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There was a book I read probably around 1996/97 (when I was 11-12, so it was geared towards that age group) that was kind of a horror/fantasy story if I had to describe the genre. It was about a kid who began to have clairvoyant dreams regarding the future deaths of family members. The first dream he had was about his grandmother or elderly aunt (I think) which is shrugged off once he tells his parents because she was old and frail. The second one was about his uncle dying on the operating table. It's once again shrugged off but then his uncle dies of mysterious complications during surgery. The third dream he has, I believe, is about a cousin though I'm really not sure. I never finished the book, which is why I'm curious as to what is the title so I know how it ended.
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Jun 24, 2011 21:32
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This one is apparently really tough, as I've posted it in similar threads here and in many other forums and still haven't found it. It's an encyclopedia-type guide to world mythology and folklore. Things I remember about it for certain or semi-certain: -Organised alphabetically, with small entries for each mythological character. I think it had two columns on each page -Although it had a lot of Greek and Roman stuff, it also covered other mythologies, like Celtic and Native American -I read it in the late 80s, so it's definitely older than that. Probably 50s-60s? -Small color painted illustrations in a simple straightforward style, like the illustrations in the Golden Guide series books -It covered A to Z in one volume, and I don't think it was part of a series Any guesses? I've been hunting for this for 15 years now!
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Jun 25, 2011 01:30
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The Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were? http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Things-That-Never-Were/dp/0140100083
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Jun 25, 2011 01:36
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Nope, good try but definitely too new. The title must be something like that though, as I've searched "Encyclopedia of Mythology" dozens of times but never found it.
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Jun 25, 2011 01:47
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Whoops try the hardcover, first American edition was 1987. There's a few examples of the artwork there too.
Ballsworthy fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Jun 25, 2011 |
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Jun 25, 2011 01:55
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Well, it has the alphabethical and the multiple columns but the pictures are much too fancy. These are really basic, like a Golden Guide: http://www.papersponge.com/storage/BirdsBook2.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1280163216531 Sort of that style. Thanks for the help though. Even though it's not The Book, it still looks like something I'd enjoy and I plan on checking it out.
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Jun 25, 2011 02:06
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There's a book or series that I want to say is by Margaret Weis and/or Tracy Hickman but I could be wrong. Fantasy set in a world made of a bunch of floating islands. There's a sort of maybe-rogue/assassin-type character who may have the nickname of 'the Hand.' My library used to have the first book but I cant remember what its called and all the weis/hickman theyve got now is Dragonlance poo poo which it definitely isnt.
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Jun 25, 2011 08:49
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Starblind posted:This one is apparently really tough, as I've posted it in similar threads here and in many other forums and still haven't found it. The Encyclopedia of Things that never were? It's old enough, has all of the different cultures, even though it was around in the 80's definitely not that old. It's fun to look at anyway.
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Jun 25, 2011 12:36
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Zeth posted:There's a book or series that I want to say is by Margaret Weis and/or Tracy Hickman but I could be wrong. Fantasy set in a world made of a bunch of floating islands. There's a sort of maybe-rogue/assassin-type character who may have the nickname of 'the Hand.' My library used to have the first book but I cant remember what its called and all the weis/hickman theyve got now is Dragonlance poo poo which it definitely isnt. This might be the Death Gate Cycle. It was a 7 part series by Weis and Hickman. Each of the 4 first books took place in one of these elemental planes, of which the first was Air and was a place made up of floating islands. I don't remember much of the plot beyond that, but it may have involved an assassin. The first book was apparently called Dragon Wing, if that rings any bells.
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Jun 25, 2011 14:38
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ianvincible posted:This might be the Death Gate Cycle. It was a 7 part series by Weis and Hickman. Each of the 4 first books took place in one of these elemental planes, of which the first was Air and was a place made up of floating islands. I don't remember much of the plot beyond that, but it may have involved an assassin. The first book was apparently called Dragon Wing, if that rings any bells. This is it. He's thinking of Hugh the Hand, an assassin from the first book. Assassins are named for body parts on that world, and "The Hand" is like, the second highest rank or some poo poo.
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Jun 25, 2011 15:21
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Yeeeeeessssss, that's it, thanks. I remember reading that first one and then being really annoyed that they didn't have the next book. Also, a repost: Friend of mine is looking for a young adult/kids fantasy type book, probably written in or before the 90s. The basic premise is that a girl goes on vacation with her family and somehow winds up in mystical undersea ruins where someone named Merlin lives, who has been there for a thousand years trying to get his immortality McGuffin back. He teaches her magic to try to get it back for him, but apparently she accidentally destroys it (which he is somehow okay with?) and becomes immortal herself by absorbing its power or something. Said mcguffin was some sort of liquid flowing from a magic shell thing that was described as tasting like colors. Also the mcguffin may have been sort of metaphor for addiction.
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Jun 27, 2011 02:50
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Zeth posted:Friend of mine is looking for a young adult/kids fantasy type book, probably written in or before the 90s. The basic premise is that a girl goes on vacation with her family and somehow winds up in mystical undersea ruins where someone named Merlin lives, who has been there for a thousand years trying to get his immortality McGuffin back. He teaches her magic to try to get it back for him, but apparently she accidentally destroys it (which he is somehow okay with?) and becomes immortal herself by absorbing its power or something. Said mcguffin was some sort of liquid flowing from a magic shell thing that was described as tasting like colors. Also the mcguffin may have been sort of metaphor for addiction.
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Jun 27, 2011 09:22
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Trying to remember a novel set in Colorado following an influenza pandemic that killed of a great majority of the world's population. The main character's sister is mute from having survived infection. Hopi mythology is involved, and in the end, the characters climb into a stone mound with a hole in it and probably drown to death. I can't remember the name of it, but I think of the book every time I listen to Dark Side of the Moon, since I had the album on loop in my CD player the entire time I was reading. I'd just discovered Pink Floyd so this must have been around 2000-2003.
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Jun 27, 2011 11:02
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bottles and cans posted:Trying to remember a novel set in Colorado following an influenza pandemic that killed of a great majority of the world's population. The main character's sister is mute from having survived infection. Hopi mythology is involved, and in the end, the characters climb into a stone mound with a hole in it and probably drown to death. Stephen Kings The Stand?
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Jun 27, 2011 11:49
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SeanBeansShako posted:Stephen Kings The Stand? How does that match the description apart from the flu part and the Colorado part?
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Jun 27, 2011 11:58
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Hedrigall posted:How does that match the description apart from the flu part and the Colorado part? I haven't read the book in a decade, give me a break.
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Jun 27, 2011 14:43
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Hedrigall posted:How does that match the description apart from the flu part and the Colorado part? That one dude is deaf, so there is that. bottles and cans posted:Trying to remember a novel set in Colorado following an influenza pandemic that killed of a great majority of the world's population. The main character's sister is mute from having survived infection. Hopi mythology is involved, and in the end, the characters climb into a stone mound with a hole in it and probably drown to death. Is it Hole in the Sky?
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Jun 28, 2011 18:12
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I think this was an e-book I read years ago. Googling is getting me lots of medical info on viruses and pregnancy. It might have been a series of books, but I'm not sure. There was a woman who I think was a scientist as a main character. All these women started getting pregnant, and then inexplicably having miscarriages a few months in, all with baby girls. They may have shown other symptoms too, but I can't remember for sure. Then just a few women got pregnant again shortly after that, but it turned out to only be women who had never had any form of the herpes virus, including chickenpox or anything like that. The scientist lay was one of them. When the baby from the second pregnancy was born she had a pattern of freckles on her that were slightly luminous and she was extremely smart and spoke minutes after birth. Any ideas?
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Jun 30, 2011 00:47
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Lealoo posted:I think this was an e-book I read years ago. Googling is getting me lots of medical info on viruses and pregnancy. It might have been a series of books, but I'm not sure. There was a woman who I think was a scientist as a main character. All these women started getting pregnant, and then inexplicably having miscarriages a few months in, all with baby girls. They may have shown other symptoms too, but I can't remember for sure. Then just a few women got pregnant again shortly after that, but it turned out to only be women who had never had any form of the herpes virus, including chickenpox or anything like that. The scientist lay was one of them. When the baby from the second pregnancy was born she had a pattern of freckles on her that were slightly luminous and she was extremely smart and spoke minutes after birth. Any ideas? Sounds like Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear.
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Jun 30, 2011 03:12
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thedaian posted:Sounds like Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear. That's it! Thank you. I'm not sure if I actually want to read it again or not... it was one of those books that I really WANTED to like but just left me feeling a little blah.
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Jun 30, 2011 04:07
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utada posted:That one dude is deaf, so there is that. That's it, thanks!
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Jun 30, 2011 06:15
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I was talking to a friend about "Let's Go to Golgotha," and it jogged my memory about an older short story I read. I'm 99% sure it was in a SF anthology. It was about a prim, religious man who dies and shows up in the afterlife expecting the traditional heaven, but finds that eternal life turns out to closely mirror the life he had just led on Earth - he still has the same austere apartment and self-indulgent coworkers. He finds his way to administration and lodges a complaint, and they basically say "Well, if this isn't your ideal, why the hell did you live your life on Earth this way?" Any ideas on the title of the story?
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Jul 2, 2011 15:01
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I remember reading years ago about a book that talks about the making of Fight Club (I think it was about several different movies or studios). The books talks about the studio's reaction (shock) during the first screening of the movie. Any ideas? After some google time I think it might be Rebels on the Backlot, but not sure.
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Jul 2, 2011 23:07
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nate fisher posted:I remember reading years ago about a book that talks about the making of Fight Club (I think it was about several different movies or studios). The books talks about the studio's reaction (shock) during the first screening of the movie. Any ideas? After some google time I think it might be Rebels on the Backlot, but not sure. From search inside Rebels on the Backlot, that looks right.
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Jul 3, 2011 17:43
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Trying to remember a book about a vampire whose car is a ghost. Also I think he occasionally blacked out and turned into this demon bat thing. Edit: Also a different series about a vampire who only gets half the vampire virus (due to a blood transfusion with Dracula), so he doesn't have all their weaknesses. He meets up with Civil War ghosts, and one of the books references the Tik-Tok of Oz. Piell fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Jul 5, 2011 |
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Jul 5, 2011 00:29
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I have a request. I read this in the early to mid 90's I think. It is a fantasy novel and the main character is a were-bear/rogue who ends up staying a in the bear form cause he changed one too many times. I believe he was deliberately infected with the lycanthropy by his parents who needed the money. There were also some wizard types who wore rings on their fingers that corresponded to how powerful they were. The more left on the hand the more powerful. I can't remember any of the plot details but one really odd factoid is that the rogue type used tools made out of vampire cartilage, I think. I have been somewhat searching for this book for awhile. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Jul 5, 2011 22:44
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Piell posted:Trying to remember a book about a vampire whose car is a ghost. Also I think he occasionally blacked out and turned into this demon bat thing. I think the second one is the Half life series. Does he end up with a werewolf girlfriend?
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Jul 6, 2011 09:39
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Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:I think the second one is the Half life series. Does he end up with a werewolf girlfriend? Yep, that's it, thanks!
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Jul 6, 2011 09:42
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This one was cast on the radio and I only caught two series years ago and wondered since what it was. It was about a Castle inhabited by strange but generally friendly creatures who all went about their business. At one point I think a burglar or so entered and the gargoyle bit his head off. It was narrated like a children's book but with a serious undertone. Written by a prolific English author. All in all very British. Sorry, that's all I remember. I am not sure but I think it was also mentioned that the swans on the lake were actually appendages used like periscopes that grew from a giant monster living at the lake's bottom.
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Jul 6, 2011 16:24
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I read a book as a kid, probably young adult, where it was the near future and the world was ruled by women. The Earth was going to get hit by a comet or something so everyone got into space arks and went off into space. One of them nearly got blown up by an alien defence system or something, began to lose supplies, and their society stopped being matriarchal. Then they found a new planet and somehow they were Adam and Eve or something and started a new Earth in a cycle. All a bit Battlestar Galactica. Anyone got any idea? Sorry if this is vague, but this was about 20 years ago 
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Jul 7, 2011 20:20
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A young boy is taken by his grandfather to visit the graves of his great-grandfather, who was 7 feet tall, and his great-great-grandfather, who was almost 8 feet tall. I think the boy rode on the grandfather's shoulders at one point. Probably British, probably released in the late 70s or early 80s. That's all I have. Anyone?
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Jul 7, 2011 21:37
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A little boy has a teddy bear that's actually a demon. Tentacles come out of the bear's ears and suck the life out of the boy. While this is going on, the boy has visions of what will happen to him in the future. The boy is sickly all the time from the teddy bear/demon draining his life. It was a story in an anthology of the years best horror fiction. This would've been back in the early 90s. I have no idea what the title is and Google searches aren't coming up with anything.
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Jul 8, 2011 02:25
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louvinbrother posted:A little boy has a teddy bear that's actually a demon. Tentacles come out of the bear's ears and suck the life out of the boy. While this is going on, the boy has visions of what will happen to him in the future. The boy is sickly all the time from the teddy bear/demon draining his life. I have most of his anthologies with the Gorey illustrated coves and they are all very good reading.
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Jul 8, 2011 05:57
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xcheopis posted:This is The Professor's Teddy Bear (can read it here) by Mr. Theodore Sturgeon and is in one of Mr. Marvin Kaye's edited anthologies, Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural. Thank you. The story is just as disturbing as I remember. Makes sense that Sturgeon wrote it.
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Jul 9, 2011 01:24
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Read a book as a child about a Japanese kid, who's father is a Bunraku puppeteer. The kid also gets involved with puppetry, possibly wanting to be a master like his father or something. Unfortunately, the only other thing that I remember about it was a scene where the kid licked his lips in front of his father's superior or some such, and apparently that was supremely rude. Help?
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Jul 9, 2011 02:08
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I'm pasting this from another thread on TBB where I posted before being directed to the correct thread to ask in. I really need your help TBB, this is really killing me since I can't figure it out. There's a book/story I'm trying to remember and I just can't. Here's the unfortunately vague clues: The version I read was hosted in its entirety online on a page just for this story, it was quite long but not novel-length, somewhere between short story a novel. It was recommended to me when I had been reading Snow Crash for the first time in the vein of "if you like that you'll love this". It has a relatively simplistic title, making it harder to remember. The front page of the website where I read the story had a diagram of circuitry as the header/"cover" for the book. The story was about a future where everyone lives in a pseudo-real world where anything can be changed into anything through a supercomputer (I suddenly remember that I think the title of the story is the name of the supercomputer) who had gained sentience and then godlike quantum mechanics powers. The thrust of the story was a woman participates in torture contests and then finds a message from the supercomputer's creator and sets out to him find. I never finished the story but I recently remember it and it's bugging me that I can't find it again since it should be easy if I only had the title. I'm sure someone will know this immediately.
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Jul 9, 2011 21:49
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Kaptain K posted:I'm sure someone will know this immediately. The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect
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Jul 9, 2011 22:07
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That's the one, I knew it was so obvious but I just couldn't get the name. Thanks a million.
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Jul 10, 2011 00:15
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A book I read in the late 80s or early 90s which I want to find again (it is probably terrible, with hindsight) - all I really seem to remember is that it was about the Cold War getting hot and a full-scale nuclear war starting. It opened as I recall with two American duty officers in an underground bunker (maybe a missile launch control site) - I remember the bunker was kind on shock absorbers of some kind so that it wouldn't get damaged when there were massive explosions above. The bunker was beneath a city of some kind that I think was hit directly, and then I vaguely recall the soldiers went out and I think the rest of the book was their struggle to survive in the aftermath of a nuclear strike.
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Jul 11, 2011 21:45
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Shot in the dark: I read this book back in the late 90s in my middle school English class. It was a young adult SciFi book about some kids that got these gloves from their school janitor that shot little ball bearings whenever they tensed up one of their fingers. The kids made games of practicing with it and then one day an alien came down to Earth and told them that they had been training for the real gloves. The alien then gave them the real gloves which shot balls of energy whenever they tensed their fingers. The janitor was in on it the whole time. The alien had this weird chameleon hair and didn't have to eat or sleep. The end of the book was the kids acting as bodyguards for the alien as he went to The White House. That's all I remember. Looking back on it, it sounds like the worst best plot imaginable but I can't freaking remember the name of it. It's been bugging me for years.
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Jul 12, 2011 03:15
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