DOWN IN FLAMES. OUTLINE FOR AN UNWRITTEN EPIC NOVEL. BY LARRY NIVEN. The following requires some explanation.At least On January 14 1968 Norman Spinrad and I were at a party thrown by Tom amp Terry Pinckard.Wewere filling coffee cups when Spinny started this whole thing. You ought to drop the known space series he said.Youll get stale.Quotes are notnecessarily dead accurate.I explained that I was writing stories outside the known space‘ history and that I would give up the series as soon as I ran out of things to say within itsframework.Which would be soon. Then why dont you write a novel that tears it to shredsDont just abandon knownspace.Destroy it‘ But howI never asked why.Norman and I think alike in some ways.Start with the premisethat the whole thing is a shuck.There never was a chain reaction of novae in the galacticcore.There arent any Thrintun.Its all a gigantic hoax.Write it that way.Then Spinny saidif the fans write letters threatening to lynch you you write back saying Its only a story. . . . ‘ We found a corner.During the next four hours we worked out the details.Some I rejected.Like hewanted to make the Tnuctipun into minions of the Devil.Yes the Devil.Like he wanted me tobe inconsistent.I cant do that not on purpose. The incredible thing is that when we finished we