Ringworld PREQUEL

Larry Niven, in collaboraiton with Edward M. Lerner, has a novel forthcoming that is set in the Known Space series and give an account of the events leading up to the discovery of the supernova at the galaxy's core. Looks like a great way to kick off the re-reading of the Ringworld sequence. It is called FLEET OF WORLDS. And, in bizarre note of synchronicity, the protagonist's last name is Kovacs.