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GrandpaPants posted:I don't even know if this is a real story, but it's about a man who sees a woman on a different planet/galaxy/astronomical distance away through a telescope. He might have fallen in love with her or something. I think at some point there was something about the fact that the woman is probably already dead, seeing as how she's light years away.
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Apr 19, 2009 16:11
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Morlock posted:The Girl in the Golden Atom is kind of similar - scientist with super-microscope sees life (and a cute girl) on an atom and shrinks himself down to find her. Maybe that? The Diamond Lens by Fitz James O'Brien has a similar premise.
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Apr 19, 2009 20:22
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criptozoid posted:The Diamond Lens by Fitz James O'Brien has a similar premise. I can't think of any where the plot point is distance rather than size, either. If it's time-viewing then maybe Daphne du Maurier's The House on the Strand - the hero takes a drug that lets him see the past. I think Lord Dunsany wrote a similar novel but I haven't read that (yet).
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Apr 19, 2009 21:31
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n/m, found it easily on google.
woz0 fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Apr 20, 2009 |
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Apr 20, 2009 06:33
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Real longshot here. I'm trying to remember the name of a sci-fi shot story I read maybe 20 years ago. I'm guessing it was written in the 80s or 70s. It was told from the point of view of a leader of a team involved in wargames vs. other teams. These teams were comprised of famous people from the past that had been resurrected with technology. There was some kind of limit, like you couldn't resurrect anyone who'd been dead less than 100 years or something. Each team competes for the rights to resurrect (maybe clone would be a better word) famous generals, scientists, thinkers from the past. And people didn't always come out as you'd expect -- there was a lot of excitement when a team won the rights to resurrect Einstein, but after resurrection all he wanted to do was play chess. Anyway, it goes on for a bit, I think the narrator's team had maybe just won a major victory in these war games. As the story ends, there is a very strong implication that the narrator is Hitler. Any chance someone might know this story?
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Apr 20, 2009 18:18
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angelicism posted:This is probably going to be too vague, but I had a random memory of something I read... actually I don't know when I read this. I think it's a collection of short stories. In fact, the only thing I remember of it is there are people now living on either the moon or Mars or someplace not Earth, and it rains/hails diamonds there. So there's a kid running home to beat the storm, and I think his mother looks out the window after it's done 'raining' and there are trucks collecting the diamonds from the ground, and she's wondering why people on Earth want that 'junk'. I remember this story, but don't recall the title or author. I want to say it was an Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke story ... Clarke feels right to me, although my googling was unsuccessful.
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Apr 20, 2009 18:34
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regulargonzalez posted:I remember this story, but don't recall the title or author. I want to say it was an Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke story ... Clarke feels right to me, although my googling was unsuccessful. Well at least now I know I didn't just hallucinate it. 
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Apr 21, 2009 00:50
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The book I am looking for is a "young adult" science fiction novel. It's a story about a girl who lives with her grandfather. He works with something having to do with star power or something. Somehow, he disappears, and the girl goes with another man to try and find her grandfather, I'm pretty sure they travel, and he's become a star or something like that. The other man turns out to be an evil rival scientist. There was also a subplot involving butterflies. I'm sorry this is vague, but I read it about 7 - 10 years ago, and cannot remember it full out. If you can understand and interpret what the hell book I mean, and tell me what it is, that would be awesome.
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Apr 21, 2009 01:24
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I read a short story on line at some point, I believe it was by a Golden Age Sci-Fi author. May have been published in a Baen Book Omnibus at some point. The basic premise was a space empire or some pirates were going to invade a planet of pacifists, but the catch was that they weren't really pacifists but the universes best strategists and so there was no one worthy to fight. (I believe they admonished one of their children about being so wasteful in fighting at the end, and he could have done it with far less violence.) There may have also been a plot about making people disappear.
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May 1, 2009 02:19
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JustAurora posted:The book I am looking for is a "young adult" science fiction novel. It's a story about a girl who lives with her grandfather. He works with something having to do with star power or something. Somehow, he disappears, and the girl goes with another man to try and find her grandfather, I'm pretty sure they travel, and he's become a star or something like that. The other man turns out to be an evil rival scientist. There was also a subplot involving butterflies. I'm sorry this is vague, but I read it about 7 - 10 years ago, and cannot remember it full out. If you can understand and interpret what the hell book I mean, and tell me what it is, that would be awesome. Is it Heartlight by T. A. Barron? e: The butterflies weren't really a subplot if I remember correctly though, they were pretty important to the entire book. I want to say their names were Orpheus and Morpheus. roffles fucked around with this message at 06:38 on May 1, 2009 |
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May 1, 2009 06:34
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roffles posted:Is it Heartlight by T. A. Barron? Yes, it is! I can't believe it, I was somewhat sure I was remembering some crazy book that didn't exist. Thank you!
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May 1, 2009 23:01
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I was hoping there would be a thread like this. I usually remember plots of books at least vaguely, but never the titles, and I have an obsession with re-reading books I've liked. I remember starting to read a book, maybe 4 or 5 years ago at the most, that I found in our living room. I didn't finish it (I was around 13 or 14, I think it either started grossing me out or I lost interest), but I remember thinking that it was kind of trashy. I think it was set in modern times. All I really remember about the plot is some young girl, I guess working as some sort of prostitute, gets hired by a guy. He says that he wants to essentially "play doctor," and puts her in a medical-type room (bed, bright lights, etc.), comes in dressed as a doctor, messes around with her...I don't think they actually had sex. He might've drugged her. She ends up pregnant, gives birth to some hideous deformed baby on a bathroom floor, maybe it killed her. Then the book went to detectives investigating the scene of the crime, like it had happened before and the babies were some sort of conspiracy, maybe being used for organs. Like I said, weird, trashy book, and I have no idea why I just found it in our living room. But it's been bugging me for years, and I'd love to at least know the title.
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May 7, 2009 21:27
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Man, I've been thinking about what this book could possibly be for so long. I read it as a kid, probably 6 or 7 years ago. It was vaguely post-apocalyptic (either that, or it was an alternate future). I believe it had something to do with robots, and was marketed as a young adult book, although it was quite dark. A young kid is taken in by a group of people (they all have shaved heads, from what I remember). I think they also had Matrix-like metal plates/connectors on the back of their heads. I remember a specific scene in which the kid learns about sex. There is a room in these people's base in which people procreate, but they can only do so after they are educated. This probably isn't the best explanation, but it's really all I can remember. Sound familiar to anyone?
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May 7, 2009 22:01
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I'm trying to remember a book from my childhood that was like Hansel and Gretel, except it took place in a plains environment instead of the forest. I remember the witch was green, and it had something to do with splinters and water. I also think the witch dies by falling off a cliff. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? I may be misremembering a lot of the book, so my description may not make any sense.
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May 7, 2009 22:44
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This is a book I read as a child, around 1980. 4 children get lost exploring a city, possibly London. Somehow they briefly come across a parallell world where they are asked to look after the treasure. The kids wake up and find they are each clutching a junk item like a brick, an old plank, stuff like that. Later a lot of weird stuff happens in their lives. Static electricity messing up their tv set. I seem to remember the girl finding unicorns burried in the back yard or something. The unicorns have a poem written. And one of the boys havng weird dreams about the junk being part of golden treasure. Later some two dimentional black silouettes start showing up and eventually chasing the children. I think the oldest brother acuses the others of hallucinating what is happening for a while. Does any of this ring any bells?
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May 8, 2009 11:55
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BattyKiara posted:This is a book I read as a child, around 1980. vvvv Cheers! vvvv Runcible Cat fucked around with this message at 20:58 on May 8, 2009 |
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May 8, 2009 19:58
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Thank you, Morlock
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May 8, 2009 20:00
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Ugh, this is driving me crazy. I just remembered a book I read on holiday a few years ago.. it was about a cyborg/robot soldier, possibly the result of a secret government project, who went rogue in Latin America and became like the protector of this village against the local despot. At the end I think he walked into the sea. I think Spider was involved somehow, like as a name? Or he had a spider tattoo or something. Maybe not. Thanks guys.
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May 14, 2009 19:59
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Jack the Lad posted:Ugh, this is driving me crazy.
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May 14, 2009 20:55
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Action Jacktion posted:Probably Weapon by Robert Mason. I love you man, thank you!
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May 14, 2009 20:56
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I remember reading a book when I was younger, it was about a virus that killed everyone over a certain age, twelve or something. So these kids form little communities with overheard walkways between their houses and alarms and poo poo to fend off other kids. They then move to a large fortress-like school and pour hot oil on kids and their dogs get poisoned etc. The story focuses around a girl and her younger brother. What book is this?
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May 15, 2009 08:20
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Stoic Commie posted:I remember reading a book when I was younger, it was about a virus that killed everyone over a certain age, twelve or something. (e:  )
Runcible Cat fucked around with this message at 08:27 on May 15, 2009 |
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May 15, 2009 08:22
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Morlock posted:The Girl who Owned a City. Thank you! I'm going to read it again 
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May 15, 2009 08:58
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Here's a challenge. It's a book I read in middle school just after picking it up off the shelf. It's kind of a cyberpunk/post-modern slacker young adult novella which features a few youths, of whom the focal protagonist is named Lise, who have finished school and are awaiting job assignment. They aren't assigned jobs, however, but are allowed to live together basically on welfare and whatever they can scrounge together. One of them catches wind of a space-exploration experiment where people are strapped into virtual reality devices that put groups of people in the wilderness to test their survival skills. They get in the program and go a couple rounds, learning more and more each time. Then, one day, they wake up to find themselves actually out in the wilderness on a distant Earthlike planet and are pretty much forced to fend for themselves. Thanks in advance and such. e: VVV Holy gently caress, that was fast. Good work! pill for your ills fucked around with this message at 21:11 on May 15, 2009 |
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May 15, 2009 21:05
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invitation_to_the_Game in my defense my mom was a teacher librarian with a yen for canadian ya fiction so i read all this junk when i was lil. 99% sure that's what your looking for.
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May 15, 2009 21:10
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I remember reading a kids sci-fi/adventure book series as a kid, the name of which escapes me. All I remember was that one of the books had a title that was a parody of "The Search for Spock". Sorry I can't remember anything else, I just remember I never finished it.
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May 16, 2009 05:16
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Dacap posted:I remember reading a kids sci-fi/adventure book series as a kid, the name of which escapes me. All I remember was that one of the books had a title that was a parody of "The Search for Spock". Sorry I can't remember anything else, I just remember I never finished it. Bruce Coville's Rod Albright Alien Adventures series, the parody title was the search for snout Wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_Ate_My_Homework
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May 24, 2009 06:55
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Oh man, this thread is awesome. I remember reading in seventh grade or so (so it woulda been the very early nineties) a book from my english teacher's reading rack, but all I can remember about it is that there was this kid who went into some house and a guy gave him a nondescript small metal cube and he used it to awaken psychic powers or something. I have been trying to remember the title of this book for years.
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May 26, 2009 17:32
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RomaVictor posted:When I was a kid I read two books from a series that featured time traveling children, and the books were hilarious. The two that I read featured a trip to Camelot and a trip to the time of Blackbeard the Pirate. The Time Warp Trio series. Here are the two you probably read:  
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May 26, 2009 21:51
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This is going to sound weird, but there was an erotic story from some erotica collection we had lying around in which a woman is obsessed with being iced down...until you realize she's actually obsessed with being dead. It was a creepy story, not erotic at all, and very well-written. I can no longer remember the name of the story, though. drat, I wish I had a copy. EDIT: Ha! Just after I posted this, I found it: Kathleen Bradean's "Chill." What a disturbing story. Keanu Grieves fucked around with this message at 21:58 on May 26, 2009 |
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May 26, 2009 21:54
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Elohssa Gib posted:Bruce Coville's Rod Albright Alien Adventures series, the parody title was the search for snout Thanks, that's it!
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May 27, 2009 20:52
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There is a book that I think is being made into a movie sometime soon that the idea behind it is dropping your life for months and going out to this retreat and finishing a book. I can't remember the name of the book and it's been bugging me because the concept sounds cool but if it sucks lemme know so I can try and borrow it from the library rather than buy it. Thanks!
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May 29, 2009 10:12
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For some reason, I just had a book pop into my head that I read as a kid and I simply cannot remember the author or title of the book. I'm wondering if you guys can help out. Google hasn't been very helpful so far. The story was about a kid who runs away from home and lives in the wilderness by himself. He learns to forage, fish, etc. and ends up finding a huge tree that he hollows out and turns into his home. There's a point where he heats water and uses a natural basin to bathe in. Later on in the story his father ends up finding him somehow and visits with him for a short time. He unsuccessfully tries to talk him into coming back to civilization. That's about all I can remember. I'm sure that the book is older, as I read it in the late 80's in middle school. It's definitely at least a couple decades older than that. Does anyone have any ideas?
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May 29, 2009 16:21
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GOOCHY posted:For some reason, I just had a book pop into my head that I read as a kid and I simply cannot remember the author or title of the book. I'm wondering if you guys can help out. Google hasn't been very helpful so far. Is it My Side of the Mountain? (Thank you, Achewood thread)
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May 29, 2009 16:25
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Unkempt posted:Is it My Side of the Mountain? That's it! Wow, that was extremely fast. Thanks a bunch. I had spent all morning entering every permutation of descriptions I could think of into Google and got nowhere. Thanks!
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May 29, 2009 16:31
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Not sure when this one came out but I read a book in 2006 that from memory was about a technological god being that floated in outer space. I remember a scene where (i think) the main character ends up inside the computer simulated reality the god being created that is some sort of aesthetically pleasing paradise. There were scenes of spaceship battles as well I think. I think it was called 'The ____ God' but I could be way wrong on that. Edit: I seem to recall there being the ability for humans to retain their personality in a computer in this as well. Either that or a God put itself in a computer to survive or something? And there was a God eater going across the universe or something. Heck this is a hard one to google. MacDougall fucked around with this message at 21:40 on May 29, 2009 |
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May 29, 2009 21:31
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MacDougall posted:Not sure when this one came out but I read a book in 2006 that from memory was about a technological god being that floated in outer space. I remember a scene where (i think) the main character ends up inside the computer simulated reality the god being created that is some sort of aesthetically pleasing paradise. There were scenes of spaceship battles as well I think. I think it was called 'The ____ God' but I could be way wrong on that.
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May 29, 2009 22:47
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I need help trying to identify a book I think I read about 15 years ago or so. Set in England and definitely English in origin. Heres what little I can recall. A man frustrated in both his private and professional life accidentally kills a homeless man, after weeks of worry he realises that he has gotten away with murder so he takes to murdering those who stand in the way of the life he wants to lead. I remember that he kills someone by poisoning them with Paraquat, and another by rigging the entrance to his attic to give a fatal electric shock. In the end he gets charged for the one murder in the book that he didn't commit. Help me goons.
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May 30, 2009 00:47
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Morlock posted:The 3rd book of Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy (there's some description of the background before the spoilers start; see if anything's familiar) is called The Naked God, and fits the rest, except the "god eater" was the souls of the dead returning to possess the living (and their biotech). But it could be a hell of a lot of other modern space operas, from your description.... No but that's not a bad guess. I remember there was another part where by saying the word 'Yahweh' some old God that had captured it's personality in a computer was shut down or something along those lines.
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May 30, 2009 02:57
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MacDougall posted:Not sure when this one came out but I read a book in 2006 that from memory was about a technological god being that floated in outer space. I remember a scene where (i think) the main character ends up inside the computer simulated reality the god being created that is some sort of aesthetically pleasing paradise. There were scenes of spaceship battles as well I think. I think it was called 'The ____ God' but I could be way wrong on that. The Broken God by David Zindell?
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May 30, 2009 03:15
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