|
Hughlander posted:Could be anything but for a guess (Though more like 20 years ago than 10) Walter Jon Williams, and Hardwired as the book? Sadly not, checked over a few sci-fi and cyberpunk author lists and checked into possiblities but haven't come across anything that matches. Convinced the author had at most 2-3 books published and I'd picked them up sometime between 1998-2002 when they were quite new. After the first big wave of cyberpunk books but before people like Charles Stross started getting published. Book I'm thinking off was more or less a hardboiled detective story but set on another planet, almost read like a near future dashiell hammett story. Slightly futuristic and I think the main sci-fi/cyberpunk twist was related to the girl but just can't remember what it was or why she was on the run. Probably some low profile author that I'll never track down. Frustrating as I can remember most of the authors I'd read before and after but just not from around that time.
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2010 02:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:02 |
|
|
Boody posted:Book I'm thinking off was more or less a hardboiled detective story but set on another planet, almost read like a near future dashiell hammett story. Slightly futuristic and I think the main sci-fi/cyberpunk twist was related to the girl but just can't remember what it was or why she was on the run. Probably some low profile author that I'll never track down. Frustrating as I can remember most of the authors I'd read before and after but just not from around that time. Before I was thinking Jeff Noon (Vurt, etc.) but now it sounds more like Richard K. Morgan (the Takeshi Kovacks novels starting with Altered Carbon), though they were published rather later than your timeframe.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2010 02:15
|
|
|
Hobnob posted:Before I was thinking Jeff Noon (Vurt, etc.) but now it sounds more like Richard K. Morgan (the Takeshi Kovacks novels starting with Altered Carbon), though they were published rather later than your timeframe. Wasn't Jeff Noon, tried but never really got into his books. I'd looked into Richard Morgan but was sure the book was bit more of a traditional hard-boiled type story. Also know someone with the same name, so thought I'd remember that connection. Since have no other leads will grab Altered Carbon and see if it brings back any memories. It was published in 2002 in the UK, so almost correct time frame and the only thing close to what I remember.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2010 03:07
|
|
|
It kind of reminds me of Michael Marshall Smith, who wrote futuristic noir books. I know he wrote several books, but I only read one and it doesn't sound like what you described. It was pretty good though, the main character ended up getting saved by AI appliances, like refigerators and coffee makers at the end because he was always nice to them. He has a book called "Spares," which I never read, but is about a guy who rescues some clones from a clone farm.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2010 06:40
|
|
|
Boody posted:Sadly not, checked over a few sci-fi and cyberpunk author lists and checked into possiblities but haven't come across anything that matches. Convinced the author had at most 2-3 books published and I'd picked them up sometime between 1998-2002 when they were quite new. After the first big wave of cyberpunk books but before people like Charles Stross started getting published. Another stab in the dark... Greg Egan Quarantine? It's Earth but Future, Noirish, Cyberpunkish involves a girl but you'd probably remember the Bubble if that's what it was...
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2010 08:00
|
|
|
Frantick posted:He has a book called "Spares," which I never read, but is about a guy who rescues some clones from a clone farm. Wasn't Greg Bear and had discounted Michael Marshall Smith as have read most of his books including the horror ones. Although reading the synopsis of "Only Forward" I could be getting it confused with something else so will find a copy. Richard Morgan/Michael Marshall Smith seem like the right track, although recall the books containing a classic noir type detective more or less transplanted into the future, whereas they put more of a futuristic spin on main character.
|
|
#
?
Jan 24, 2010 15:24
|
|
|
There's a children's book I've read back in the early 90s. It was in picture-book format, but the entire story was told in comic-format, but not in a graphic novel or superhero style, but more like the Calvin and Hobbes Sunday strips. In fact, I was pretty sure it was in watercolor. Anyway, it starts off with two elderly mustached brothers telling their story about when they were young (I think, I'm a bit fuzzy), which launches into the main plot of them being lost in a snowstorm. The two brothers, though children, still had cute little black mustaches (like Dr. Watson), and were incredibly funny to my elementary aged self. Once scene was when the older brother was trying to cheer up the crying younger brother (due to them being lost in the snow): Older brother: "Hey, want to know a secret?" (I think he might have played it up more, like saying it was the best secret ever or something) Younger brother: *quiets down in his bawling, and nods* Older brother: (triumphantly) "No two snowflakes are the same." Younger brother: *stares at him and starts bawling again* I remember them being bundled up in round snowsuits, and knowing that this particular book was the sequel to the first children's book that starred them, which I believe had something to do with rain, maybe? I've been googling for it, but have turned up nothing. Hopefully, someone remembers this book?
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2010 13:20
|
|
|
Boody posted:Wasn't Greg Bear and had discounted Michael Marshall Smith as have read most of his books including the horror ones. Although reading the synopsis of "Only Forward" I could be getting it confused with something else so will find a copy. Richard Morgan/Michael Marshall Smith seem like the right track, although recall the books containing a classic noir type detective more or less transplanted into the future, whereas they put more of a futuristic spin on main character. Well it doesn't sound like Morgan is exactly who you are looking for, since the noir/detective stuff is in Altered Carbon, but the girl on the run type stuff occurs in a later book Woken Furies. And if I recall correctly, Morgan pretty much drops all the detective stuff that I enjoyed in Altered Carbon in the 2 other Kovacs novels. But if you enjoy that kind of thing I'd recommend reading them anyway. (at least Altered Carbon)
|
|
#
?
Jan 25, 2010 22:22
|
|
|
roffles posted:Well it doesn't sound like Morgan is exactly who you are looking for, since the noir/detective stuff is in Altered Carbon, but the girl on the run type stuff occurs in a later book Woken Furies. And if I recall correctly, Morgan pretty much drops all the detective stuff that I enjoyed in Altered Carbon in the 2 other Kovacs novels. But if you enjoy that kind of thing I'd recommend reading them anyway. (at least Altered Carbon) Yeah, picked up Altered Carbon and it's not the book I was looking for but first half has been enjoyable enough. Will check Michael Marshall Smith next. If nothing else, got some decent recommendations from replies.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2010 14:47
|
|
|
I feel horrible for doing this but I think I am making a repeat request: I asked about this book before (and I 90% thought it was in this thread, but I literally just went through every page and couldn't find my post about it so maybe not) and had thought the book in question was called "Dogstar" but I can't seem to find anything on Amazon that matches the description, so if anyone can't help out with an author that would be amazing. It's a children/teen book about the star Sirius, who does something terrible (to the stars/galaxy/whatever) so as punishment he's sent to earth in the form of a dog and he's not allowed to be a star again until he completes his mission. He gets born as a puppy in a litter and I think in the beginning he has no idea that he was a star and subsequently no idea what he has to do. I don't really remember much beyond this, unfortunately, like what he was supposed to find/do or the ending beyond of course it was happily ever after (he completed his mission and was forgiven).
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2010 20:36
|
|
|
angelicism posted:I feel horrible for doing this but I think I am making a repeat request: I asked about this book before (and I 90% thought it was in this thread, but I literally just went through every page and couldn't find my post about it so maybe not) and had thought the book in question was called "Dogstar" but I can't seem to find anything on Amazon that matches the description, so if anyone can't help out with an author that would be amazing. That's because you don't have the name quite right. Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones.
|
|
#
?
Jan 26, 2010 21:00
|
|
|
Diana Wynne Jones: making extremely complicated and incredible but thoroughly forgettable stories since 1970.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2010 09:38
|
|
|
For many years, my stepfather has brought up this story just about anytime he hears anything about Nazis. He read it a long time ago and he claims it is a true story. A Nazi concentration camp was being liberated by Allied soldiers. They found that the Jews in the camp were well fed, but the Nazis were all starving. It turned out that the Jews, using ancient magic, had made a golem to protect them and get them food. Has anyone read this story?
|
|
#
?
Jan 28, 2010 21:14
|
|
|
haveblue posted:That's because you don't have the name quite right. Thank you SO MUCH, it was driving me crazy.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2010 01:34
|
|
|
OK, when I was toasting my bagel this morning it reminded me of a book that I'd read when I was a kid, and I can't remember what it was called. Essentially, this kid has either been to the future or seen the future or something, and as a result he is able to stop a smaller boy's house from burning down. The kid saw a newspaper article where the smaller boy's house burned down because he left the toaster oven on, and so the kid is able to tell the smaller boy to go unplug the toaster oven before he goes to school. I guess it made an impression on me, because I unplug the toaster after I'm done using it every time. Anybody have any ideas?
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2010 18:10
|
|
|
Ironman posted:There was an audiobook series on the net I was into a few years back that was a mix of Gunslinger and Fallout. What I remember about it most is that it featured a bad rear end gunslinger type with mechanical legs. I don't remember exactly what sort of quest he was on but I remember huge super fast trains and a lot of scary desperate desert people. I'd really like to listen to these stories again but now that I see how little I remember I doubt I'll ever get to, haha. No one? There was a pretty big gbs thread for it which is where I found it if that would help jog anyone's memory.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2010 21:24
|
|
|
Ironman posted:No one? There was a pretty big gbs thread for it which is where I found it if that would help jog anyone's memory. Tales From the Afternow. After 40 minutes of archive-digging and Google searching, the simple query "post-apocalyptic cyberpunk" finally did it 
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2010 22:06
|
|
|
I had forgotten all about this book until recently, and I lost it between 20 and 25 years ago, so I may be way off on this (or possibly combining descriptions of more than one book), but I feel I have to try. I had the book when I was 12ish. It was full of fairly random stuff, the one I remember specifically being a page or two dedicated to the similarities between JFK and Abraham Lincoln and their assassinations. I remember it having a red cover (possibly leather) with gold printing on it, and maybe even gilded page edges. I'm going to keep trying to Google different things, but thought I'd give this a shot, too.
|
|
#
?
Jan 29, 2010 23:25
|
|
|
I've been trying to find the title/author of this series for a while now. I read it when I was a kid and it was an interesting premise; I'd like to figure out what it's called but the main plot points have too many similarities to other things and it prevents me from finding it with search engines. 1) Characters are sentient reptiles (okay let's just call them dinosaurs) that live in a strongly religious society. 2) They have an extremely strong territorial drive and as a result can barely touch each other and otherwise need lots of personal space. 3) The main character gets into astronomy or something and figures out that their planet isn't the center of the universe, etc, etc. He gets his eyes cut out by the religious leaders for being a heretic but eventually leads them in some sort of reform. 4) They lay eggs in clutches of 8 or something. They have to control their population, so they come up with a crazy scheme where a priest puts on a scary outfit and chases around the babies as soon as they hatch, eating all but one of them. The last one alive gets to live. Survival of the fittest. 5) ^ This is why they can't stand to be around each other. It's childhood trauma that manifests itself in exactly the same way for each and every member of their species (I know, I know). 6) Main character's kid figures out their world is doomed for some reason and starts the process by which they eventually flee from it. It actually all sounds kind of silly the way I've presented it, but I enjoyed it all the same when I was younger. I think the whole story took up two books (one for the main character, one for his kid), but I can't for the life of me remember what they were called or who wrote them. Any bells ringing for anybody?
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2010 01:20
|
|
|
Che Delilas posted:It actually all sounds kind of silly the way I've presented it, but I enjoyed it all the same when I was younger. I think the whole story took up two books (one for the main character, one for his kid), but I can't for the life of me remember what they were called or who wrote them. Any bells ringing for anybody? maybe Far-Seer by Robert Sawyer?
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2010 01:25
|
|
|
Holy crap, that's it. And it WAS dinosaurs, hot drat. Thanks a million, it's been bugging me off and on for a year.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2010 01:33
|
|
|
I had the best/worst audiobook every made, but I was a moron and gave it away. I can remember all about the dumb plot but not the title or any of the character names. It is a western fiction read by the author, who is wearing a beaver hat on the back cover. The hero of our story also happens to like wearing beaver hats. I think that the title was a dumb phrase, something along the lines of Ain't No Skin Off My Teeth but more lame. Our hero is a cowboy who does cowboy things until one day, when one of the other guys on a job dies and mentions all this cool poo poo he had planned. So he decides to go take the dead guy's ranch and meet up with the dead guy's penpal/love who he is supposed to marry and just happens to have no idea what he looks like. Our heroine is a whore or something who is hanging out in a bar/brothel/hotel when some sick chick is brought in. The sick lady mentions all this cool poo poo she has planned before she dies. Here we learn that the heroine is a sociopath who can't cry, every time something sad happens the narrator goes on about her saying how sad it is "BUT HER CHEEKS WERE DRY." Anyhow, she decides to take all the dead girl's stuff and go meet the dead girl's penpal/love who she is supposed to marry and just happens to have no idea what she looks like. OH THE IRONY! So they meet up, it is super awkward, things happen, stolen cattle, secrets, etc. Eventually they have the big reveal of "Oh you took the place of a dead person? I took the place of a dead person! OH HO HO HO HO!" The heroine finally cries, the end. If you have any idea what the title is or who the author might be, I would be forever grateful.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2010 05:49
|
|
|
I'm looking for a Sci-Fi book I started reading as a kid in the 80s but never finished it because it went over my head at that time. All I remember is that it's about a boy that has some kind of atomic- or quantum disease and his mother, I think she was a physicist, was the only person that understood the nature of his disease. The book cover had some weird dragon-like beast on it with wings and eyes on the wings.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2010 17:23
|
|
|
you never thought posted:I'm looking for a Sci-Fi book I started reading as a kid in the 80s but never finished it because it went over my head at that time. Sounds (and looks) like A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2010 00:50
|
|
|
Nereidum posted:Sounds (and looks) like A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle. That's the one, thank you. Now that I read up on it I no longer feel bad about not finishing it.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2010 13:13
|
|
|
Science fiction short story. A child is asking his father questions about things like "why is the sky blue" and whatnot, but the father doesn't know and is frustrated when he tries to think, by things like this buzzing noise in his ears. The father was worried about his child because of some sort of intelligence test that the government runs, and worries about if his kid was going to "pass" or not. I seem to remember reading it in a collection, but I'll be damned if I can find it anywhere.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2010 21:07
|
|
|
Beach Bum posted:A child is asking his father questions about things like "why is the sky blue" and whatnot, but the father doesn't know and is frustrated when he tries to think, by things like this buzzing noise in his ears. The father was worried about his child because of some sort of intelligence test that the government runs, and worries about if his kid was going to "pass" or not. Just a guess, this sounds like it could be Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2010 22:07
|
|
|
Captain Equinox posted:Just a guess, this sounds like it could be Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. That is a comparable story, but not quite the same. No names were mentioned, if I recall correctly.
|
|
#
?
Feb 1, 2010 01:27
|
|
|
This should be an easy request but I can't seem to remember the title of this one book. The premise of the book is quite similar to Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 in the premise of an ignorant and dystopian society but this book is about a society that just "doesn't care". There are far too many distractions and activities that people's brains just turn into "mush". God I feel like an infant writing this. Anyway, it often gets put in the same camp as 1984 so please send help.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2010 00:44
|
|
|
Pr0phecy posted:This should be an easy request but I can't seem to remember the title of this one book. This is probably Brave New World. Between 1984 and this, it looks like we're headed this direction.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2010 01:03
|
|
|
Beach Bum posted:Science fiction short story. Does the kid get killed at the end for exceeding his intelligence quota? There was a story with that plot in my GCSE Eng Lit anthology.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2010 20:59
|
|
|
EvilMoJoJoJo posted:Does the kid get killed at the end for exceeding his intelligence quota? There was a story with that plot in my GCSE Eng Lit anthology. This kind of poked at my memory a little bit and I found this short story: "Examination Day" by Henry Seslar that was apparently also turned into a Twilight Zone episode but it doesn't seem to be it. I don't know if I'm just mashing elements of Harrison Bergeron into it by mistake but I do also remember something where the kid's thoughts were being actively disturbed by something that prevented him from following through with his thoughts. Anyway, I think I read the short story that the original poster wants identified but I can't put my finger on it either and now it's bugging me. Maybe it was Examination Day.
|
|
#
?
Feb 4, 2010 03:33
|
|
|
baldurk posted:It's been a long time, so my memory is fuzzy, but I remember reading what I think was a children's trilogy - although it may not have been exactly three books. I posted this way back last year but at the time I don't think anyone had any ideas. It's recently bugged me again so I'm trying again in case someone else sees this. One other thing I remembered although it's ridiculously narrow and specific is that I'm pretty sure that the kid's parents die in a car crash when the aliens attack, and then his rescuer does a time-jump of about 10 minute to escape. He refers to it as "warping", and the kid makes a Star Trek joke, "Warping? like 'Warp 4 Mr. Scott'?". That's a ridiculously tiny detail, but maybe it'll jog someone's memory.
|
|
#
?
Feb 6, 2010 02:30
|
|
|
gruvmeister posted:This may have been asked before, forgive me if it has (thread now bookmarked): Quoting myself from a ways back. Something made me think of this again tonight and I did some more clever Googling and found it! It's a short story in Penn & Teller's How to Play in Traffic, I believe it's the one called 'The Devil went to Bell Labs' I can't read it all in the Amazon peek inside preview, but if I remember right the wisher in the book, Bill, is supposed to be a young Bill Gates.
|
|
#
?
Feb 6, 2010 10:47
|
|
|
gruvmeister posted:Quoting myself from a ways back. Something made me think of this again tonight and I did some more clever Googling and found it! It's a short story in Penn & Teller's How to Play in Traffic, I believe it's the one called 'The Devil went to Bell Labs' I can't read it all in the Amazon peek inside preview, but if I remember right the wisher in the book, Bill, is supposed to be a young Bill Gates. Holy two years later bat-man... I think I'll have to pick this up... Also to: Beach Bum posted:Science fiction short story. Having read the two stories I'm 99% sure you are combining Examination Day and Harrison Bergeron... Check online for Harrison Bergeron I know I read it in a web browser and see...
|
|
#
?
Feb 6, 2010 16:04
|
|
|
I'm looking for a book that I can only vaguely describe. It was an illustrated book with simple guides to performing hundreds of different things. Like fly a kite and cook stuff and tie knots and massage shoulders and build things. It was aimed at adults, not kids. The illustrations were pretty simple, in steps running horizontally across the page and there were I think about 3 rows per page. The book itself was quite large (perhaps a bit smaller than A3) and I think the cover was yellow. I saw it in a Borders in 2008 and haven't been able to find it since.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2010 00:46
|
|
|
I am trying to remember a book I started reading a few months back, but I am completely stumped. I don't recall the author, but the opening of the book was some guy in a coffee house talking to a chick (I think), and then some crazy guy attacks them. The guy ends up fighting him out in the street, and gets hit with a car and killed (again, I think). All I really remember was it was an interesting opening, and someone got their fingers bitten off. The homeless / crazy guy I think. I didn't get to read much further, but he had a brother in prison who just got released, I think it was an army prison, and he was going to investigate the murder or go to the funeral or something. Any ideas? It was written in the last 10-15 years at least.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2010 03:55
|
|
|
Baggy_Brad posted:I'm looking for a book that I can only vaguely describe. Was it The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys? That version is yellow.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2010 04:01
|
|
|
Stupid_Sexy_Flander posted:I am trying to remember a book I started reading a few months back, but I am completely stumped. from what I remember you may be looking for the Jack Reacher series specificaly "Die Trying" by Lee Child
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2010 05:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 20, 2024 02:02 |
|
|
Nah, I have all those, and this was a different author. I wish I could remember more about it. I think the guy that got killed (the brother) was something like an assassin or CIA or something. Christ this is annoying me. I was hoping to read it, went through my ebook library and can't find the damned thing.
|
|
#
?
Feb 7, 2010 05:56
|
|