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A couple of books have been bugging me for a while. I read them in school so it's a while ago, but I would like to revisit them. The first was, I think, a Hugo or Nebula nominee that centred around a guy who crossed dimensions or something. He ended up visiting a civilisation that was basically big dice. A bit weird, but I remember being fascinated by it. The second I think is much older, possibly a 60s or 70s sci-fi book. All I remember is some guy (and possibly others) are kept captive on an alien planet, and I seem to recall that the aliens were some dolphin varient, and highly sentient. Lots of the books seemed to be the guy talking to the other species, walking around, presumably trying to negotiate his release. At the time I was pretty bored by the whole thing, but in retrospect I was probably just too young to get it. Doubt there's enough detail there, but worth a try.
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Sep 13, 2010 19:02
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Ok so I read this book in middle school, the title was "blank's children" but blank was the dudes name. I think he ended up being some sort of computer or weird creature. The book either took place in the future or in an alternate universe where there were few humans left, the ones that did exist mostly were being raised like animals for building materials for their creature overlords. These creatures came in different variaties; each one used a childs brain and some needed multiple children's muscles to make up their bodies. So the book is about the resistance group which is made up of freed children from their farms. I think later on they use swords and grenades at some point. The book ends with some big war contest the overlords of the weird creatures have, apparently they create their monsters to play war games with. What the gently caress is this book called?
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Sep 17, 2010 01:52
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Captain_Obvius posted:Ok so I read this book in middle school, the title was "blank's children" but blank was the dudes name. I think he ended up being some sort of computer or weird creature. The book either took place in the future or in an alternate universe where there were few humans left, the ones that did exist mostly were being raised like animals for building materials for their creature overlords. These creatures came in different variaties; each one used a childs brain and some needed multiple children's muscles to make up their bodies. So the book is about the resistance group which is made up of freed children from their farms. I think later on they use swords and grenades at some point. The book ends with some big war contest the overlords of the weird creatures have, apparently they create their monsters to play war games with. What the gently caress is this book called? Shades Children by Garth Nix I think.
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Sep 17, 2010 01:55
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Schistosity posted:Shades Children by Garth Nix I think. drat you people are good.
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Sep 17, 2010 02:04
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Captain_Obvius posted:drat you people are good. Most of the books mentioned here I have no idea and no luck with google. But this book was amazing to read as a kid (as are all Nix's books.) I'd revisit them, but I'm afraid they won't stand up to the test of time =/
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Sep 17, 2010 02:31
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knees of putty posted:A couple of books have been bugging me for a while. I read them in school so it's a while ago, but I would like to revisit them. How long ago was the dimension hopping book? As far as old sci fi books about sentient dolphins, make sure it is or isn't startide rising or another book in that series.
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Sep 17, 2010 03:39
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Schistosity posted:Most of the books mentioned here I have no idea and no luck with google. But this book was amazing to read as a kid (as are all Nix's books.) I'd revisit them, but I'm afraid they won't stand up to the test of time =/ I read the Abhorsen series not too long ago, and ploughed through Keys To The Kingdom a few months back. Certainly not high literature, but still enjoyable.
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Sep 17, 2010 07:19
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Here's a book I read as a kid that I'd like to read again. It was about this teenager who managed to slip through the cracks of reality or whatever and end up 'behind' the real world. It's hard to explain, but it was sort of like Silent Hill's otherworld. He found another girl but she disappeared back to the real world, and eventually so did he. He, like she, forgot what happened, but he'd recorded everything on a tape recorder. There were no monsters, but the biggest hazard was starvation since only rarely would food slip through from the real world to this grey parallel world.
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Sep 18, 2010 20:40
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Good luck with this one. It is a childrens book, I read it maybe between ages 8 - 10 and the book will be at least 20 years old. The main character is a girl who may be called 'Dot' or 'Dotty' or similar. There is also a boy robot (or possibly tin man or something). And no it's not Wizard of Oz! At the beginning, the girl does handstands in front of the Queen and her skirt falls down and shows her knickers. This is not a major plot point, just memorable (and makes me sound like a pervert). She goes off on some journey with the robot. The villains are these bouncing ball type things, like a space hopper or football. One gets shot or stabbed or something and ooze comes out as it deflates. The cover art showed this girl and the robot on a flying carpet or flying machine. The title may be "Dot and the x and the y", and the x and y may be 'robot' or 'flying machine' or whatever but I can't remember. Ring any bells?
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Sep 19, 2010 14:08
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A request here from my father: Sci-fi book, author unknown. The title is something like "Unusual Engineering" or "Incredible Engineering" making any attempt at googling impossible. It's about some scientists who discover an alien planet where reality doesn't quite work. Things that are additive become multiplicative and vice versa. So if you take a 1 metre rod and stick it to a 3 metre rod you won't get a 4 metre rod, maybe 3.5 metres, maybe 5 metres. It sounds pretty trippy, but I doubt you could get a novel from it. Maybe a short story?
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Sep 19, 2010 14:13
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Strom Cuzewon posted:A request here from my father: Sci-fi book, author unknown. The title is something like "Unusual Engineering" or "Incredible Engineering" making any attempt at googling impossible. (A guess from the name, because I've never managed to find a copy of these): Possibly Colin Kapp's Unorthodox Engineers stories?
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Sep 19, 2010 16:59
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I've tried to find this before and had no luck. It's from the 80s, a story about two kids who are whizzes at computer programming, go off to college several years early, ditch their classes, and wind up coding a whole world. One turns corrupt, and then the two have to fight each other both in the real world and in their invented one. It was pretty trippy stuff when I read it at age 11 or so. The two characters are called SMIK and WORM in their invented world.
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Sep 20, 2010 10:40
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This is a short ghost story I've been searching for for years, not holding out much hope but maybe someone here can help. It was in a compilation of horror/ghosty stories aimed at teenagers. The compilation (I'm almost certain) also contained The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. The story itself may have been titled "The Horn" or something similar, but I've had no luck googling that. It was set in Sherwood Forest. A group of children were on a field trip of some kind. They spent a while discussing the history of the forest, and how it used to be huge and have wolves, and Robin Hood. With them is a bully, who goes off and destroys a sapling and kills a nest of baby birds. I think they hear a horn being blown, and the bully ends up being found dead with an arrow in his back. There's a quiver of arrows hanging on the tree and possibly the horn as well. As you can see I remember almost everything about this story, but I just want to read it again 
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Sep 21, 2010 21:29
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eating only apples posted:This is a short ghost story I've been searching for for years, not holding out much hope but maybe someone here can help. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?64827 shows everything The Veldt was published in... And after searching most of it I found... The Horn • (1987) • shortstory by Susan Price Which is published along with The Veldt in 'Ghosts, Ghouls, & Other Nightmares' edited by Gene Kemp... It was also published in 'The Puffin Book of Ghosts and Ghouls'
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Sep 21, 2010 23:38
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Hughlander posted:http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?64827 shows everything The Veldt was published in... Holy poo poo that was quick. Thankyou so much! That's definitely the one, I remember the other stories in the book. 
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Sep 21, 2010 23:54
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Read something earlier this year that I want to suggest for my bookclub, but can't for the life of me remember the name or author. As I recall, the basic premise was the main character comes in contact with some goopy stuff in a silver container. It gives him and a couple of the other characters the ability to see ghosts or the paranormal or some alternate world. There is a dog in the story that dies, but comes back and they fight monsters/ghosts with a jukebox. They are protecting a girl, but as I recall, she winds up being dead or a bad guyy or somehow other not as originally presented. On the cover of the book, there was a bunch of stuff about "don't read the book" and "too late now, can't unread" As I recall, the story was originally a blog or a website... I think the main character was named david. I've been googling for hours to no avail. hopefully someone knows what I am talking about, it was a pretty good book.
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Sep 22, 2010 23:26
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limegrnxj posted:Read something earlier this year that I want to suggest for my bookclub, but can't for the life of me remember the name or author. As I recall, the basic premise was the main character comes in contact with some goopy stuff in a silver container. It gives him and a couple of the other characters the ability to see ghosts or the paranormal or some alternate world. There is a dog in the story that dies, but comes back and they fight monsters/ghosts with a jukebox. They are protecting a girl, but as I recall, she winds up being dead or a bad guyy or somehow other not as originally presented. I say, good sir, might you be referring to John Dies at the End? http://www.johndiesattheend.com/updates/
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Sep 23, 2010 00:08
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Oh yes!! Thank you thank you!!!!
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Sep 23, 2010 00:21
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The author took it off the website, where I originally read the entire thing. I ended up buying the hardcover version. Totally worth it. What a loving awesome book.
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Sep 23, 2010 02:02
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It is amazing. And it had me laughing out loud all the way through.
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Sep 23, 2010 04:15
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NinjaDebugger posted:I say, good sir, might you be referring to John Dies at the End? everyone here needs to buy this book. I got it from the library and then bought it just so i could read it again at my leisure
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Sep 23, 2010 05:23
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When I was a kid, I read this story. I think from a book of short stories. It involved a gnome or pixie or some other benevolent kind of little fantasy person who made friends with an ogre or troll or something like that. He wasn't all bad though and I think he showed him something magic about cardboard boxes. Turns out, the little gnome/pixie wanted to be an ogre/troll, but he would have to eat one of his own kind to do it. In the end, he ate his girlfriend or female classmate and wiped his mouth with her hair. I thought it was in a Bruce Coville book, but have never been able to find it.
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Sep 23, 2010 19:20
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I'm trying to hunt this one down for a friend's wife. She remembers a book from her childhood, somewhere around 20-25 years ago. It was a childrens book with a bit of a feminist slant to it. She said it started out with a little boy and a little girl talking, and the little girl asked to play with the boy's toy firetruck. The boy said something along the lines of "No, girls can't play with that, girls can't be firefighters." Then an older woman comes along and tells the girl all about various women who have succeeded in male dominated fields. I'm not sure if they're generic examples, or historical examples. Thanks!
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Sep 24, 2010 14:54
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I remember a book I used to rent alot about two teenagers whose family is gifted a mansion from a rich relative who died. The mother and father are busy, and decide to send the two kids up by themselves to scope it out. They find a shed in the backyard where time moves faster:about one minute outside is an hour in. What's more, the sink is a wormhole to another dimension/galaxy/universe. Every once and awhile, what appears to be trash comes through. Except one day they look in the sink and see something new is heading their way. Something alive. Something with teeth.
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Sep 26, 2010 04:47
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Deep Winter posted:I remember a book I used to rent alot about two teenagers whose family is gifted a mansion from a rich relative who died. The mother and father are busy, and decide to send the two kids up by themselves to scope it out. They find a shed in the backyard where time moves faster:about one minute outside is an hour in. What's more, the sink is a wormhole to another dimension/galaxy/universe. Every once and awhile, what appears to be trash comes through. Except one day they look in the sink and see something new is heading their way. Something alive. Something with teeth. Singularity, by William Sleator.
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Sep 26, 2010 04:49
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This was a book my father read, so I guess it's atleast 20 years old, most likely more. At some point in this book, there is a plan to use Pluto for fuel, because all the fual was used up on Earth - or all energy stations were to be relocated to Pluto? Unfortunately, I can't give more, but I figure this is a very specific detail.
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Sep 27, 2010 18:15
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LordWeird posted:When I was a kid, I read this story. "Timor and the Furnace Troll by John Barnes" and it was part of "Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters"
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Sep 27, 2010 22:22
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morestuff posted:I read this one as a kid - I think it was from a collection of short stories edited by Bruce Coville. I did a little digging around, and I think this one was "Toll Call" by Michael Mansfield. It appeared in Bruce Coville's Book of Nightmares. Just in case it rang a bell for anyone else.
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Sep 27, 2010 22:32
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Hobnob posted:(A guess from the name, because I've never managed to find a copy of these): drat that was fast, thanks. Looks like finding a copy might be hard.
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Sep 27, 2010 22:42
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I read a book about 8 or 9 years ago, two scientist get stuck on a planet made almost entirely of diamonds, I think they're stuck because the diamond dust in the atmosphere destroys the gears and valves. The planet is in the process of being destroyed either by the sun going nova or just getting pulled into it. The scientists have to find a way to escape or they die. In the end they find a way to use the diamonds to propel the whole planet back to earth. Elohssa Gib fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Sep 29, 2010 |
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Sep 29, 2010 21:59
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Short Story Called Mother of Invention by Tom Godwin. You probably read it in the "The Cold Equations" Anthology Eric Flint put together a few years back.
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Sep 30, 2010 01:17
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I remember hearing about a fairly recent book by a former writer for High Times that covered his career in journalism. Anyone know the title?
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Sep 30, 2010 05:43
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I vaguely remember reading this choose-your-own-adventure book in my middle school library that was maybe set on an island with dinosaurs. At least I remember that there was a part where you're running away on the beach and maybe got eaten by an Allosaurus. I have no idea if this was a bigger-name book or one of the thousands of garbage pulp choose-your-own-adventure books. One more book that was read to us in middle school was a mystery where it turned out that four guys who had North, South, East, and West in their names were the same guy, even though one of them was the murder victim and one of them was the guy offering the reward. Also there was some kind of puzzle from that American song with the purple mountains majesty. Anybody have any idea about either of these? Thanks!
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Sep 30, 2010 18:12
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Ara posted:One more book that was read to us in middle school was a mystery where it turned out that four guys who had North, South, East, and West in their names were the same guy, even though one of them was the murder victim and one of them was the guy offering the reward. Also there was some kind of puzzle from that American song with the purple mountains majesty. The Westing Game. I loved that book
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Sep 30, 2010 18:31
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I don't remember if this was a book or short story, but I thought of it last night. This guy dies, and goes to hell. Turns out hell is actually a pretty fun place cause apparently all you get to do in heaven is sing hymns and whatnot. The only rule is, don't mess with the portal in the closet. I dunno if it was a door or a ball or what, but the only rule was don't touch it. Well, genius decides to touch it, and ends up waking up in the ambulance all hosed up from the gunshots (jealous husband I think?) that killed him. Any ideas? I think I read this maybe 10-15 years ago?
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Sep 30, 2010 18:31
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Fru Fru posted:The Westing Game. I loved that book That's it, thanks a lot! Only $6 on Kindle too, guess I'll read it again after like 15 years.
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Sep 30, 2010 18:47
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Matlock posted:I remember hearing about a fairly recent book by a former writer for High Times that covered his career in journalism. Anyone know the title? I don't know about Recent but that sounds like Paradise Burning.
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Sep 30, 2010 23:42
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Ara posted:I vaguely remember reading this choose-your-own-adventure book in my middle school library that was maybe set on an island with dinosaurs. At least I remember that there was a part where you're running away on the beach and maybe got eaten by an Allosaurus. I have no idea if this was a bigger-name book or one of the thousands of There were a couple Time Machine (which was a subset of the CYOA line) books about dinosaurs, I think the first one, Search for Dinosaurs, had a pretty prominent Allosaur encounter.
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Oct 1, 2010 01:14
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farraday posted:I don't know about Recent but that sounds like Paradise Burning. It wasn't that, I think it was mentioned on NPR recently. And I think it was released this year. Matlock fucked around with this message at 04:41 on Oct 1, 2010 |
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Oct 1, 2010 04:39
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I'm glad to see this thread. Contact is on, and it reminded me of a book I read when I was younger. I was fairly young when I read this. I'm fairly sure I was probably eight or nine, so 12 years ago or so. It was already in trade paperback, but still on a standalone spinning rack when I read it, so it was fairly new, and something worth highlight. The premise was something close to Contact, from what I recall. A lady scientist at some facility is doing the whole listen and record and attempt to decipher space noise and whatnot. She (and maybe a team with her) discover a pattern or signal coming from Sine waves (?) or something, possibly even naturally occurring from the Earth, or areas on the planet. Anyway, this discovery leads her, along with some bad guys following her to a wormhole, which, for some reason I believe, was outside an old German concentration camp. This wormhole sucks her, part of her team, possibly, and a baddie and zips them across the universe. Now the more memorable parts to the novel begin. The chick is zipped off to a "dead planet" there was no life, but only remains of an abandoned, advanced civilization. Another guy is sent to a jungle-ish planet with primitive occupants. They treat him like nobility, shower him in foods and girls and gifts, and whatever. Then they sacrifice him to their god. The bad guy that got sucked into this hole gets sent to a Hades type planet, where some nefarious dude condemns him to a painful existence. That's all I really remember. The chick possibly makes it back to earth.
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Oct 3, 2010 06:07
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