The identify that story/book thread: Home of the gas pump boy

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Astrofig: Oct 26, 2009

CourtFundedPoster posted:

A while back I was looking into short story competitions, and I came across a winner of one of those competitions that really blew me away. A lot of the story has stuck with me, but unfortunately the name of the work, its author, or even the competition itself has since escaped my mind. I was hoping you guys could help me remember it again.

The competition was recent. I want to say post-2010 recent. I believe it was written by someone of Cuban heritage, but the gender of the author is fuzzy in my memory. The story took place in the 1990s and was about a Cuban refugee that came to Miami and was now working as a community organizer to help other Cuban refugees acclimatize to life in America. I remember a few things vividly:

The protagonist left his family in Cuba, and was considering bringing them over as well. He was in talks with a smuggler to do the deed, but was becoming uncertain if they family would survive the trip as many other such smuggling attempts had failed.

When helping those Cuban refugees who had recently arrived, he had to stress the importance of throwing away trash. Trash could always be valuable in Cuba as it could be reused. A recent refugee tells the protagonist the story of a man who collected enough spare parts to create a make-shift motorbike. The protagonist tells the refugee that they better not try that in America.

The story continues along these lines. Creating contrast between life in Cuba and America. i.e. how in Cuba although food seemed rare, rice with fish paste was filling, but now in America where food is abundant a whopper from Burger King only makes you want more. Or that in America you can stand on a street corner and say "To hell with Bill Clinton!" and no one would care. But you could also be yelling for help on a street corner and no one would care.

I realize this is something of a long-shot, but I would love to read that story again.

I'm pretty sure I read this; part of a collection, right?
I think it's called A Scent of Apples? There were at least two other stories in the book with it, all about Cuban refuges. The Hurt Men and And Beyond, More Walls are the two I remember in particular.

Content: When I was a kid I had a beautifully-illustrated hardcover book about this cat and his (her?) nine lives throughout history. It was from the cat's perspective and went from a pharaoh's cat in Egypt (and the cat's mother saving the pharoah's daughter from a snake, being fatally bitten in the process because the kitten distracted her) to a samurai's cat and surving an earthquake (he nibbled on his master's fingers as they poked out of the rubble and could tell he was still alive because they were warm) to I think a ship's cat in the age of sail? Possibly there was also a bit about living with the Captain on the Isle of Man and a local woman who was born heterochromic despairing that it meant she was ugly? )

It was a beautiful book, and I'd love to find a copy.

# ? May 23, 2019 21:42

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# ? May 24, 2024 23:48

Absurd Alhazred: Mar 27, 2010; by Athanatos

Astrofig posted:

Content: When I was a kid I had a beautifully-illustrated hardcover book about this cat and his (her?) nine lives throughout history. It was from the cat's perspective and went from a pharaoh's cat in Egypt (and the cat's mother saving the pharoah's daughter from a snake, being fatally bitten in the process because the kitten distracted her) to a samurai's cat and surving an earthquake (he nibbled on his master's fingers as they poked out of the rubble and could tell he was still alive because they were warm) to I think a ship's cat in the age of sail? Possibly there was also a bit about living with the Captain on the Isle of Man and a local woman who was born heterochromic despairing that it meant she was ugly? )

It was a beautiful book, and I'd love to find a copy.

Are you sure that wasn't an episode of Garfield and Friends?

# ? May 24, 2019 00:43

Schadenboner: Aug 15, 2011; by Shine

Astrofig posted:

I'm pretty sure I read this; part of a collection, right?
I think it's called A Scent of Apples? There were at least two other stories in the book with it, all about Cuban refuges. The Hurt Men and And Beyond, More Walls are the two I remember in particular.

Content: When I was a kid I had a beautifully-illustrated hardcover book about this cat and his (her?) nine lives throughout history. It was from the cat's perspective and went from a pharaoh's cat in Egypt (and the cat's mother saving the pharoah's daughter from a snake, being fatally bitten in the process because the kitten distracted her) to a samurai's cat and surving an earthquake (he nibbled on his master's fingers as they poked out of the rubble and could tell he was still alive because they were warm) to I think a ship's cat in the age of sail? Possibly there was also a bit about living with the Captain on the Isle of Man and a local woman who was born heterochromic despairing that it meant she was ugly? )

It was a beautiful book, and I'd love to find a copy.

It seems like this is an improbably long timespan for nine consecutive lives of an catte?

# ? May 24, 2019 00:46

yaffle: Sep 15, 2002; Flapdoodle

Absurd Alhazred posted:

Are you sure that wasn't an episode of Garfield and Friends?

There is a Garfield book just like this, he starts out with big saber teeth etc. "Garfield, his nine lives"

# ? May 24, 2019 00:55

3D Megadoodoo: Nov 25, 2010

Schadenboner posted:

It seems like this is an improbably long timespan for nine consecutive lives of an catte?

Consecutive is not the same as contiguous. If you work four consecutive week-ends, there are still weekdays between them. So you can have nine consecutive lives with some time between them being dead.

# ? May 24, 2019 01:20

Schadenboner: Aug 15, 2011; by Shine

Jerry Cotton posted:

Consecutive is not the same as contiguous. If you work four consecutive week-ends, there are still weekdays between them. So you can have nine consecutive lives with some time between them being dead.

I assume the book has thorough footnotes/endnotes about the exact mechanism by which Baast or whatever decided when to reincarnate teh catte?

# ? May 24, 2019 01:39

3D Megadoodoo: Nov 25, 2010

Schadenboner posted:

I assume the book has thorough footnotes/endnotes about the exact mechanism by which Baast or whatever decided when to reincarnate teh catte?

If Egyptian gods work anything like Greek gods: whenever the gently caress they felt like it :shrug:

# ? May 24, 2019 01:43

Action Jacktion: Jun 3, 2003

Astrofig posted:

Content: When I was a kid I had a beautifully-illustrated hardcover book about this cat and his (her?) nine lives throughout history. It was from the cat's perspective and went from a pharaoh's cat in Egypt (and the cat's mother saving the pharoah's daughter from a snake, being fatally bitten in the process because the kitten distracted her) to a samurai's cat and surving an earthquake (he nibbled on his master's fingers as they poked out of the rubble and could tell he was still alive because they were warm) to I think a ship's cat in the age of sail? Possibly there was also a bit about living with the Captain on the Isle of Man and a local woman who was born heterochromic despairing that it meant she was ugly?)

This is from Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander but I don't think the rest of that description is, unless you're wildly misremembering it. Time Cat does have chapters in Egypt and Japan but those events don't happen.

# ? May 24, 2019 02:40

Rollersnake: May 9, 2005; Please, please don't let me end up in a threesome with the lunch lady and a gay pirate. That would hit a little too close to home.; Unlockable Ben

Looking for a picture book my wife is trying to remember from her childhood. A boy finds a baby alligator or crocodile, or perhaps an egg that hatches into one of those, and keeps it in a shoebox in his room. Eventually it gets too big and he has to release it into the wild. She thinks the boy's name was in the title, something along the lines of "Alexander and the Alligator."

# ? May 25, 2019 06:59

CourtFundedPoster: Feb 2, 2019

Astrofig posted:

I'm pretty sure I read this; part of a collection, right?
I think it's called A Scent of Apples? There were at least two other stories in the book with it, all about Cuban refuges. The Hurt Men and And Beyond, More Walls are the two I remember in particular.

Looking up A Scent of Apples brings up a story of the same name by Bienvenido N Santos. Apparently, it was published 1979, which is well before this online competition I was talking about happened. Hell, it even predates the Clinton administration, which I remember being a part of the story.

It does seems like the kind of story that would be right up my alley, so I'll definitely give it a read when i get a chance though.

# ? May 25, 2019 14:31

ZoeDomingo: Nov 12, 2009

A scene from an urban fantasy novel popped into my head yesterday, and I've been driving myself crazy trying to remember the series. I believe it's in first-person, but I could be mistaken.

The main character opens their front door and a vampire is standing there. The main character says something like "oh, but you can't come in unless you're invited," at which point the vampire steps over the threshold (demonstrating that vampires needing an invite is just a myth). The main character just responds with "well, poo poo" or something similar.

I'm wracking my brain going through the series that I've read, and even have skimmed through some of the books I own. Of the series I can remember reading, only one subverts the myth (the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman). But I have those books, and haven't found such a scene.

It's entirely possible that this is in fact a scene from a movie or TV series, but I keep visualizing it as words on a page.

Any ideas?

# ? May 30, 2019 22:13

Zanzibar Ham: Mar 17, 2009; You giving me the cold shoulder? How cruel.; Grimey Drawer

ZoeDomingo posted:

A scene from an urban fantasy novel popped into my head yesterday, and I've been driving myself crazy trying to remember the series. I believe it's in first-person, but I could be mistaken.

The main character opens their front door and a vampire is standing there. The main character says something like "oh, but you can't come in unless you're invited," at which point the vampire steps over the threshold (demonstrating that vampires needing an invite is just a myth). The main character just responds with "well, poo poo" or something similar.

I'm wracking my brain going through the series that I've read, and even have skimmed through some of the books I own. Of the series I can remember reading, only one subverts the myth (the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman). But I have those books, and haven't found such a scene.

It's entirely possible that this is in fact a scene from a movie or TV series, but I keep visualizing it as words on a page.

Any ideas?

There's a Discworld novel with vampires overcoming their common folklorish weaknesses, maybe it's from there? Don't remember the name unfortunately.

# ? May 30, 2019 22:17

DACK FAYDEN: Feb 25, 2013; Bear Witness

Zanzibar Ham posted:

There's a Discworld novel with vampires overcoming their common folklorish weaknesses, maybe it's from there? Don't remember the name unfortunately.

Nope, specific plot point of Carpe Jugulum is that the vampires are invited into the entire country by the King, so it shouldn't be that.

# ? May 30, 2019 23:20

Davros1: Jul 19, 2007; You've got to admit, you are kind of implausible

ZoeDomingo posted:

A scene from an urban fantasy novel popped into my head yesterday, and I've been driving myself crazy trying to remember the series. I believe it's in first-person, but I could be mistaken.

The main character opens their front door and a vampire is standing there. The main character says something like "oh, but you can't come in unless you're invited," at which point the vampire steps over the threshold (demonstrating that vampires needing an invite is just a myth). The main character just responds with "well, poo poo" or something similar.

I'm wracking my brain going through the series that I've read, and even have skimmed through some of the books I own. Of the series I can remember reading, only one subverts the myth (the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman). But I have those books, and haven't found such a scene.

It's entirely possible that this is in fact a scene from a movie or TV series, but I keep visualizing it as words on a page.

Any ideas?

Vampire$?

The book by John Steakley or its movie adaptation starring James Woods?

# ? May 31, 2019 03:04

ulmont: Sep 15, 2010; IF I EVER MISS VOTING IN AN ELECTION (EVEN AMERICAN IDOL) ,OR HAVE UNPAID PARKING TICKETS, PLEASE TAKE AWAY MY FRANCHISE

Davros1 posted:

Vampire$?

The book by John Steakley or its movie adaptation starring James Woods?

It's not the book, I assure you. Those vampires will just gently caress you up.

# ? May 31, 2019 05:50

ZoeDomingo: Nov 12, 2009

I don't think it's any of these (I've never read any of them) but now I have some recommendations, so thanks!

# ? May 31, 2019 13:55

Synnr: Dec 30, 2009

I read a book I want to say IN class in middle school, but I might have just picked it up at the library. I'm a little vague, but the main character was I believe a mid to late teens girl, possibly with a much younger sister, who are the only apparent survivors of some kind of apocalyptic disaster (I want to say it was nuclear, might have been biological) due to their little town (I only remember a general store, gas station she had to pump by hand to fuel a generator and their home) being in a Valley somehow kept safe by the geometry of the valley and wind I guess. Some guy shows up on a bike in an NBC suit, I think a late 20s grad student. He's kind of a weirdo at first and at some point he tries to sexually assault the main character (or at least implies it). I want to say she leaves the valley at the end but I don't recall much else. Any ideas?

# ? Jun 6, 2019 22:30

Hobnob: Feb 23, 2006; Ursa Adorandum

Z for Zachariah. No little sister, but everything else fits.

# ? Jun 6, 2019 23:16

RedApe98: Mar 17, 2009

Trying to remember a book series and google is not being helpful at all. Urban fantasy, protagonist is a human woman detective/private eye who works with a vampire to solve paranormal cases, she has another male friend/partner that doesn't like/trust the vampire guy and there is a sort of friction between the two dudes. I remember one book involves a family of werewolves on a farm, another with a mummy in a museum, set in Canada. There were like half a dozen books in the series and the last book has her turned into a vampire in the back of a van. I think it was written in the mid to late 90's and wasn't very pervy or schlocky compared to most books in the genre, at least that's what I recall.

# ? Jun 8, 2019 15:45

StrixNebulosa: Feb 14, 2012; You cheated not only the game, but yourself.
But most of all, you cheated BABA

RedApe98 posted:

Trying to remember a book series and google is not being helpful at all. Urban fantasy, protagonist is a human woman detective/private eye who works with a vampire to solve paranormal cases, she has another male friend/partner that doesn't like/trust the vampire guy and there is a sort of friction between the two dudes. I remember one book involves a family of werewolves on a farm, another with a mummy in a museum, set in Canada. There were like half a dozen books in the series and the last book has her turned into a vampire in the back of a van. I think it was written in the mid to late 90's and wasn't very pervy or schlocky compared to most books in the genre, at least that's what I recall.

Blood Price by Tanya Huff

# ? Jun 8, 2019 15:55

RedApe98: Mar 17, 2009

StrixNebulosa posted:

Blood Price by Tanya Huff

Thanks! Picked it up for $3 on my kindle, I hope it still holds up.

# ? Jun 8, 2019 16:15

Hughlander: May 11, 2005

RedApe98 posted:

Thanks! Picked it up for $3 on my kindle, I hope it still holds up.

There was also a CBC series about it. The detail to remember for me was always she�s going blind and can�t be out at night while he is a vampire and can�t be out in the day.

# ? Jun 8, 2019 16:30

3D Megadoodoo: Nov 25, 2010

Hughlander posted:

There was also a CBC series about it. The detail to remember for me was always she’s going blind and can’t be out at night while he is a vampire and can’t be out in the day.

Ah yes blind people, the guys who famously give a poo poo about whether or not there's light.

(Yeah yeah I know "going blind" so sue me.)

# ? Jun 8, 2019 16:45

NinjaDebugger: Apr 22, 2008

Had a friend come to me with a request that I have no idea on.

quote:

It's about 12 rich people who meet every nonth for dinner, amd each spends their wealth trying to outdo each other.
And the last guy ends up serving his daughter.
And then the first guy who started hosting the dinners in the first place buys everyone else out.
I've never read it and my Google-fu was too weak to find it.

# ? Jun 11, 2019 17:38

Hyrax Attack!: Jan 13, 2009; We demand to be taken seriously

Three sci-fi short stories:

-A generation ship is going to take a long time to reach their destination, fleeing a losing war, I think one side was Egyptian themed? The original population is educated but the ship is set up to discourage innovation and free thinking, so no one tries to tamper with systems. Some people need to scrub the floors and walls for cleaning.

The main character is put into stasis with other leaders and occasionally revived but becomes the only one onboard who remembers the purpose of the trip, while the rest of the population devolves into creatures who only value the ability to scrub walls, although they don�t know why they do so.

-A scientist in present day investigates the death of a friend who had been researching faster than light travel. At first he thinks it was a murder as he found a collection of news reports of brutality, but discovers the friend was becoming disillusioned by humanity and feared his discovery would allow humanity to spread before it is ready. The main character decides to release the technology anyway and claim credit.

-In present day an alien ship appears on the edge of our solar system. It doesn�t try to communicate and ignores messages, and is on a course to exit our system, and it is moving too fast for anything to be sent to reach it.

I think the theme of the story was frustration among scientists that there is proof of intelligent life, but after initial excitement nothing changes on earth and the ship leaves.

# ? Jun 23, 2019 17:23

Hughlander: May 11, 2005

No idea but would love to read all 3. Each sounds a bit like something I read but obviously aren�t.

# ? Jun 23, 2019 21:25

Less Fat Luke: May 23, 2003; Exciting Lemon

Hyrax Attack! posted:

Three sci-fi short stories:

-A generation ship is going to take a long time to reach their destination, fleeing a losing war, I think one side was Egyptian themed? The original population is educated but the ship is set up to discourage innovation and free thinking, so no one tries to tamper with systems. Some people need to scrub the floors and walls for cleaning.

The main character is put into stasis with other leaders and occasionally revived but becomes the only one onboard who remembers the purpose of the trip, while the rest of the population devolves into creatures who only value the ability to scrub walls, although they don�t know why they do so.

-A scientist in present day investigates the death of a friend who had been researching faster than light travel. At first he thinks it was a murder as he found a collection of news reports of brutality, but discovers the friend was becoming disillusioned by humanity and feared his discovery would allow humanity to spread before it is ready. The main character decides to release the technology anyway and claim credit.

-In present day an alien ship appears on the edge of our solar system. It doesn�t try to communicate and ignores messages, and is on a course to exit our system, and it is moving too fast for anything to be sent to reach it.

I think the theme of the story was frustration among scientists that there is proof of intelligent life, but after initial excitement nothing changes on earth and the ship leaves.

Second one kind of sounds like Light by M. John Harrison and the third might be Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.

# ? Jun 23, 2019 22:04

oldpainless: Oct 30, 2009; This 📆 post brought to you by RAID💥: SHADOW LEGENDS👥.
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NinjaDebugger posted:

Had a friend come to me with a request that I have no idea on.

I want to say that I have read this story and been trying to find it and it�s driving me crazy

# ? Jun 23, 2019 22:26

uvar: Jul 25, 2011; Avoid breathing
radioactive dust.; College Slice

The first one reminds me of Mayflower II by Stephen Baxter - generation ship on a long journey, protagonist ends up the only one remembering its purpose, the passengers (d)evolve but maintain the ship.

The third one is not Pushing Ice unless Hyrax is drastically mis-remembering it.

# ? Jun 23, 2019 22:37

Hyrax Attack!: Jan 13, 2009; We demand to be taken seriously

uvar posted:

The first one reminds me of Mayflower II by Stephen Baxter - generation ship on a long journey, protagonist ends up the only one remembering its purpose, the passengers (d)evolve but maintain the ship.

The third one is not Pushing Ice unless Hyrax is drastically mis-remembering it.

That�s it! Yeah that was an excellent story. I didn�t know it was part of a larger series.

Less Fat Luke posted:

Second one kind of sounds like Light by M. John Harrison and the third might be Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.

Thanks for checking but those aren�t the stories. I think I read these in one of the annual Gardner Dozois edited collections.

# ? Jun 24, 2019 00:13

wheatpuppy: Apr 25, 2008; YOU HAVE MY POST!

Hyrax Attack! posted:

That�s it! Yeah that was an excellent story. I didn�t know it was part of a larger series.

Thanks for checking but those aren�t the stories. I think I read these in one of the annual Gardner Dozois edited collections.

The internet speculative fiction database can give you a list of publications the Baxter story appeared in, if that might help you track down the others: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?194453

# ? Jun 24, 2019 01:54

Gambrinus: Mar 1, 2005

Hyrax Attack! posted:

Three sci-fi short stories:

-A generation ship is going to take a long time to reach their destination, fleeing a losing war, I think one side was Egyptian themed? The original population is educated but the ship is set up to discourage innovation and free thinking, so no one tries to tamper with systems. Some people need to scrub the floors and walls for cleaning.

The main character is put into stasis with other leaders and occasionally revived but becomes the only one onboard who remembers the purpose of the trip, while the rest of the population devolves into creatures who only value the ability to scrub walls, although they don�t know why they do so.

-A scientist in present day investigates the death of a friend who had been researching faster than light travel. At first he thinks it was a murder as he found a collection of news reports of brutality, but discovers the friend was becoming disillusioned by humanity and feared his discovery would allow humanity to spread before it is ready. The main character decides to release the technology anyway and claim credit.

-In present day an alien ship appears on the edge of our solar system. It doesn�t try to communicate and ignores messages, and is on a course to exit our system, and it is moving too fast for anything to be sent to reach it.

I think the theme of the story was frustration among scientists that there is proof of intelligent life, but after initial excitement nothing changes on earth and the ship leaves.

Is the third one Rendezvous with Rama? Probably not, because it's not a short story.

# ? Jun 25, 2019 22:58

Hughlander: May 11, 2005

Gambrinus posted:

Is the third one Rendezvous with Rama? Probably not, because it's not a short story.

And they Rendezvous with Rama.

# ? Jun 26, 2019 01:45

Absurd Alhazred: Mar 27, 2010; by Athanatos

Gambrinus posted:

Is the third one Rendezvous with Rama? Probably not, because it's not a short story.

More like Missed Connections with Rama :v:

# ? Jun 26, 2019 01:49

El_Zilcho: Feb 17, 2011

Hyrax Attack! posted:

-In present day an alien ship appears on the edge of our solar system. It doesn�t try to communicate and ignores messages, and is on a course to exit our system, and it is moving too fast for anything to be sent to reach it.

I think the theme of the story was frustration among scientists that there is proof of intelligent life, but after initial excitement nothing changes on earth and the ship leaves.

Could this one be "Bow Shock" by Gregory Benford, in the 24th Dozois collection?

# ? Jun 27, 2019 22:41

Hughlander: May 11, 2005

El_Zilcho posted:

Could this one be "Bow Shock" by Gregory Benford, in the 24th Dozois collection?

https://web.archive.org/web/20150603050831/http://www.baenebooks.com/chapters/1416521364/1416521364___4.htm to check.

# ? Jun 27, 2019 23:56

Veni Vidi Ameche!: Nov 2, 2017; by Fluffdaddy

El_Zilcho posted:

Could this one be "Bow Shock" by Gregory Benford, in the 24th Dozois collection?

I am seconding this suggestion. This is what the description reminded me of, too.

# ? Jun 28, 2019 01:57

Hyrax Attack!: Jan 13, 2009; We demand to be taken seriously

El_Zilcho posted:

Could this one be "Bow Shock" by Gregory Benford, in the 24th Dozois collection?

That�s it! Good detective work, thanks for finding it

# ? Jul 3, 2019 00:16

Zeerust: May 1, 2008; They must have guessed, once or twice - guessed and refused to believe - that everything, always, collectively, had been moving toward that purified shape latent in the sky, that shape of no surprise, no second chance, no return.

There was a fantasy novel I read as a teenager that I just can't remember the name of. These are all the bits I can remember:

- The protagonist is a woman, and another major character is a wizard who's nicknamed 'Long-shanks'.

- They have what was in retrospect probably a super inappropriate relationship because of a significant age gap (he's a lot older than her).

- There's a bit where she gets hypnotised by a pool of some weird magic stuff, but a talking lizard snaps her out of it by biting her ankle.

- Minotaurs are in the setting and they're extremely rapey, because the power that made them didn't make any female ones.

I want to say it might be a Weatherlight novel, but I've got no way of confirming.

# ? Jul 3, 2019 06:50

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# ? May 24, 2024 23:48

froglet: Nov 12, 2009; You see, the best way to Stop the Boats is a massive swarm of autonomous armed dogs. Strafing a few boats will stop the rest and save many lives in the long term.

You can't make an Omelet without breaking a few eggs. Vote Greens.

Zeerust posted:

There was a fantasy novel I read as a teenager that I just can't remember the name of. These are all the bits I can remember:

- The protagonist is a woman, and another major character is a wizard who's nicknamed 'Long-shanks'.

- They have what was in retrospect probably a super inappropriate relationship because of a significant age gap (he's a lot older than her).

- There's a bit where she gets hypnotised by a pool of some weird magic stuff, but a talking lizard snaps her out of it by biting her ankle.

- Minotaurs are in the setting and they're extremely rapey, because the power that made them didn't make any female ones.

I want to say it might be a Weatherlight novel, but I've got no way of confirming.

That sounds a lot like the last of The Immortals series by Tamora Pierce (Realms of the Gods).

# ? Jul 3, 2019 07:41

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > The identify that story/book thread: Home of the gas pump boy

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