|
More children's/young adult's fiction needing identification! Book is about a young boy who is a slave working on a ranch in a fantasy setting. Instead of (or possibly in addition to, I can't actually remember) traditional livestock, the ranch raises and breeds dragons. The strongest of these dragons are trained as fighters and pitted against each other in an arena in the city. I remember at some point the boy has escaped, or been granted freedom, or otherwise is away from the ranch, and I believe he has a female companion of his own age. He has befriended a dragon, who he fights at the arena, but I can't remember if that happens before or after he is free. Also this might have been two or three different parts of a series that I'm combining in my head.
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2011 01:18
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 22, 2024 12:51 |
|
|
I am looking to identify a book I read a long time ago. The beginning of the novel has the good guy assassinating a bad guy in a huge mansion by somehow making his natural gas leak into his huge house and then by shooting a tracer round through glass to blow this bad guy's house up. Then I think the good guy's job is to sneak onto commercial airliners and HALO jump from them out of the landing gear or something? Then he goes home to his wife and kids. Maybe airport thriller fiction, I have read some James Patterson, Clancy, etc. Any help would be great, I need to find the author!
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2011 01:26
|
|
|
Funkmaster General posted:More children's/young adult's fiction needing identification! That's the Pit Dragon Trilogy by Jane Yolen. Despite being called a trilogy there are four books.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2011 01:55
|
|
|
Piell posted:That's the Pit Dragon Trilogy by Jane Yolen. Despite being called a trilogy there are four books. Yep! Looks like what I had read was the first book of this series, and possibly the second. I'm amazed these vague, half-remembered plots I come up with always get such quick IDs. Maybe I just suck at looking for myself.
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2011 02:07
|
|
|
I just wrote this up on a thread in GBS but will probably have better luck here. My brother mentioned this book and I know we both read it. So I'm guessing it's 3-4 years ago. No more than 6. I vaguely remember seeing the copy last 3 years ago but not sure who borrowed it. The first part of it was published online in chapters and I think it was posted on SA. So probably self published or very small printing. I know I had a paper copy. It was not electronic. The book is about time travel by a group of people. I think they are youngish adults maybe college age. Mostly guys but I know there were a few girls. They "created" Christianity by going back in time and being Jesus. I think the guy who played Jesus performed miracles knowing modern science and things like that. They basically created the Earth/mankind's history by inserting themselves into key parts of history. As the book developed, one more of the characters was becoming crazy and inserting himself into history too much. At the end of the book, there was something about a "god" above these "gods" who could shape their reality and Earth's. Like the Talisman by Stephan King. Worlds on worlds on worlds. At least that was my impression of it. I've searched everything I can think of. I've dug through my bookmarks. I even dug through my Paypal history wondering if I bought it that way. Can't find this book at all.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2011 02:54
|
|
|
Alright, I need some help finding a short story I read maybe 10 years ago. I could be mistaken but I'm almost positive it was in Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine or one of those monthly short story magazines. So the story centers on this elf boy who goes to school with a bunch of other elves. He's in love with this real pretty elf girl, but since he's average looking she either doesn't give him the time of day or wants to just be friends. All of their classes are in very classy subjects (the one that sticks in my mind is learning to play the harp) and he's failing all of his classes. Anyway, some how he ends up hanging out with this troll guy who works/lives in the basement/boiler-room and learns some valuable life lessons about being his own person, not caring what others think of him, and rock music. I distinctly remember them either listening to or playing heavy metal or rock. In any case, the story ends with the kid having slowly turned into a troll himself, he and his troll friend busting into his old classroom and our main character eating the girl he had a crush on in the beginning while the troll friend chows down on the rest of the class. Google has failed me, so hopefully someone out there has read this story as well and remembers the name. Pretty please?
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2011 02:57
|
|
|
MrGreenShirt posted:Alright, I need some help finding a short story I read maybe 10 years ago. I could be mistaken but I'm almost positive it was in Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine or one of those monthly short story magazines. Sorry I can't help you, but that sounds like a great story. I could see it being set in Michael Swanwick's stuff.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2011 11:43
|
|
|
I think I might have read this 15 years ago, a fantasy book that had four parts to it, each with its own protagonist (maybe) two in a standard fantasy setting, and two set in a post-apocalyptic setting (with stuff like cruise ships stranded in the desert and the people going "whoa what are these weird buildings we never could have built that") Maybe in one part of the book this kid is being trained to be something, possibly a wizard, and how to control the temperature of his body (why I do not know) and run really fast There might also be in the post-apocalyptic part of the book a sort of standoff on a bridge with bandits or vagrants or loonies who had one hand grenade. (But maybe this was from the Dark Tower books) I can't recall much more
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2011 12:30
|
|
|
Hasseltkoffie posted:I think I might have read this 15 years ago, a fantasy book that had four parts to it, each with its own protagonist (maybe) two in a standard fantasy setting, and two set in a post-apocalyptic setting (with stuff like cruise ships stranded in the desert and the people going "whoa what are these weird buildings we never could have built that") That's Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear.
|
|
#
?
Aug 17, 2011 14:42
|
|
|
Okay. Sci Fi novel that I read in fourth grade or so, but it was probably written in the seventies. My parents were big fans of Niven, but I don't think it's one of his. I remember it started out with a riot on a college campus, which the main character is observing but not actively participating in. What i remember definitely is that the riot is put down with some sort of anti-friction agent called Instant Banana Peel. Even though he wasn't involved in the riot, the main character is sent off to some penal colony, meets a girl he 'marries' escapes and lives on the lam for a while.. At one point his pregnant wife is shot, but the baby is unharmed. I really just wanna know what this book was, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2011 03:23
|
|
|
SolarFire2 posted:Okay. Sci Fi novel that I read in fourth grade or so, but it was probably written in the seventies. My parents were big fans of Niven, but I don't think it's one of his. I think one of Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium novels at least starts out like this. Possibly Birth of Fire? Pournelle was pretty tight with Niven so he's a likely prospect.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2011 06:02
|
|
|
Flatscan posted:That's Songs of Earth and Power by Greg Bear. Thanks, but from the synopses I could find this might not be it? It's a long time ago I read this though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2011 12:14
|
|
|
Hasseltkoffie posted:Thanks, but from the synopses I could find this might not be it? It's a long time ago I read this though. I'm pretty sure it is. You might well be mixing elements of the Dark Tower into it though.
|
|
#
?
Aug 18, 2011 15:46
|
|
|
MrGreenShirt posted:Alright, I need some help finding a short story I read maybe 10 years ago. I could be mistaken but I'm almost positive it was in Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine or one of those monthly short story magazines. "Timor and the Furnace Troll -- John Barnes" it was in "Bruce Covilles Book of Monsters"
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2011 22:33
|
|
|
jeremiah johnson posted:"Timor and the Furnace Troll -- John Barnes" it was in "Bruce Covilles Book of Monsters" Goddamnit yes, I want to shake your hand good sir! Years of fruitless searching, finally at an end. You are my savior!
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2011 22:59
|
|
|
This has been bugging me for a while now. In school, maybe fifth or sixth grade can't remember exactly could be later could be earlier, they had us read this western about this timid shop owner and this big rear end in a top hat cowboy that would mess with the shop owner. The story basically goes. The cowboy would siphon off and drink some of the liquor that he was delivering to the shopkeeper. One day the cowboy for reasons I can't recall smashes the owner's hand. To get revenge the owner orders isopropyl alcohol instead of the usual. The cowboy only being able to read "alcohol" pops the barrel cork on the way and takes a big drink. Poisoned he drops dead. Any ideas would be much appreciated.
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2011 23:45
|
|
|
Guyver posted:This has been bugging me for a while now. In school, maybe fifth or sixth grade can't remember exactly could be later could be earlier, they had us read this western about this timid shop owner and this big rear end in a top hat cowboy that would mess with the shop owner. I believe that it's called "Bargain" by A.B. Guthrie. Story is here: http://www.pittsfordschools.org/webpages/rzogby/files/Bargain%20text1.pdf
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2011 03:02
|
|
|
Pigsfeet on Rye posted:I believe that it's called "Bargain" by A.B. Guthrie.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2011 03:16
|
|
|
This is a children's picture book I remember reading when I was in elementary school, early to mid 1990s, but I don't know if the book was published before or during that time. The setting was somewhere warm or tropical, perhaps in the Caribbean, because all the characters had darker skin and there were lots of open doors/windows and maybe palm trees in the illustrations. A little boy finds a small egg, either at the beginning or end of the story. Either way, throughout the story he's friends with a little green lizard that just sort of crawls around and hangs out with him. No talking or anything, it's just a free-roaming, regular lizard. For some reason I think the lizard dies/is killed/vanishes -and then the boy finds another egg or another lizard (the other one's baby?) and is happy. I remember the illustrations being very bright, but looked like they were painted with watercolors. It wasn't a very long story, but it was very sweet and definitely stuck with me. I'd love any help in finding it, thanks!
|
|
#
?
Aug 22, 2011 08:36
|
|
|
Cruxxed Up posted:This is a children's picture book I remember reading when I was in elementary school, early to mid 1990s, but I don't know if the book was published before or during that time. If you remember: did the little boy have darker skin or white? There are kind of two themes that keep popping up: like a local, traditional kinda story of daily life, and then a "white dude visits a different country!" deal... I'm pretty sure these aren't what you're looking for, but I spent too much time on this to not post anything: http://www.amazon.com/Efra%C3%ADn-Sonoran-Desert-Lizards-Indians/dp/0938317555 "Efraín of the Sonoran Desert: A Lizard's Life Among the Seri Indians" the word "bittersweet" in the description appealed to your remembrance of an ending that was just that... I think the protag comes back to the desert and sees a lizard similar to one he befriended earlier in life or something Long shot: http://www.amazon.com/Komodo-Peter-Sis/dp/0688166954/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314053484&sr=1-1 "Komodo!" has awesome watercolor art, very jungle-y... dunno if that dates to the right era (1999... but could be reprint of earlier book) edit: orig. published 1993 Teketeketeketeke fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Aug 23, 2011 |
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2011 00:04
|
|
|
SimianNinja posted:If you remember: did the little boy have darker skin or white? There are kind of two themes that keep popping up: like a local, traditional kinda story of daily life, and then a "white dude visits a different country!" deal... The little boy definitely had darker skin; I just can't remember if it was tanned from being out in the sun or if it was part of his ethnicity. I am pretty certain it was a daily life sort of story -the lizard went with the boy to school, around his house, out in his yard, that sort of thing. Efrain is close, but I don't believe that's it. The lizard was a bright, bright green and looked like a gecko/anole. However, thanks for your time looking! I think the Efrain story will be a nice substitute if the original never turns up.
|
|
#
?
Aug 23, 2011 19:59
|
|
|
I read part of a book in the beginning of '05 at my gradfather's request. All I remember about it was that it was about a secluded boarding school(possibly on an island) Someone was found hanged... I think there was a hangged guy on the cover. This has been bugging me for some time 
theangryamoeba fucked around with this message at 06:56 on Aug 24, 2011 |
|
#
?
Aug 24, 2011 06:34
|
|
|
Zeth posted:Maybe this is Roxaboxen? Lujei Piche posted:Pretty sure this one is Stonewords: A Ghost Story by Pam Conrad. Was the main character's name Zoe? I looked up both of them, and yes, those are the exact books! Thank you guys so much! I'm gonna go see if I can find them at Borders if they're not out of print. Even if they are, it'll totally be worth buying them on eBay or something.
|
|
#
?
Aug 25, 2011 20:32
|
|
|
A pulp novel sort of story (late 19th century / early 20th), that starts with a broke guy taking out a life insurance policy and joining the French Foreign Legion in hopes of getting killed - only to go through a series of wacky adventures that fail to get him killed. Yeah, I barely remember the book except for that intro, but I remember it being fairly interesting at the time, so if anyone has a clue?
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2011 06:43
|
|
|
Cruxxed Up posted:The little boy definitely had darker skin; I just can't remember if it was tanned from being out in the sun or if it was part of his ethnicity. I am pretty certain it was a daily life sort of story -the lizard went with the boy to school, around his house, out in his yard, that sort of thing. Bah, I think I remember this too, but it would be much older since I remember it from my childhood (70's). It was a tropical setting, and the lizards were geckos IIRC. Can't help you with a title 
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2011 16:29
|
|
|
I'm trying to remember the name of a fantasy book I read about 4 years ago. It's about a boy, possibly from a poorer background, who gets discovered and sent to a sort of magic academy. He can do fire magic which is quite unique in the world and has a good memory for maps. At the end he dies engulfed in a big ball of fire he summons. I think the author is female, that it has Fire in the title and that it's a side story to a series of books but I could be wrong on all counts.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2011 20:18
|
|
|
Little_Yellow_Duck posted:I'm trying to remember the name of a fantasy book I read about 4 years ago. That sounds like Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey. Hero is Lavan Firestorm. Lavan wasn't really from a poorer background, and I can't remember about the maps, but the main bits (including the spoiler) are accurate. Side story to the rest of the Valdemar books (main timeline starts with Arrows of the Queen). http://www.amazon.com/Brightly-Burning-Mercedes-Lackey/dp/0886779898/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314563772&sr=8-1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velgarth#Books
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2011 21:37
|
|
|
ulmont posted:That sounds like Brightly Burning by Mercedes Lackey. That's the one! Cheers, that's been bugging me for a while.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2011 23:02
|
|
|
There was a book talked about or recommended on NPR about what people knew and thought about sex in the prewar era. So this book seemed to delve into the thoughts, expectations, and attitudes of people in the early 20th century regarding sex and what they thought would be happening on their wedding night. Anyone have any idea what this book was titled or who the author was? I am really turning up dry trying to find it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 30, 2011 22:11
|
|
|
I'm curious about this one, too: "My dad is looking for a short sci-fi story he read a long time ago. Basically the premise is that there's a man on the train doing some dictation on his way home. He notices the train is late in and is annoyed by it. Later, when he checks his dictaphone he realises that the train was stopped by time agents hunting down a criminal who tried to escape by going back in time. Everyone on the train was put to sleep while this was going on. Anyone got any idea what this story was or who wrote it or, better still, a link to it?!" edit: d'oh xcheopis fucked around with this message at 07:15 on Sep 2, 2011 |
|
#
?
Sep 2, 2011 07:05
|
|
|
This was a story I read when I was a kid, and faintly remember it. Its cover had two kids behind a bush, with a girl with red pigtails putting her finger to her lips hushing a boy. The girl would always say 'money is the root of all evil', and had a prairie/western setting. Anyone know what I'm referring to?
|
|
#
?
Sep 3, 2011 07:16
|
|
|
A fantasy book (jeez, a goon asking for help identifying a fantasy book, there's a huge surprise  ), probably early-mid 90s. Protagonist is a boy/young man learning magic. The colour green is very important - I think it might be the magical colour? Anyway, the villain takes away the hero's power of speech - all spells are chanted/sung/recited, so with no voice, he can't cast any spells. Hero goes away for a few years, and then somehow learns how to cast spells without speaking/singing - so he can come back and defeat the bad guy. Sorry for vagueness of the description. Hopefully someone can help - this book has been persistently bugging me for years now.
|
|
#
?
Sep 5, 2011 17:38
|
|
|
A Fantasy children/young adult's book. It was about witches, I believe with an england slant. I can't really remember much of the plot. It was something about this young witch and a young boy forming a friendship. Human kids weren't allowed to be out on the roof tops. The one scene that still sticks in my mind; But these evil creatures (Goblins I think they were?) carried off the body, because he was out out on the roofs at night. He was going to have to go through 100 nightmares before they would let him go. When he was done, they would let him keep one. One of the nightmares he had to go through before his witch friend rescued him was where everything became oatmeal. The witch-girl rescued him by pointing out of the creatures was cheating at cards (which was expected) but he was smiling about it (which was forbidden) so the other creatures attacked him, allowing her to pull him out. This has been slowly driving me mad since someone made me think about it 3 years ago. I will give anyone who can help me remember  (It also makes me sad because I really liked this book, and read it multiple times, and it was one of the few things with any sort of occult references that my ultra conservative stepparents let me read, I think because it was one of theirs; so it might have been from the 60s-70s, but I can't sure. Pre-1990, definitely)
|
|
#
?
Sep 7, 2011 02:28
|
|
P.S. STILL COMPLETELY DEVOID OF MERIT
|
Guesticles posted:A Fantasy children/young adult's book. It was about witches, I believe with an england slant. I can't really remember much of the plot. It was something about this young witch and a young boy forming a friendship. Human kids weren't allowed to be out on the roof tops. If it's possibly you are misremembering some of the details, maybe it is "The Chimney Witches?" There are some things that strike me as pretty similar, but I couldn't find any detailed summaries or online versions to check it out.
|
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2011 04:45
|
|
|
Frantick posted:If it's possibly you are misremembering some of the details, maybe it is "The Chimney Witches?" I think you might be right. Man, did my screw this up that badly? Edit: Do you have PMs? I'm going to confirm, but I have a feeling you'll be getting Edit 2: Yeah, reading about the sequels, they mention goblins abducting children. I'm going to see if I can track it down in a library this weekend. Guesticles fucked around with this message at 06:53 on Sep 9, 2011 |
|
#
?
Sep 9, 2011 06:46
|
|
|
I remember reading this book when I was a pre-teen about a cat (possibly a black one) that would solve crimes. I think his owner may have been a detective, but it's been so long. I just remember how awesome the book was to me in those years. The cover of the copy I had was a scene at night with the cat walking under a street light, if memory serves.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:09
|
|
|
Transmogrifier posted:I remember reading this book when I was a pre-teen about a cat (possibly a black one) that would solve crimes. I think his owner may have been a detective, but it's been so long. I just remember how awesome the book was to me in those years. The cover of the copy I had was a scene at night with the cat walking under a street light, if memory serves. edit: One of the books linked on that Amazon page led me to this, which matches your description of the cover. Punished Chuck fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Sep 15, 2011 |
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:18
|
|
|
Transmogrifier posted:I remember reading this book when I was a pre-teen about a cat (possibly a black one) that would solve crimes. I think his owner may have been a detective, but it's been so long. I just remember how awesome the book was to me in those years. The cover of the copy I had was a scene at night with the cat walking under a street light, if memory serves. The Cat Who... series?
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:19
|
|
|
It definitely wasn't the Cat Who... series, nor was it that second one you linked, WeaponGradeSadness. Man I really wish I could remember about this. I just might have to call up my sister tomorrow to see if she remembers it. Edit: I think I may have found it. Sam the Cat: Detective Transmogrifier fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Sep 15, 2011 |
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 22, 2024 12:51 |
|
|
Transmogrifier posted:I remember reading this book when I was a pre-teen about a cat (possibly a black one) that would solve crimes. I think his owner may have been a detective, but it's been so long. I just remember how awesome the book was to me in those years. The cover of the copy I had was a scene at night with the cat walking under a street light, if memory serves. Maybe see if the list on this blog has your answer? edit: Nevermind, since you've found it. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2011 04:33
|
|