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Death Hamster posted:"Gilgamesh in the Outback" by Robert Silverberg That's the one, thank you
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Dec 17, 2007 19:24
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Just a tip for everyone: Try to give a timeframe of when you read the story/book you're asking about. Just saying "I read this when I was a kid" doesn't help if we don't know how old you are.
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Dec 17, 2007 21:19
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I'm looking for a book that I would have read in 6th grade, around 1996. All I remember is a pretty vague plotline. It took place in a dystopian future affected by global warming so that it was really hot and everyone wore air conditioned suits. One of the main characters had a weed problem in his front yard, and he sprayed the weeds with radioactive pesticide and then the weeds came to life and killed his whole family. Another character died and went to some sort of earth-like afterlife, and she just wanted to have sex, except no one had any genitalia in the afterlife. Another character in the afterlife is fixated on going back in time- the original afterlife consisted of the 80's generation, then he killed himself and went back to the 50's generation, killed himself again, went to the 20's, and so on until he tried to find God. Sorry I don't know more and it sounds completely ridiculous, but it is driving me crazy.
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Dec 19, 2007 04:45
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I recently saw the movie "I Am Legend", and it reminded me of a book I read in high school (but not the book by Richard Matheson). It might just be a short story or novella. Anyways, its about a man, who is locked/sequestered in a garden. He is allowed to request, and will receive any book or material he wants, but he isn't allowed any human contact. He is totally isolated. The story follows the various stages the man goes through as he goes insane from the lack of human interaction. I think the story was written around the turn of the century, but I could be wrong about this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Dec 23, 2007 11:35
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ActionPhilosopher posted:I recently saw the movie "I Am Legend", and it reminded me of a book I read in high school (but not the book by Richard Matheson). It might just be a short story or novella. Anyways, its about a man, who is locked/sequestered in a garden. He is allowed to request, and will receive any book or material he wants, but he isn't allowed any human contact. He is totally isolated. The story follows the various stages the man goes through as he goes insane from the lack of human interaction. I think the story was written around the turn of the century, but I could be wrong about this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Dec 23, 2007 23:27
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This has been killing me for years... the book is about a family, and an alien somehow comes to live with them and is their friend. The oldest daughter in the family is named 'Yolanda'. I would have read this around '82 - '83. I specifically remember a sequence in the book where the mother took the alien to see a train, hoping to impress it with earth technology, but the alien pointed out things about the train that the mother didn't know.. however the alien didn't understand why people needed to use tissues. At the end the alien had to leave the family, but left a glowing energy sphere with Yolanda, that could be used to contact him in the future or something. anyone?
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Dec 27, 2007 06:47
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I read this maybe 3-4 years ago, but it may be much older, and quite possibly a sci-fi classic. I can't remember the name or author for the life of me, and it is killing me. Two scientists on a remote planet research station (one a murderer?) fall into a hole or gateway of some sort, and awake in a new universe, where they are given new bodies. This world is divided into different sectors, which have different physics/creatures etc... I seem to remember centaurs in one, elves in another, and some sort of evil plant or flower in another. A giant bat is one of the characters, and is revealed at the end to be someone known the protagonist. Anyone?
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Dec 27, 2007 19:40
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GrumpyMan posted:I read this maybe 3-4 years ago, but it may be much older, and quite possibly a sci-fi classic. I can't remember the name or author for the life of me, and it is killing me.
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Dec 27, 2007 20:20
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/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Thank you, thank you, thank you. As soon as I read your answer I felt even dumber for not having remembered that was it. Merry New Year to you!
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Dec 28, 2007 22:13
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We'll see if anybody recognizes this: It's a short story about New York in the early 1900s where some young suitor is in love with some girl but she's leaving that night for Europe and he won't be able to propose to her. He talks with his rich dad who tells him there's no such thing as fate but the son disagrees and they bet that he won't be able to marry her. But then when he's going with the girl to the docks there's a massive traffic jam and they spend the whole night in the cab and he finally gets the chance to propose. Then the next day the father concedes that fate brought him the wife of his dreams but it ends with him paying his friends for deliberately setting up the traffic jam to give his son the chance to propose. I read this in a high school English class and I want to say it's O. Henry but maybe that's just from the setting.
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Dec 29, 2007 00:51
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Yeah, that sounds like O. Henry all right. A little research turns up "Mammon and the Archer"-- seems spot on.
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Dec 30, 2007 18:01
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Ok, here's an oddball one. When I was in Middle School (around 1991-1992) I remember reading a sci-fi trilogy that revolved around a dying out group of "blood knights" or something, and the things I remember from the book series was about a sword that was enabled by blood - it ran off of the wielder's blood. If you were one of the ones able to wield it, things worked fine. If you weren't it would kill you instead of operating properly.
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Dec 31, 2007 08:23
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The Tao Jones posted:Yeah, that sounds like O. Henry all right. A little research turns up "Mammon and the Archer"-- seems spot on. Thank you very much, kind sir!
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Dec 31, 2007 20:54
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XenoWolf posted:Ok, here's an oddball one. When I was in Middle School (around 1991-1992) I remember reading a sci-fi trilogy that revolved around a dying out group of "blood knights" or something, and the things I remember from the book series was about a sword that was enabled by blood - it ran off of the wielder's blood. If you were one of the ones able to wield it, things worked fine. If you weren't it would kill you instead of operating properly. Another thing I remember is the story was revolving around a last child able to wield the sword, and how he was hidden away. The character was said to have "flame red hair and ice blue eyes" - anyone else ever read them?
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Jan 4, 2008 06:38
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XenoWolf posted:Ok, here's an oddball one. When I was in Middle School (around 1991-1992) I remember reading a sci-fi trilogy that revolved around a dying out group of "blood knights" or something, and the things I remember from the book series was about a sword that was enabled by blood - it ran off of the wielder's blood. If you were one of the ones able to wield it, things worked fine. If you weren't it would kill you instead of operating properly. Star of the Guardians by Margaret Weis?
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Jan 5, 2008 02:46
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I've got a story that I have been wondering about for years. I vaguely remember reading it in school. It goes like this: a guy finds a race of humanoids and these humanoids are traveling through time and planting weapons throughout human history. These weapons cause war and violence so the protagonist removes them and humanity becomes a lot more peaceful. Then after a few years, alien invade and humans are helpless to stop them. Anyone know what that's from? Edit: I read it about 8-9 years ago. I think it was a short story maybe. palatka fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Jan 5, 2008 |
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Jan 5, 2008 19:12
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fritz posted:Star of the Guardians by Margaret Weis? Wow! That's it! For a while I thought I was the only one to ever have heard of let alone read this series. I also didn't know of the 4th book.
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Jan 6, 2008 04:19
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This is a fairly recent book. It's based off the idea that so long as someone alive remembers you, you still exist in some way. After people died, they went off to have a sort of second life in this typical city. Suddenly, they start disappearing, as does the city, at a rapid rate. Meanwhile, in the world of the living, this plague is killing off every living thing. There's a group of three people in Antarctica but they are totally cut off, supplies are dwindling and so are they. I think it's two men and a woman and I'm pretty sure her name is Amy. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the book, so if anyone can help, I'd be much obliged.
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Jan 7, 2008 10:40
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Ulalume posted:This is a fairly recent book. It's based off the idea that so long as someone alive remembers you, you still exist in some way. After people died, they went off to have a sort of second life in this typical city. Suddenly, they start disappearing, as does the city, at a rapid rate.
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Jan 7, 2008 13:24
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LittleSunshine posted:The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. Thanks for reminding me of it; I'd meant to get hold of a copy and forgot! Thank you so very much!
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Jan 8, 2008 02:52
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I read this book about a decade ago. It seems like the book could have been old even then though. I believe it is young adult fiction. A small group of children are locked in some remote location with a machine. If they dance or perform for the machine it releases food. All sorts of mini-Machiavellian conflicts ensue. This description sounds crazy now that I have written it down. Any suggestion?
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Jan 8, 2008 05:00
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McNutty posted:I read this book about a decade ago. It seems like the book could have been old even then though. I believe it is young adult fiction.
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Jan 8, 2008 10:44
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LittleSunshine posted:House of Stairs by William Sleator. drat I'm on a roll here! (It's based on Skinnerian conditioning, hence the "dancing".) You do fine work and I thank you.
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Jan 8, 2008 17:05
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Back when I was in elementary school (late 1980s), I read a children's book that revolved around various mythological figures fighting to save Earth from an alien invasion. The only part I remember clearly was that Baba Yaga was a fan of Star Trek. I've been trying to remember what book that was for a while; it keeps bugging me. Also, there was a book recommendation I came across on SA some time ago -- a fantasy novel (possibly series) revolving around some turn-of-the-century scientists who wind up in a world where magic is real, and manage to figure out the underlying laws that govern it. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, I'd kind of like to find the book(s) and see if it's any good.
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Jan 9, 2008 06:51
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Here's mine, posted on another thread that sorta died out: It's a sci-fi type series I read in jr. high or so in the mid 90s. It's about a guy who ends up in a world of the dead when some ghost girl saves him from being killed by a robber. The girl died in like the 70s or so, and used to live in the bedroom the guy lives in now, so she's way out of touch, and the series revolves around them trying to get him back to the living. The world is inhabited by dead people who are trying to get to their final rest, and there are some bad guys who are somehow harvesting this mist stuff to force their way into the after-afterlife. The only scene I clearly remember is the live guy and the dead girl falling in a river, and they have to sorta give each other mouth-to-mouth underwater so he can avoid drowning. I thought the series was called Ghostworld or something, but that doesn't bring anything up on the internet search engines. Been bugging me for a while now - any ideas?
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Jan 9, 2008 22:35
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I read a short story a few years ago written as an incredibly convoluted recipe for a traditional, and fictional, french dish. I can't remember the name or author, and hours of googling has been proven fruitless. I could've sworn the title was 'The Recipe' and was written by a traditional and well know European author, but if this were the case, you'd think the search would have been easier. In short, the story described a traditional feast prepared in a french village that included most of the population in a detailed, complex, and epic recipe. It may have also had a copious amount of references and footnotes, but that may be another short story I can't think of at the time. Does anyone know the story in question? I don't know much more about it, but feel free to ask questions and it may jog my memory.
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Jan 11, 2008 00:21
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In a futuristic society people are made to be 100% average. Anyone with higher than average IQ is shocked every time they think complex thoughts, skinny people wear weights, etc. At the end of this short story, a couple break into a news broadcasting station, kill everyone during live TV and do some sort of dance before blowing their brains out. Any ideas? Appreciate the help.
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Jan 12, 2008 10:57
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AuntieJem posted:In a futuristic society people are made to be 100% average. Anyone with higher than average IQ is shocked every time they think complex thoughts, skinny people wear weights, etc. At the end of this short story, a couple break into a news broadcasting station, kill everyone during live TV and do some sort of dance before blowing their brains out. Any ideas? Appreciate the help.
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Jan 12, 2008 11:53
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LittleSunshine posted:Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut. Thank you, like all the other posters I really appreciate your help.
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Jan 12, 2008 11:58
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Seksiness posted:I'm looking for some help finding a piece of prose. okay are you looking for a poem or a piece of prose? your post is extremely confusing in that regard.
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Jan 12, 2008 18:43
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This was a story from a collection of short horror stories for children, published in the nineties (Note: It was NOT one of the Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark series) The story I am trying to find is set in the Appalachians or Ozarks, an isolated part of America. it's told from the perspective of a little girl whose mother has just died of a wasting disease, but returned as a vampire and is draining the children of the community. One night, her father and the rest of the townspeople go out to find and stake the vampire, leaving the girl alone with her baby sister. Her mother returns to the house and the girl has to spend the night trying to resist the call of her mother, who scratches at the window, begging to be let in. The name of the story might be something like "Mama" or "Momma" and is written in dialect. If it helps, I think the book also had another story about a vampire looking for a cure, and ending up being turned into a werewolf.
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Jan 13, 2008 01:45
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DeimosRising posted:okay are you looking for a poem or a piece of prose? your post is extremely confusing in that regard. To be quite honest I am not entirely sure. It was in an anthology with work by Betjemin, Owen and Sassoon (amongst others) so I would have thought poetry, but I have a feeling it read more like a story without the rhythym I would attribute to poetry. I was kind of hedging my bets as my memory is very blurry and it's not helped that this has been bugging me for a few years now. The anthology in question was split into sections. Of which the war poetry was the section we studied and this other piece was in another section called Brave New World that contained material of a utopian/dystopian slant. (It would have been part of the GCSE syllabus in the year 2000, I think edexcel). I know it had Inexpensive Progress by Betjemin in that section. All I remember for certain about the piece was the towers in a field of some crop and there being a canteen, possibly with a PA system telling people what to think.
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Jan 14, 2008 11:53
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Seksiness posted:I know it had Inexpensive Progress by Betjemin in that section. All I remember for certain about the piece was the towers in a field of some crop and there being a canteen, possibly with a PA system telling people what to think. John Betjeman posted:The Planster's Vision
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Jan 14, 2008 14:29
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Unkempt posted:Putting my mind at rest Excellent, I didn't recognise the first verse initially but it is most definitely the right one. Thank you.
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Jan 14, 2008 14:43
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A trilogy I got from my local library maybe a decade ago. A fantasy world where the main character was a lawyer of some sort - except trials were sword duels either to first blood or to death. I think the guy was really old and relatively successful (You had to be to live long in the profession). Later in the trilogy he taught himself how to be a bowyer and ended up doing something really creepy like make a bow out of the thigh bones and flesh of his own dead nephew. There was also a lot of talk about siege weaponry. I think the main city was populated by a certain race and ended up being attacked by the surrounding savage tribes. One of this tribe entered the city and eventually ended up working on their siege weaponry and then either did or didn't take it back to his tribe (I forget). Anyone help?
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Jan 15, 2008 17:02
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Harkano posted:Anyone help? Ninja edit: The Proof House is the 3rd, I think.
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Jan 15, 2008 17:58
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Not really a book but a show about books. This was probably the mid to late 80s. There was a show on PBS, at least in Maryland, of a guy that drew scenes from different books. I remember he did The Dark is Rising and if I'm not mistaken the image that he did was one of the covers for it. I read one of the books he did, I can't remember too much detail since it was such a long time ago. For some reason time travel and a cellar are involved, but I could be wrong. If anyone knows the name of the show that would be awesome.
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Jan 15, 2008 19:15
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calandryll posted:Not really a book but a show about books. This was probably the mid to late 80s. There was a show on PBS, at least in Maryland, of a guy that drew scenes from different books. I remember he did The Dark is Rising and if I'm not mistaken the image that he did was one of the covers for it. I read one of the books he did, I can't remember too much detail since it was such a long time ago. For some reason time travel and a cellar are involved, but I could be wrong. More Books from Cover to Cover, hosted by John Robbins
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Jan 15, 2008 20:19
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Nrapture posted:More Books from Cover to Cover, hosted by John Robbins I thought there was Robin somewhere in the name. Thanks. Edit: The Root Cellar was the book I was thinking of.
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Jan 15, 2008 20:52
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LittleSunshine posted:Me again; I love the chance to show off! I reckon you want KJ Parker's Fencer trilogy; Colours in the Steel, Belly of the Bow and, um, something else. I both love and hate you for getting this so fast. Also HOLY CRAP Wikipedia posted:In reality, Parker is a pseudonym of the British writer Tom Holt I read these books years ago and just got into Holt in the last year or so and I love him. My mind is broken. Damned authors and their psuedonyms. Thanks so much 
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Jan 15, 2008 21:45
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