All the Myriad Ways
Encyclopedia
All the Myriad Ways is a collection of 14 short stories and essays by science fiction author Larry Niven
, originally published in 1971.
ous story contained within, Niven attempted to craft a response to stories featuring the many-worlds interpretation
as a key plot point, taking the social implications of infinite realities to a depressing conclusion. A police detective, pondering a rash of unexplained suicides and murder-suicides occurring since the discovery of travel to parallel universe
s, begins to realize that if all possible choices that might be made are actually made in parallel universes, people will see their freedom of choice as meaningless. The choice not to commit suicide, or not to commit a crime, seems meaningless if one knows that in some other universe, the choice went the other way. They therefore kill themselves or commit the crime, because they abandon the sense of choice.
The oft-discussed essay "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex
" is a humorous discussion of the difficulties Superman
might encounter in trying to conceive a child with Lois Lane
.
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
, originally published in 1971.
Contents
- "All the Myriad Ways"
- "Passerby"
- "For a Foggy Night"
- "Wait it Out"
- "The Jigsaw ManThe Jigsaw Man"The Jigsaw Man" is a short story in the Known Space universe by Larry Niven. The story was first published in Harlan Ellison's anthology Dangerous Visions, and is included in Niven's collections All the Myriad Ways and Tales of Known Space....
" - "Not Long Before the End"
- "Unfinished Story #1"
- "Unfinished Story #2"
- "Man of Steel, Woman of KleenexMan of Steel, Woman of Kleenex"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" is an essay in which science fiction author Larry Niven details the problems that Superman would face in having sexual intercourse and reproducing with "a human woman designated LL for convenience", using arguments based on humorous reconciliation between physics,...
" - "Exercise in Speculation: The Theory and Practice of Teleportation"
- "The Theory and Practice of Time Travel"
- "Inconstant MoonInconstant MoonInconstant Moon is a science fiction short story collection by American author Larry Niven that was published in 1973. "Inconstant Moon" is also a 1971 short story that is included in the collection. The title is a quote from the balcony scene in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet...
" (Made into an Outer Limits episode) - "What Can You Say About Chocolate Covered Manhole Covers?"
- "Becalmed in Hell"
Overview
In the eponymEponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous story contained within, Niven attempted to craft a response to stories featuring the many-worlds interpretation
Many-worlds interpretation
The many-worlds interpretation is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the universal wavefunction, but denies the actuality of wavefunction collapse. Many-worlds implies that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an...
as a key plot point, taking the social implications of infinite realities to a depressing conclusion. A police detective, pondering a rash of unexplained suicides and murder-suicides occurring since the discovery of travel to parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
s, begins to realize that if all possible choices that might be made are actually made in parallel universes, people will see their freedom of choice as meaningless. The choice not to commit suicide, or not to commit a crime, seems meaningless if one knows that in some other universe, the choice went the other way. They therefore kill themselves or commit the crime, because they abandon the sense of choice.
The oft-discussed essay "Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex
Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex
"Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex" is an essay in which science fiction author Larry Niven details the problems that Superman would face in having sexual intercourse and reproducing with "a human woman designated LL for convenience", using arguments based on humorous reconciliation between physics,...
" is a humorous discussion of the difficulties Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
might encounter in trying to conceive a child with Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
.