by Larry Niven
First published 1996
Five centuries ago, the starship Discipline encountered a massive gas cloud surrounding a neutron star. The crew abandoned their vessel and took refuge in this strange environment called the Smoke Ring, where plants and animals have adapted to permanent weightlessness. Now their descendants inhabit this orbital ecosystem, building lives among the floating trees and creatures that call this place home. Earth has faded into legend for these space dwellers, and they have no memory of the State that once governed human civilization. But Sharls Davis Kendy, the ship's artificial intelligence, has not forgotten the mission or the people left behind. The cyborg cop watches and waits as the abandoned Discipline drifts just beyond the Ring's boundaries, preparing to reconnect with the scattered human survivors who no longer remember where they came from.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, space-opera, hard-science-fiction
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Smoke Ring, Discipline
Period: Five Centuries Ago
Audio Cassette · Blackstone Audio, Inc.