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Conference noted::sf

Title:Arcana Caelestia
Notice:Directory listings are in topic 2
Moderator:NETRIX::thomas
Created:Thu Dec 08 1983
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1300
Total number of notes:18728

96.0. "Budrys's Michaelmas" by PERCH::LESLIE () Sun Jun 24 1984 02:56

Does anyone remember a book in which a 'perfectly ordinary' guy with a wrist 
watch link to a master computer somewhere, rules the world, but no one knows 
apart from him?

(<>^<>)
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96.1VIKING::MCCARTHY_1Mon Jun 25 1984 11:5715
The name of the book is "Michealmus", I believe.  The master computer is one
that he built in order to take care of his house (??!!).  The protagonist
is a reporter of outstanding stature in the field, and uses this guise in
order to travel around the world to "hot spots" he and his trusty computer
think need "fixing".  The story concerns a biological scientist accidentally
discovering an extremely weird form of life somewhere "out there".  The plot
gets very heavy going from that point on, and so I won't say any more about
it.

I don't remember the author, but I have a copy of the book at home.  I will
get it tomorrow, and reply again, unless someone else beats me to it first.

"I shall return",

Kevin
96.2AKOV68::BOYAJIANTue Jun 26 1984 09:008
<Hah hah! Beat ya to it!>

The author is Algis Budrys. The character of Laurent Michaelmas also
appears in a novelette by Budrys, "The Nuptial Flight of War Birds",
though I'll be damned if I can remember the title of the collection
that it appears in.

--- jerry
96.3VIKING::MCCARTHY_1Wed Jun 27 1984 11:207
Thanks, it saves me the trouble of remembering to bring the book in
tomorrow (since I forgot today).  I have never seen "The Nuptial Flight
of War Birds", and would appreciate any information about what the
story was about.  I kinda liked "Michaelmus" in an off-hand sort of
way.  Does TNFoWB talk any about the history of how Michaelmas was
able to actually gain control of the world.  The book sort of glossed
over it, stating that it was a fact now, and went from there.
96.4AKOV68::BOYAJIANThu Jun 28 1984 10:2412
Actually, Michaelmas really only shows up as a rather minor
character in "The Nuptial Flight of Warbirds". I'm sure it
was just meant as a throwaway. I forgot to look up the title
of the collection it appears in <I sometimes think that I
should bring my reference books into work, since I'd probably
use them more here than at home>, but I *can* tell you that
it appeared in the May 1978 issue of ANALOG <I *do* happen
to have here copies of a nifty index to the sf magazines of
which I'm co-compiler>. It's an interesting story, but not
among Budrys' best.

--- jerry
96.5AKOV68::BOYAJIANFri Jun 29 1984 06:284
The collection is titled BLOOD & BURNING (Berkley, 425-03861-0-175,
September 1978).

--- jerry
96.6VIKING::MCCARTHY_1Fri Jun 29 1984 11:401
Thanks -- I'll look it up.