Laurence Van Cott Niven, known widely as Larry Niven, first breathed life into the world on April 30, 1938, in the sunlit city of Los Angeles. Born to Waldemar Van Cott Niven, a man of law, and Lucy Estelle (née Doheny) Niven, he grew up amidst the aspirations of Beverly Hills. His academic journey took him to Cal Tech between 1956 and 1958, where, lured by the magnetic pull of science fiction paperbacks, he stumbled academically. Undeterred, he completed his mathematical studies at Washburn University in Topeka by 1962. Postgraduate years from 1962 to 1963 saw him at UCLA, under the financial umbrella of a trust fund his great-grandfather had established. During this time, he embarked on a writer's odyssey, selling his first tale, "The Coldest Place," to Worlds of If, a beacon among science fiction magazines of the era. His creative spark transformed another of his sci-fi narratives into his debut novel, World of Ptavvs, which graced the shelves in 1966.

On September 6, 1969, Niven united in matrimony with Marilyn Joyce Wisowaty. By this stage, his name had already carved a niche in the literary world. Amidst a period where the softer strands of science fiction—those weaving social speculations and fantastical tales akin to The Lord of the Rings but cast on extraterrestrial terrains—dominated, Niven’s work stood out. His stories, often grounded in technological speculation and its profound impacts on humanity, portrayed science as a benevolent guiding force. During the 1970s, he played a pivotal role in upholding the esteem of hard science fiction, paving the way for a new breed of storytellers, such as Tom Clancy and Greg Bear, who emerged in the subsequent decades, weaving technology into the fabric of their narratives. Niven himself acknowledges the echoes of past influences, notably citing Murray Leinster's "Sideways in Time" and O. Henry's "Roads of Destiny" as inspirations for his own tales of multiple timelines, like "All the Myriad Ways."

Recognizing the magnetic pull his stories have on the young, Niven reflects in N-Space on the allure of "All the Myriad Ways" and the works of fellow visionaries like Keith Laumer, Poul Anderson, and Fritz Leiber. "The dance of ideas," as he describes it, captures youthful curiosity even before adolescence. For him, the quintessential science fiction question, "What if," ignites his creative fantasies, crafting narratives that mesmerize both young minds and mature intellects alike. In these stories, he invites readers into realms of otherworldly wonders, journeys through past and future landscapes, and universes where magic breathes reality—playgrounds for the young in spirit and rich narratives for seasoned readers.