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I have one from when I was a kid (80s or so) that I haven't been able to remember the title to. It's pretty vague. I remember the cover being orange, and the artists drawing on the front was 3 bald kids in front of some giant room of escalators/future stuff. The premise I can remember was something about one kid getting taken to the future by 2 other kids, and they had to shave his head because everyone in the world was bald by then. Another plot point was the kid who went to the future had a dollar, and apparently that made him the richest person on the planet. The bald future kids were freaking out because no one used paper money anymore and telling him not to show it to anyone because they will freak out. I can't remember anything else about the book other than it was a paperback. Not much to go on, but my google fu is weak 
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Jan 3, 2010 23:55
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:I have one from when I was a kid (80s or so) that I haven't been able to remember the title to. I think I found it. Googled "everyone in the future is bald" >_< I found a thread where someone else was actually looking for the same book. I can't find anything to verify it's the same book except for a couple of brief mentions on people's blogs and things, but I think it is The Tutti Frutti Connection by Alan Cameron The mentions I found of this book all talk about everyone being bald and wearing jumpsuits and the dollar bill being really really important, so I think it's got to be the one.
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Jan 4, 2010 00:46
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Holy crap that's it!!!! I remember something about an ice cream parlor also. Man I gotta search around for a copy of that now. Thank you!!!!! This has been bugging me for weeks!
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Jan 4, 2010 01:13
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:Holy crap that's it!!!! You're welcome!  I wish I could do this for a living.
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Jan 4, 2010 11:11
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veril posted:I'm not sure this is enough to go on, but.. This sounds like Brother to Shadows by Andre Norton. Jofre is a young orphan who belongs to a ninja-esque order. The organization is being taken over by corrupt priests who want him dead or exiled. He escapes to a spaceport city and rescues an alien scholar (a Zacanthan; a race that Norton frequently refers to) who hires him as a bodyguard. He buys wire to make a sort of bolo-type weapon. They go offworld, he meets a female ninja from a related order, they adopt a weird telepathic pet, and together they all manage to trigger some centuries-old device left by the Forerunners. Sound familiar?
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Jan 4, 2010 11:12
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Frantick posted:The only thing I could find close to this is Manhattan Transfer by John E. Stith. Aliens take whole cities and plop them into domes, with Manhattan being the one that's focused on in the book. I couldn't find a lot of details to see if it's the same story you are talking about, but it seemed similar. Checked it out on Amazon and it wasn't a match. I'm going to satisfy my curiosity by getting in touch with my 7th grade teacher and inquiring about the book (assuming she is still alive and hasn't been committed).
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Jan 4, 2010 19:11
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wheatpuppy posted:This sounds like Brother to Shadows by Andre Norton. Jofre is a young orphan who belongs to a ninja-esque order. The organization is being taken over by corrupt priests who want him dead or exiled. He escapes to a spaceport city and rescues an alien scholar (a Zacanthan; a race that Norton frequently refers to) who hires him as a bodyguard. He buys wire to make a sort of bolo-type weapon. They go offworld, he meets a female ninja from a related order, they adopt a weird telepathic pet, and together they all manage to trigger some centuries-old device left by the Forerunners. Sound familiar? Awesome, that's exactly it! And it looks to be part of a series - although I don't think they're very connected. Thanks very much
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Jan 5, 2010 02:48
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There was an audiobook series on the net I was into a few years back that was a mix of Gunslinger and Fallout. What I remember about it most is that it featured a bad rear end gunslinger type with mechanical legs. I don't remember exactly what sort of quest he was on but I remember huge super fast trains and a lot of scary desperate desert people. I'd really like to listen to these stories again but now that I see how little I remember I doubt I'll ever get to, haha.
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Jan 5, 2010 05:29
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There was this book I read as a kid in the 90s that had a bunch of different swords in it and they each had different powers and a person who held them. The only thing I really remember is some guy getting eaten by a dragon and kicking the dragon's rear end from the inside. Been googling like crazy for it and just can't find it. Think it was mostly elemental type powers like an earthquake sword and poo poo like that.
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Jan 6, 2010 13:08
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Poistiant posted:There was this book I read as a kid in the 90s that had a bunch of different swords in it and they each had different powers and a person who held them. The only thing I really remember is some guy getting eaten by a dragon and kicking the dragon's rear end from the inside. Been googling like crazy for it and just can't find it. Think it was mostly elemental type powers like an earthquake sword and poo poo like that. There's no earthquake sword, but there is Stonecutter, so it sounds pretty much like you're looking for Fred Saberhagen's Books of the Swords series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_the_Swords
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Jan 6, 2010 13:49
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NinjaDebugger posted:There's no earthquake sword, but there is Stonecutter, so it sounds pretty much like you're looking for Fred Saberhagen's Books of the Swords series. Be forewarned: they are not as good as you remember them.
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Jan 6, 2010 16:42
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Yep thats it, I'm sure they are terrible just been bugging me to death thanks alot.
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Jan 6, 2010 22:47
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I got a couple: 1. Okay this is probably going to be real tough given the sketchiness of details I have. I started reading this when I was 16, only to have it borrowed and never returned. I really don't remember very much other than the fact that this is a book set in Lund Sweden and it begins with a call to the police station at Lund (I remember this vividly cause Lund means dick in Hindi slang and it amused me no end at the time). People in the town get used to seeing this stranger take walks along a stretch of the road and are disturbed enough by his disappearance to put a call through to the police. The book soon develops into some sort of an existential serial killer drama, with the killer murdering pets and spending a lot of time reflecting on how sick and diseased the world is. 2. On reading a description of a murder in the local paper, a man is filled with remorse and goes to the local police station to hand himself over. Except he has a rock solid alibi for when the crime happened and is released by the cops. The murders continue and with each subsequent murder, the protagonist gets more and more convinced of having committed them, but the police invariably manage to prove he's not the murderer. It ends after a particularly graphic description of a murder - the protagonist shows up at the police station and the head cop says something to the effect of "Oh, it's you again is it? Listen this has got to stop or one of us is going to go seriously insane." This was in one of those old Alfred Hitchcock Presents short story collections. Any help with these will be greatly appreciated.
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Jan 10, 2010 18:35
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Ok, here's one. This guy is a Vietnam or Korean War veteran or some such. Someone kidnaps his wife (who I think is named Meg), and begins leaving him clues to jog repressed memories. One of these clues is a videotape of the kidnapper having sex with the guy's wife, in order to make him think back to a similar incident during the war. Turns out the guy and the kidnapper are both badass Delta Force super-secret types, and once the guy's memories are all the way back, they end up working together to bring down the true bad guy, who I remember nothing about. Oh, yeah. The kidnapper and the guy's wife go through some weird Native American ritual where he pisses all over her and then bathes her in the ocean. Good luck with that one....
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Jan 11, 2010 06:12
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I had a book pop in my head the other day. I can't remember much about it except it was a sci-fi about this guy who is given the ability of extra dimensional travel. If I'm remembering correctly the guy uses the skill to cheat in Vegas, and also observes some 2 dimensional people. There were some drawings in the book of the 2d people. I think he accidentally kills one while trying to get it to be 3d, and there was something about needing to pee on people so they could access the extra dimensions. Any help that proves I'm not insane would help.
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Jan 12, 2010 06:25
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Elohssa Gib posted:I had a book pop in my head the other day. I can't remember much about it except it was a sci-fi about this guy who is given the ability of extra dimensional travel. If I'm remembering correctly the guy uses the skill to cheat in Vegas, and also observes some 2 dimensional people. There were some drawings in the book of the 2d people. I think he accidentally kills one while trying to get it to be 3d, and there was something about needing to pee on people so they could access the extra dimensions. Any help that proves I'm not insane would help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceland_%28novel%29 ?
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Jan 12, 2010 11:58
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Unkempt posted:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaceland_%28novel%29 ? That's the one, now I just have to figure out where the gently caress I read it the first time. Thank you.
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Jan 13, 2010 10:32
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Can’t stop thinking about a picture book I had as a kid (It was actually my older brother’s so circa 1974-1982). Similar in style to a little golden book (but not one) about a man in a pinstriped suit, bowler hat, and glasses (?) carrying an umbrella. And misadventures having to do with an apple. I’ve tried a bunch of google searches but I just keep getting that Magritte painting. Anybody recognize this one?
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Jan 14, 2010 18:40
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King Plum the Nth posted:Can’t stop thinking about a picture book I had as a kid (It was actually my older brother’s so circa 1974-1982). Similar in style to a little golden book (but not one) about a man in a pinstriped suit, bowler hat, and glasses (?) carrying an umbrella. And misadventures having to do with an apple. A long shot, but possibly Mr Benn? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr_Benn I only remember it as a TV series, but according to that article it was a book series also. I don't know how widespread it was outside of the UK, though, if your not from there.
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Jan 14, 2010 19:05
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Hobnob posted:A long shot, but possibly Mr Benn? Thanks, that's not it but it looks pretty sweet. This was a one off, I think. I'm from Maryland, originally, and I suspect the book is from the US. There was construction equipment or a construction site involved in the hijinks and a city in the background that I equated with Sesame Street so New York-like. e: I found it! Not even my mom opr older brother remembered it (It was his favorite book as a kid) but, somehow, my baby brother did. I'm waaayy to happy about this.
King Plum the Nth fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Jan 15, 2010 |
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Jan 14, 2010 20:03
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Atreyu posted:On reading a description of a murder in the local paper, a man is filled with remorse and goes to the local police station to hand himself over. Except he has a rock solid alibi for when the crime happened and is released by the cops. The murders continue and with each subsequent murder, the protagonist gets more and more convinced of having committed them, but the police invariably manage to prove he's not the murderer. It ends after a particularly graphic description of a murder - the protagonist shows up at the police station and the head cop says something to the effect of "Oh, it's you again is it? Listen this has got to stop or one of us is going to go seriously insane." This was in one of those old Alfred Hitchcock Presents short story collections. 'Good for the Soul' by Lawrence Block. I have it in a collection of his short stories called Some Days You Get The Bear.
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Jan 15, 2010 13:51
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Thanks a ton, Shonagon!
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Jan 16, 2010 06:19
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Here's a book that I read years ago.. I had an advance copy of it somehow, I think I got my copy at a yard sale. It was horror. And basically it was a family where the father was transferred to a small mountain town, where this company had a lot of their families. It was the perfect town out of the city. Then there are experiments going on with the teens, I remember with people on the HS football team especially. They are better, stronger, etc.. except that there is a temper issue that comes out sometime, and they can hurt/kill someone. The family that transfers there, the son is involved somehow but doesn't really want to be.. I think that eventually with the medical experiments, the people turn into a sort of animal/monster. I googled a bit, and couldn't find it. I'd really like to. edit-- googled another 10 minutes and found it: Creature by John Saul. Juanito fucked around with this message at 07:46 on Jan 16, 2010 |
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Jan 16, 2010 07:31
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Let me try this again. Setting: Likely middle east type, pre-christ. Characters: 2 brothers. one is kind of a scheming, always looking for an edge , type guy. When he is young , he has a birthday and his fathers consort comes on to him, and he declines. his father tells him that was the right choice, and if he had slept with his consort, he would have killed him. Then he gives the boy said consort as a present. I can't remember what happens at all in the book. Ending: Guy is broke, has nothing. he is wandering down the road and comes across his brother and his brothers wife. his brother is cracked in the head and raves on with all this religious sounding poo poo. Eventually, the brothers wife gives birth and guy A is all  I think I could use all this and turn it into something powerful.
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Jan 17, 2010 05:17
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Johnny Aztec posted:Let me try this again. The Bible. e:gently caress, why do I know this?
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Jan 17, 2010 05:41
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There was this book I must've read about 12 or so years ago, It was set on what I think was a massive space station but it was themed like ancient Rome. They also had massive gladiator fights with giant robots. Anyone got a clue about what book I'm goin on about?
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Jan 17, 2010 22:04
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BattyKiara posted:#3. Sci-fi. At the age of 13 for girls, and 15 for boys, all children are taken away from their family. At the "Temple" they are subjected to all sorts of tests and sorted according to beauty, intelligence, physical strength, magic abilities etc. I think girls had 7 tests, boys had 5. After a year, they have to choose the cast they will serve in for the rest of their lives. 12 castes, all with a specific colour. But each child is only given a choice of 3-5 castes, to make sure they end up in the one where they can best serve their society. There was this one girl who was being groomed and preasured to choose the turqois caste, who were some sort of nuns. Also a boy who tries repeatedly to injure himself, so he can't be forced to enter the caste that produce food. I think some kids disappeared during training, and later it's revealed they are being used as breeding stock, and forcibly paired up with someone according to genes. This sounds very similar to the "Black Jewels" series by Anne Bishop. The books in the series are "Daughter of the Blood," "Heir to the Shadows," "Queen of the Darkness," "The Invisible Ring," "Dreams Made Flesh," "Tangled Webs," and "The Shadow Queen." statictician posted:This is not exactly the same caliber of book as most people are asking for, but I figure it's worth a try... I'm probably wrong on this, since this book definitely has faces on the characters, but could it be Mercer Mayer's version?   
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Jan 18, 2010 05:47
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It's been a long time so I can't actually remember a huge amount of detail about the plot but what I remember is that there was some sort of delegation to a newly discovered planet. They get there and instead of meeting with whoever they were supposed to meet with the one guy gets tortured for a most of the story because the inhabitants of the planet believe that only through torture comes true understanding or something along that line. At the end of the book the guy who was tortured transcends the torture, is made some sort of ruler and I believe orders the other person who traveled with him to the planet get tortured so that he can achieve the same enlightenment. People keep saying it sounds vaguely familiar but no one knows the actual story. A friend thought it sounded like a Heinlein story. It was a short story, I remember reading it as part of a collection of stories by the same author but I can't remember any of the other stories.
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Jan 19, 2010 03:21
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Zamboni Jesus posted:People keep saying it sounds vaguely familiar but no one knows the actual story. A friend thought it sounded like a Heinlein story. It was a short story, I remember reading it as part of a collection of stories by the same author but I can't remember any of the other stories. That's a Piers Anthony story, but I forget the title.
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Jan 19, 2010 03:28
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Thanks, I found the story: http://savetherobot.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/the-sickest-story-ive-ever-read/
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Jan 19, 2010 04:32
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Zamboni Jesus posted:Thanks, I found the story: http://savetherobot.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/the-sickest-story-ive-ever-read/ The title since the blog guy can't remember it is 'On The Uses of Torture'
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Jan 19, 2010 22:31
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quote:BattyKiara posted: No, that's deffinately not it. The book I read was older, and set in a more futuristic society. Thanks for trying though.
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Jan 20, 2010 00:43
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I'm searching for a couple of books. The first one I could've sworn was called "Pillars of Heaven" but a quick Google and Amazon search led to nothing. It's set in Britain controlled India and it's about a boy that was born in India until he was like 10 and then was set to Great Britain for education. He comes back and finds the princess (or courtesan of some sort?) and they end up falling in love after traveling across a huge desert for like 300 pages. The second one I read in 6th grade so it must be targeted towards a younger audience, but my memory is pretty vague. I remember it was about some sort of cabin boy that is ship wrecked in the Arctic. I think he lives in the bottom of the ship (like in the hold maybe?) and makes a hole to get in and out. I also seem to recall a polar bear of some sort. Thanks for your help!
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Jan 20, 2010 05:32
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1. A short story I read probably in the early-mid 80s. A child has some special ability where he (she?) can see into the inner workings of things. There is an example where he is looking at a plant and can see it draw water up from the soil and absorb sunlight and convert it to chlorophyll. Later, some adult pisses him off and he sees inside the adult's chest and watches his heart beat and pump blood through his body and he constricts the heart with his mind causing the adult to have a heart attack and die. 2. A children's book I read in the mid 70s. It was a large format book (maybe 12"x18") and I believe it had a yellow cover. It was a full color book and there were no words. It was a about a boy and his dog who get caught in a very scary storm. I seem to recall that the trees looked like monsters when backlit by the lightning. This wasn't "A boy, a dog, and a frog", "The Boy Who Spoke Dog", nor was it part of a series of books such as "Clifford", but it had a simple animation style similar to Clifford. Sorry to be so vague, but it has been over 30 years and I was pretty young when I had that book.
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Jan 20, 2010 07:04
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Ok, so this is a children's book I believe There is this huge monster that always comes over a hill I believe when the sun is bright red. I think a boy eventually stops this monster by playing some sort of musical instrument ( a flute maybe). I know it sounds really vague, but that's all I remember. Appreciate if anyone can help. Edit: I wanna say that it had blood red in the title? Zzu fucked around with this message at 09:36 on Jan 20, 2010 |
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Jan 20, 2010 09:31
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SkunkDuster posted:1. A short story I read probably in the early-mid 80s. A child has some special ability where he (she?) can see into the inner workings of things. There is an example where he is looking at a plant and can see it draw water up from the soil and absorb sunlight and convert it to chlorophyll. Later, some adult pisses him off and he sees inside the adult's chest and watches his heart beat and pump blood through his body and he constricts the heart with his mind causing the adult to have a heart attack and die. I don't know what book this is, but this would be the best superpower ever.
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Jan 20, 2010 21:06
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My girlfriend's trying to find something she read in junior high: "The main character, or one of them at least, was a young Merlin. I think there was some stuff about amnesia and time travel; it seems to me that the Merlin character was actually the grown Merlin and had somehow been turned into a young boy and sent to a different time? And he was wandering around England with a girl and boy who helped him as he realized who he really was. The boy, I remember, was named Winston but the girl called him Winnie? And I swear to god that I remember something about having to time travel to save the world from a bomb at some point. I've searched and searched through all of the young adult books that pertain to Merlin and I can't come up with anything that matches what I remember. At this point I'm almost prepared to think that I must have made the whole thing up, except I remember checking this book out at the library several times over those couple of years." Anybody have any ideas?
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Jan 23, 2010 11:34
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Rollersnake posted:My girlfriend's trying to find something she read in junior high: Could it be one of the books in the Forever King trilogy? Those centre on Arthur as he realizes who he is, and there is a bomb in the third one. There's no time travel per se, but it does go back and for the between the past and the present. Don't remember a Winston or Winnie, though.
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Jan 23, 2010 15:17
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Been trying to remember the name of an author for the past couple of weeks, only have some sketchy details and not finding anything that jogs my memory with google. Details are very sketchy, so even a list of cyberpunk/noir authors would be helpful. Male cyberpunk/noir author was popular in that area around 10 years ago but no real mainstream presence. Lot of buzz/hype at the time about his books and how cyberpunk/noir was going to be the next big thing. Wasn't a famous cyberpunk author, not Gibson, Rucker, Sterling, Stephenson or anyone like that. Wasn't Jon Courtney Grimwood but would have been around the same time he was starting to get noticed. Vague recollection that the author and book names were quite common/generic, nothing that stands out as strange or unusual. The one book I vaguely remember was much heavier on the noir elements, the other elements downplayed. I think the main character ended up looking after a young girl/woman that was a fugitive from something (like a million other books) and for some reason I have the idea of a street or highway stuck in my head. I'd be amazed if anyone is able to pull a name from that but a list of authors doing noir with some sci-fi/cyberpunk influence would be great. I'm sure I'd remember the details if I saw the authors name or book title somewhere.
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Jan 24, 2010 00:18
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Boody posted:Been trying to remember the name of an author for the past couple of weeks, only have some sketchy details and not finding anything that jogs my memory with google. Details are very sketchy, so even a list of cyberpunk/noir authors would be helpful. Could be anything but for a guess (Though more like 20 years ago than 10) Walter Jon Williams, and Hardwired as the book?
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Jan 24, 2010 01:21
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