The Draco Tavern

by Larry Niven

Bartender Rick Shumann at his Siberian tavern catering to aliens, narrates 26 tales:
"The Subject Is Closed" - Could AI stop working on life after death because subject solved?
"Table Manners" - Is Rick hunter or hunted by five Folk aliens?
"Losing Mars" - Unpublished. Aliens on Mars angry humans forget their planet.
"The Subject Is Closed"
"Grammar Lesson"
"Assimilating Our Culture, That's What They're Doing!"
"The Schumann Computer"
"The Green Marauder"
"The Real Thing"
"War Movie"
"Limits"
"One Night at the Draco Tavern"
"The Heights"
"The Wisdom of Demons"
"Smut Talk"
"Ssoroghod's People"
"The Missing Mass"
"The Convergence of the Old Mind"
"Chrysalis"
"The Death Addict"
"Storm Front"
"The Slow Ones"
"Cruel and Unusual"
"The Ones Who Stay Home"
"Breeding Maze"
"Playhouse"
"Lost"
"Playground Earth"

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Anthologies, Aliens, Science Fiction Fantasy

316 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Laurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths.

Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.

Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.

He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.

Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.

Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.

He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very light and easy reading, this collection of short SF stories is framed chronologically and all told from the PoV of the bartender/owner of the Draco Tavern, a waystation for aliens in the 2030's Siberia right here on Earth.

I have nothing bad to say about any of the stories except that they're lightweight. :) That's NOT actually a bad thing. Imminently readable, quirky, observational, they tackle interesting subjects that might not be hard-hitting but are still entertaining.

Niven wrote these in a thirty-year stretch and they all work very well together as a single cohesive whole. His main strengths, as always, are his aliens. :) This is something I had a GREAT time with. Mos Eisley Cantina, Niven style. :)

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of these might become Larry Niven's literary immortality

These stories date from 1977 to 2006, and feature the very long-lived Chirpsithra, the masters of the galaxy's red-dwarf planets, and the owner-operators of the great interstellar liners that occasionally stop at Earth. The chirps mingle with the locals, and an amazing variety of other star-travelers, at the fabled Draco Tavern near their shuttle landing-ground at Mt. Forel, Siberia.

So pull up a really high barstool, so you can look the eleven-foot tall chirps in the eye, and order a Tee tee hatch nex ool-compatible cocktail from the Draco's amazingly versatile barkeep....

Boy, are the Draco stories good. Age shall not wither, nor custom stale, the best of these remarkable vignettes: "The Green Marauder," "War Movie," "Limits." They might well become his literary immortality. 5+ stars! Absolutely essential reading.

And some of the newer ones might well join the classics. The collection spans 1977 to 2006, including one or two first published here. There are minor retcons and continuity fixes, which help the flow. Check it out.

TOC: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?5...
Here's a sample story from the collection: "Smut Talk" (2000), 3 stars: http://www.larryniven.net/stories/Smu...
And another, "The Missing Mass" (2000), a neat little explanation for that cosmological mystery: https://larryniven.net/stories/Draco1...
3/1/23 note: these links should work, but didn't on first try. If that happens to you, try
https://larryniven.net/menu/exclusive...
(scroll down for stories)

And here's a new-to-me Draco vignette, "The Artists" (2011): https://subterraneanpress.com/magazin... . Clever & quick, 3.5 stars.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bars, for some reason, are a recurring setting in science fiction and fantasy stories. So much so, in fact, that there were even a couple of anthologies--Tales From the Spaceport Bar and Another Round at the Spaceport Bar--revolving around the theme. To be fair, it's not just SF/F literature that makes use of this setting. Look how largely the saloon looms in Westerns, for instance. I suppose it's useful in storytelling to have a location where folks from all walks of life can gather in an informal setting and relax.

When the Chirpsithra first arrived on Earth, they landed near the North Pole--something to do with the planet’s magnetic field and the way their motors work. They negotiated the creation of a landing port and Earth became a port of call for all manner of races. Rick Schumann opened the Draco Tavern, and the rest is history.

The Draco provides refreshments for a startling array of aliens of all shapes and sizes. Larry Niven has always had a knack for creating believable aliens. Their physiology and even psychology are often worked out in great detail even if very little of that information actually makes it into the story. There will be a throwaway line in one story, and then another story years later will expand upon it and you'll realize that it was there all along, just waiting to be discovered.

The stories tend to be on the short side, often focusing on a single idea. They make their point, and then bow out, leaving it to reverberate in the mind. There is some continuity to the stories. With a little rewriting and an overarching plot, this could probably become a novel, but I think it works better as a series of stories.

The Draco Tavern is a great place to visit, and deserves its place alongside such legendary watering holes as Callahan’s, Gavagan’s, and the White Hart. Highly recommended!

[Sean Rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry Niven says in the Foreward, something to the effect of: "As a writer of science fiction, I need to think about big things, and I wanted a place where I could write about them in a short format." Larry, several of those ideas BLEW MY MIND.

Essentially, the Draco Tavern is a collection of sci-fi short stories that all take place in and around the only bar outside of an alien spaceport on Earth. There's one particular race that are like the pilots of the galaxy, and they've made Earth a stopping point on the galactic transit map. Their passengers are all the other crazy, weird, thought-provoking alien races who come through, and each of them figures into one of the short tales. The narrator is the owner and operator of the Draco Tavern, and over the course of his stories, he learns about everything from artificial intelligences, ancient civilizations, alien reproduction and ceremonial feeding habits, to the effects of perpetual light speed travel.

Not a single story disappoints, and several of them are downright profound. Like Niven says, it's a concentrated collection of epic ideas, any of which could be used to flesh out an entire novel all on their own. It's like getting to see what Niven wound up throwing away.

Definitely a gem. Definitely recommended.

Also, if you get a chance, the audiobook is narrated by Tom Weiner. That guy's voice could chill a tumbler of fine scotch.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Draco Tavern is an group of short stories exploring various science ficiton themes that are tied together by their narrator, Rick Schumann, the owner/bartender of the Draco Tavern. Built in Siberia near the Mt. Forel spaceport following the arrival of a group of sentient aliens called the Chirpsithra. The "Chirps" are explorers who have found their way to Earth in order to eat, drink and socialize and to discuss a variety of philosophical and scientific concepts. Thus, the stage is set for the stories within this anthology.

I thought the collection as a whole was interesting and dealt with some very "big" issues and some of the stories were fantastic ("Asssimilating Our Culture, That's What Their Doing", "War Movie" and "The Convergence of The Old Mind" were my favorites). The rest were okay to pretty good.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concept and great stories

When I first started reading this anthology I commented that it reminded me of the book Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke. Both are anthologies set as stories set in bars (in Clarke's case an English pub, in Niven's an interstellar watering hole). The stories feature the bars owner and a changing cast of alien visitors to earth. The stories were all fun and well written and I enjoyed the book from beginning to end.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the funniest, most original alien stories I had read in a while. The book is basically a mixture of fairly unrelated alien species and issues we might have in dealing with them. I love the way the stories are written and actually send an email to Niven asking for more :-)

If you have never read anything by Niven, I would highly suggest this one, followed by Ringworld.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always like the tales from the Draco Tavern when I read them in other Niven books. I was quite excited to find them all in one place in this book. I would have liked a bit of context about the stories, though. Niven acknowledges in the introduction that there are timeline issues in the stories, and I would have like to know, at least, when each story was written.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I'm not normally a fan of short stories, but I largely enjoyed this compilation. I started a book club in July, and someone recommended starting with this book--it seemed to make a lot of sense: even if people joined the book club late, they could still come to the meeting and not have to worry about spoilers, at least not really.

The premise of this collection is fun: Rick Schumann, the classic every-man, just so happens to run the Earth's only intergalactic tavern, where species from all over the universe come to socialize. It's a premise that lends itself well to short stories: Rick and his tavern are the constants throughout the book--Rick narrates all the stories, but he (and the tavern) largely remain passive observers in the background. The aliens that visit the tavern largely drive the stories, and appear and disappear throughout the book.

Really though, these stories exist to be a platform for Larry Niven to share little snippets about "life, the universe, and everything" that he's happened on over the course of his life and career as a science fiction author. Niven has come up with some really great ideas: some of them work better than others, but the micro-stories fly by quickly enough that it almost doesn't matter (most of the stories are just 10 or 15 pages, so if one story doesn't resonate with you, it's on to the next in just a few minutes).

The best way to describe the book is to describe my favorite story. If you are super anti-spoiler don't click the link, but otherwise click away--it's only a moderate spoiler. The story starts out with Rick and a human visitor chatting outside the tavern, and the two humans sit down on a couple of rocks. At the end of the conversation, Rick reveals that the "rocks" are actually alive: they're Bricks, anaerobic aliens that move at a speed that is so slow as to be imperceptible to humans. The visitor is puzzled, and initially the Bricks seem to be stuck with a horrible fate--it will take them decades or centuries to reach the tavern, just a few meters away. The visitor and the organisms start communicating via email (don't ask), and the Bricks ask the visitor if there's anything interesting to see on earth. The visitor answers: "Lots! You could watch Niagara Falls eat its way west. Watch redwoods grow. Ride a glacier." (end of short story). Something about that line, and the idea behind it, just tickled me--but if you don't like that story, I'm sure another will strike your fancy.

That said, there are a couple of things that detract from the book. First, it wasn't written as a single volume; instead, the stories were written independently, over the course of several years (decades?), then later combined into one book. The stories were written in random order, but presented chronologically in the novel. While this ordering makes sense, it is also a little bit disconcerting: Niven's world-building grows over time, and some of the early stories, presented late in the book, stand out as being significantly more rough around the edges. Furthermore, the stories were just stuck together, with absolutely no editing--each story was written as a stand-alone, so there are some phrases and descriptions that you end up reading 20+ times throughout the book. By the end of the book, if I had to read that the Chirpsithra were 11 feet tall one more time, I was about to chuck my e-reader across the room. A little bit of editing would have gone a long way to smooth out the kinks--but ultimately doesn't detract all that much from some of the fun ideas and concepts that the book raises.

[Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books where I really wish I could give 1/2 stars. It should be about 4.5 stars, but I'm pretty strict about not giving out 5 stars unless it's one of my favorite books.

The Draco Tavern is a collection of short stories that take place in Earth's only interstellar bar. This book plays to Niven's strengths. The aliens, are both interesting and actually alien instead of the slightly tweaked humans that you get in a lot of sci-fi. He crams a lot of neat little details in there that really make it seem like this is a working bar, things like restroom facilities for multiple species.

Since it's short stories you're going to run into some that don't really do it for you. For me the stories related to 9/11 were too clunky, though I've yet to read a really good literary treatment of 9/11. The story about the priest and Chirpsithra was one of my favorites as was the advanced computer that Rick builds

[a hooded figure from your friendly neighbourhood dog park · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed all the different aliens here, and the stories (especially the first 2/3rds) were clever and twist-y in a Ted Chiang sort of way, but I kept waiting patiently for the author to remember that Siberia is actually, ahem, populated by some real world people, and... he never actually did???

The book has not a single mention of Russia as an entity or a Russian character cameo, despite a portion of Siberia randomly becoming a landing/tavern site. Oh, and just as an added bonus, no woman in this book is allowed to be NOT thin or conventionally attractive.

In short: Welcome to Hard Sci-Fi. We can have aliens that are energy patterns, but Russians and not-sexy women are just too alien for us, man.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Draco Tavern was a semi-entertaining short story collection from Larry Niven. Niven is a great SF author but I think he missed the boat with this anthology. Most of the stories are only about eight pages long-whenever things start to get interesting, boom! End of story, as it were. Niven doesn't generate the necessary traction to really get burning before he has moved on to the next topic/tale. There are story elements that tie events together and a kind of wandering backstory as well that lends a sort of structure to things, but it was not enough to stir my enthusiasm. Four stars is probably rounding up a little, but Goodreads will not let me give three and a half stars as a rating.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of sci-fi populated with strange and sometimes scary creatures. It’s not my favorite kind (because they often seem to look and/or sound like giant insects!) but I liked most of these stories all the same. The Chirpsithra, whose description sounds to me like a giant praying mantis, appear frequently. In spite of looking like bugs, they seemed to be a highly advanced species, inclined to thoughtful and philosophical discussion. And it seemed that they didn't go around killing willy-nilly.

A bar is a perfect setting for a bunch of short stories and one visited by beings from far, far away boggles and challenges the imagination. And the narration by Tom Weiner is very good.

[Danica Midlil · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories provide so much food for thought but are also enjoyable.

[Laz the Sailor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author states that many of these shorts are mini explorations of themes or concepts, expressed through the alien visitors to a bar, and the way the bartender resolves them. Most are clever, with confusion based on cultural assumptions. Once the aliens are better understood, it is possible to solve bigger problems by combining attributes.

As is typical of this style, many stories end unresolved, with all of the parameters presented, but the solution left for the student as homework.

It has been my opinion that this author is better with concepts and physics than with character development. Perhaps due to the constraints, I found the characters well defined, and even amusing at times.

I'm glad I read this collection. Similar to the early Callahan Chronicles.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to on Cd Some of Niven's best writing. Series of short stories that tell what happens at Earth's only bar for aliens. Really enjoyed this one.

[Alexia Cambaling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll admit it- I seem to have a harder time reading short story collections than novels. Or rather, it takes me longer. There's something about the self-contained nature of short stories which can often make me too lazy to finish the entire book.

The Draco Tavern is unique in the sense that while it is a collection of short stories, it is also the story of the titular tavern and its owner, Rick Schumann. It presents self-contained, yet cohesive stories of understanding between different species and intergalactic cultures. The best description I can give comes from a quote from the book itself.

"The Draco Tavern isn't just a pub. It's how humanity interacts with at least twenty-eight sapient species throughout the galaxy. Somewhere among these trillions of alien minds are the answers to all of the universal questions."

There's a lot to like about The Draco Tavern from the mysterious Chirpsithra, long-lived and claiming to own half the universe to the tavern itself, alive and full of energy that comes with interacting with a myriad of different species. Some of the stories can be slow and rather philosophical such as the ones contemplating the human existence to ones in which our hero participates in adventures like going hunting with the Folk.

The writing suits the kind of story it presents. It's written in the first-person point of view and the narrator adapts to the kind of tale he's telling. For example, in the stories where aliens start talking about philosophy and the nature of the universe, the narrator also contemplates the topics.

The stories can be read as standalone, although there are some which reference certain events in other stories. I actually found them to be more enjoyable that way, considering that I read short story collections the same as I do novels.

I recommend this book for fans of science fiction and for those who like short stories.

This review can also be found on my blog: The Bookworm Daydreamer

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this awhile ago, but was reminded of it after reading another book. This is a short story collection by Sci-Fi master Larry Niven.

The book contains 27 short stories all based around the Draco Tavern and it's owner Rick Schumann. All the stories are first person from Rick's perspective. What happens is that a race of interstellar travelers known as the Chirpsithra (aka Chirps) come to Earth and through negotiations set-up camp on Mount Forel in Siberia. They bring those studying all forms of living creatures (as the Chirps do) from other parts of the galaxy. After gaining the knowledge of a technological secret from the Chirps, Shumann becomes rather rich and opens the tavern with the help of those races to serve as a way to unwind and get off the space ships. This all happens before any of the stories take place. Niven said it was a great way to delve into the issues of sex and race, of politics and war, of survival and mortality, and of understanding one another.

At times the stories are funny. At times they were rather interesting. At times they went over my head. As a few science heavy sci-fi writers at times do, they go very deep into a subject that if your knowledge of science is not strong, you are lost. The stories do touch on all aspects that Niven intended, and together read like a fragmented novel. Kind of like Hemingway's Nick Adams' stories when they were published together in chronological order of his life in one omnibus.

I had not read a lot of sci-fi in the years leading up to reading this, and haven't read much since. It was hard at times to get back into the sci-fi mindset. Also because it took so long to get through this book based on lack of time when I had read it, at times I got bored with it. But all the stories have some merit, and some were very fascinating. It is something that a lot of sci-fi fans I am sure would enjoy.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very intriguing book - its basically a series of short stories all about the Draco Tavern - the only place on earth equipped and ready to receive alien visitors to our planet. The stories are a mix of morality tales, what if ideas and general skits all based around the tavern and its proprietor. Now the book is from 2006 but the stories date from much earlier (which explains some of the attitudes towards some countries and attitudes) however they do not date the stories and certainly do no interfere with the storyline.

Now there is a vague date line to the stories however they all can be considered as standalone with only minor references to previous stories - now I am not sure the source of these stories but they do feel like they originated as short stories in other publications which have been now serialised and turned in to this book.

Either way I did like the little name drops and references (especially the one from Robert Heinlein) and the overall attitude of Rick the Proprietor of the tavern, I think having read the book and its 27 stories I would love to think there is a longer story out there waiting to be told about the Darco Tavern and what goes on there.

As usual I find the style of Larry Niven both easy to read wrapped around a compelling story line - I am sure I have said this before that reading his work makes me want to read more but in this case I know it does. Just it can be a little slow going getting in to a story just for the punchline to be dropped and having to start a new one.

[Ryun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Larry Niven has been around the block. Best known for his RINGWORLD books, he’s a Huga and Nebula award winner, and he knows a few things. If he were a bartender, I think he’d be a lot like Rick Schumann, the proprieter of the Draco Tavern, the only bar on Earth in which aliens mingle with humans. Secrets are disclosed, miracles are performed, and dupes are taken for all they’ve got.

THE DRACO TAVERN is a collection of 26 short (and really short) stories Niven’s written over the years, collected in chronological order and encompassing one of the best compilations of boiled-down science-fiction convention ever. I know, I know, the “crazy bar” meme has been done to death. But Niven examines everything with a depth of detail and scope that really goes beyond the tired cliché.

More: http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-f...

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niven has been writing these vignettes for over thirty years, and they're still as fresh and fun now as they were when he started. Many of them have been included in one or another of his collections over the years, but it's great to have them all together in one volume. The Draco Tavern stories differ from other sf-tale-told(or set)-in-a-bar series like Gavagan's or Callahan's in their brevity and focus. In most of the stories Niven asks a single question, addresses what he has to say about it, and then moves on. The only continuing character is Rick, the bartender, who interacts with some fascinating alien characters and cultures.

[Branimir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ova knjiga mi je jako dobro sjela. To je zbirka hard SF kratkih priča od jednog od majstora. Barem ga ja tako doživljavam.
U pričama istražuje različite aspekte kontakta sa vanzemaljcima, i kako zemaljci shvaćaju totalnu stranost vanzemaljaca.
Svaka priča ima punchline, i da sad idem od priče do priče, svaku bih morao spojlati. Kada bi ocjenjivao pojedine priče, ocjene bi bile od 2 do 5, s time da prevladavaju 4 i 5.
Kada bi Davorin Horak mogao, bilo bi fora da ovu zbirku izda kao serijal u Siriusu B. Ili barem 5-6-7-8-9-10 najboljih priča :)

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, but beware: there is VERY little action in these short stories. They're all about meetings between different species at the Draco Tavern, discussing secrets of the universe, their own cultures, etc. There are a few mystery stories here and there, a little action intermingled, but if you're like me and you love just hearing about science fiction worlds, like the one Larry Niven has created, then you'll love this collection of short stories. But it's certainly not for everyone.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series of vignettes in the setting of a Mos Iseley spaceport kind of setting. In Siberia, where aliens come to interact with each other and humans. Each chapter is a self contained story that is part of the whole. And aliens from Mr. Niven's other books (like Pierson's Puppeteers from Ringwold) make appearances. And fascinating how he deals with the unusal circumstances that continue to arise. I really enjoyed this. AND the narrator was great as well

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot of fun. All short quick stories based on the life of a Bartender that runs a tavern populated by various alien life forms. Each with it's own culture and take on interacting with humans. I've always found that short stories tend to feel like sketches for a longer, or larger idea, but in this case the stories weave together. So even though each story explores different incredibly imaginative, idea, there is a common thread that pulls everything together.

[S.R. Dantzler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for writers interested in interactions between humans and xenos. Draco tavern is a multi species establishment in Siberia, near the intergalactic space station. The human proprietor takes on an antropologic role in catering to the many different species that come to his tavern. His views and stories are a fantastic source of inspiration as well as offer an open minded view of Aliens.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing how much a good writer can convey in short stories. Considering how many pages some authors need to tell a story, it's refreshing to read very brief stories that are nevertheless extremely rich. And he does a good job of re-describing the necessary details, so the reader can easily pick up any story at any time.

[Tom Dillon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid collection of short stories that I listened to as an audiobook. I think that I probably would have enjoyed them more if I had spread them out over a few months, abd the audio format just doesn't lend itself to that (although the reading was quite good). In the end, I would suggest that you get a physical copy acc read a story or two whenever the mood strikes you.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little connected stories. And who doesn't like an alien bar? A bit uneven and in some case not with a lot of point to them, almost random seeming. And not a fast read. The aliens are pretty alien, but neither the bartender nor the aliens are all that believable. So not high art but interesting. 3.5 of 5.

[Nikku · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for short stories about weird and quirky aliens. Larry Niven is a great author and many of the stories and vignettes in this book are great. A couple were not so entertaining, but on the whole I enjoyed it a lot.