JUGGLER OF WORLDS by Niven and Lerner

I have completed JUGGLER OF WORLDS. by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner. I can only recommend this to Known Space fans. It is more enjoyable than FLEET OF WORLDS, because of the strong connection to Known Space characters and situations. The high point of this book is the new character Sigmund Ausfaller, an ARM agent, and a true paranoid. His paranoia fuels his deductive reasoning powers. If RINGWORLD can be said to be driven by The Luck of Teela Brown, then JUGGLER OF WORLDS is driven by The Paranoia of Sigmund Ausfaller. In all, JUGGLER provides much to satisfy the fan: We get to meet Carlos Wu, and see Beowulf Shaeffer in some of his fabled adventures, including the race to the galactic core explosion. Nessus again figures prominently in the story. We see Puppeteers in all their manipulating expertise, and even see them beat at their own game by Ausfaller. But ultimately, the book succumbs to the fate of all prequels: it must tread lightly lest it exceed the parameters of the sequels. I expected this going in and so was not let down when it happened. JUGGLER did provide me with a fond recollection of the other Known Space books, and that was all I was looking for. If that is what you expect, then you may enjoy this book also.