May 1987)
CoDominium books in order (2)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Mote in God's Eye (1974) · 2 The Gripping Hand (1993)
- 1.
The Mote in God's Eye (Nov 1974), with Jerry Pournelle
- 2.
The Gripping Hand (Feb 1993), with Jerry Pournelle
Where to start with Larry Niven
Start here
Ringworld
Larry Niven's most-read book and the first of the 9 Ringworld books.
Highest rated
The Mote in God's Eye
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by 48 readers.
Shortest way in
World of Ptavvs
One of the most-read, at about 188 pages.
Standalone novels in order
World of Ptavvs (1966)
A Gift from Earth (1968)
The Shape of Space (1969)
The Flying Sorcerers (1971), with David Gerrold
Protector (Sep 1973)
Inferno (May 1976), with Jerry Pournelle
Lucifer's Hammer (Jan 1977), with Jerry Pournelle
The Magic Goes Away (1978)
All the Myriad Ways (1979)
Convergent Series (1980)
The Long Arm of Gil Hamilton (1980)
The Patchwork Girl (1980)
Dream Park (Mar 1981)
Oath of Fealty (Aug 1981), with Jerry Pournelle
The Descent of Anansi (Sep 1982)
The Magic May Return (1983)
More Magic (1984)
The Time of the Warlock (1984)
Limits (1985)
Footfall (May 1985), with Jerry Pournelle
Berserker Base (Berserker) (1987)
The Legacy of Heorot (May 1987), with Jerry Pournelle
The Barsoom Project (1989)
Fallen Angels (1991), with Jerry Pournelle
Man-Kzin Wars IV (1991)
The California Voodoo Game (1991)
The Man Kzin Wars (Man Kzin Wars, Book 1) (1991)
The Moat Around Murcheson's Eye (1993)
Crashlander (1994)
Man-kzin Wars Vi (1994)
Beowulf's Children (1995), with Jerry Pournelle
The Dragons of Heorot (1995)
Choosing Names (1998)
Man Kzin Wars VIII (1998)
The Best of All Possible Wars (1998)
Destiny's Road (May 1998)
Rainbow Mars (1999)
Saturn's Race (2000)
The Burning City (2000), with Jerry Pournelle
Man-Kzin Wars IX (Man-Kzin Wars) (2002)
Scatterbrain (2002)
Building Harlequin's Moon (2005)
Man-Kzin Wars XI (Man-Kzin Wars) (2005)
Burning Tower (Feb 2005), with Jerry Pournelle
The Draco Tavern (2006)
Escape from Hell (2009), with Jerry Pournelle
Man-Kzin Wars XII (2009)
Stars and Gods (2010)
The Moon Maze Game (2011)
Bowl of Heaven (2012)
Fate of Worlds (2012)
The Goliath Stone (2013)
Shipstar (2014)
Ringworld: The Graphic Novel, Part Two (2015)
Ringworld's Children and Fleet of Worlds (2016)
The Seascape Tattoo (2016)
Man-Kzin Wars XV (2019)
Bowl of Heaven and Shipstar (2020)
Glorious (2020)
Novellas in order
laws (1984)
Short story collections in order
Neutron Star (1966)
Flight of the Horse (1973)
Inconstant Moon (1973)
A Hole in Space (1974)
Tales of Known Space (1975)
N-Space (1990)
Playgrounds of the Mind (1991)
Flatlander (1995)
The Best of Larry Niven (2010)
Other books in order
Larry Niven 3 in 1 (1994)
Rammer (1997)
Galaxy's Edge Magazine: Issue 26, May 2017 (2017)
About Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel Ringworld won the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. With Jerry Pournelle he wrote The Mote in God's Eye (1974) and Lucifer's Hammer (1977). The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America gave him the 2015 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Larry Niven FAQ
- How many books has Larry Niven written?
- Larry Niven has published 73 novels, 1 novella, 9 short story collections and 3 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Larry Niven's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Ringworld with Ringworld, The State with A World Out of Time and CoDominium with The Mote in God's Eye. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Larry Niven's latest book?
- Glorious (2020).
- What is Larry Niven's most famous book?
- Ringworld (1970) is Larry Niven's most widely read book.
- Are Larry Niven's books connected?
- 14 books belong to 3 series (Ringworld, The State and CoDominium); the other 72 books stand alone.
Authors like Larry Niven
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.