Conference noted::sf

    	I am sorry this does not answer your question, but in light
    of the recent number of requests for stories which the noter has
    forgotten the title of, it might be wise to put all of them in a
    single topic - that way there won't be so much clutter, and the
    person's request will be easier to locate.
    
    	Larry
    

    Re .1
    
    Good idea.  Let us designate this topic as the lost-and-found
    department.
    
    Re .0
    
    I can't give you the title of your mystery story, but the author
    was L. Sprague deCamp.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

>    Good idea.  Let us designate this topic as the lost-and-found
>    department.
    
Ok in this vein who wrote 'Its A Good Life'?, caught the last few minutes
of the Twlight Zone adaptation of this last night, to my credit I 
recognized it very quickly but there was no author in the closing credits.
My copy of this seems to have walked and the name Bill Bixby keeps coming
to mind (but thats the Hulk)

So who did write it ?


Ta

Peb

    I believe the author was Jerome Bixby. It was originally a short
    story.

    .4 is correct.  The story is more horrifying on paper....
    					
    						Don

RE . 5 
>>   -< the 'rat' episode springs to mind. >-

What WAS the rat episode ?, as I said its been a long time 
since I read this and my copy seems to have walked

Ta

Peb

    	It was a part in the WRITTEN story which THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode
    "It's a GOOD Life" is based on.  
    
    	The little boy with the incredible mental powers, who keeps an
    entire town enslaved, sensed a rat, and - by luring it with the image
    of a piece of cheese - mentally forced it to eat itself, from its
    tail to its stomach, where it naturally died.
    
    	As others have said, I found the written version more frightening
    than the TV version, though both were good.
                                                         
    	Larry
    

================================================================================
Note 425.8                 Lost And Found Deptartment                     8 of 8
STKHLM::LITBY "...and he built a Crooked House"      14 lines  11-JUL-1989 09:23
                            -< How 'bout this one? >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is the lost & found dept. still open for business? 

I'd like to try to find out the title and author of a novel I read many years
ago. It's about time travel, and from what I recall it handled all the well-
known time-travel paradoxes in a very elegant and funny way. The main
character is some sort of investigator who is sent back in time to track the
movements of some crook who (I think) is a copy of himself.

In one section of the book, he is back in Imperial Rome doing some hideously
funny things. I have an irrational feeling that the author might have been
Philip K. Dick, but that's *very* uncertain.

Ideas?

/POL

    Maybe someone can help me recover this novel, which I read sometime
    in the last year or two.  One of the characters genetically engineers
    miniature versions of extinct species from Old Earth, as exotic
    pets.  One of the other characters has one of these, a miniature
    (battery powered!) polar bear.  The polar bear's name is on the
    tip of my tongue...
    
    This is all little more than ambience to the plot of the novel,
    but it's the main thing I remember.
                   
    Does anybody recognize the story?
    
    len.
    

    I'm not sure, but might it be "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"?
    Was any rationale given for why a genetically engineered (and
    presumably living, conventionally organic) animal would run on
    batteries?
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    Sounds like George R.R. Martin's TUF VOYAGING to me.
    
    --- jerry

    I'm going to write a novel and not tell anybody, just so Jerry Boyajian
    won't know everything.
    
    
    				-- edp 

    Who says he won't know?
    
    (hum Twilight Zone Theme here)
    
    K.C.

    	A discussion on TUF VOYAGING can be found in SF Topic 483.
    

    re .10, .11, it's definitely not either of those, as I've read them
    both and remember them well.  And Havelock Tuf was an ailurophile.
    No room for polar bears, miniature or otherwise. 
    
    As to why a battery powered genetically engineered creature - assuming
    the technology exists to bioengineer a miniature of an extinct species,
    it seems perfectly plausible to engineer it for a battery as energy
    source rather than food.  No meals, no waste products.  Much more
    convenient as a pet.
    
    Hasn't anybody else read this book?  Am I going to have to go searching
    though the random piles in my library, thumbing through all likely
    candidates to find it? 
    
    len.
    
    

    You guys have made my day. The name of the book is Caliban Landing
    and the name of the bear is Cameron. I know, because I wrote it.
    
    Now watch. I'll hear, "no. That's not it..."
    
    
    steven popkes
    

    Re .16:
    
    Ooohhh, you beat Jerry!  Has that ever happened before?
    
    
    				-- edp

    Yes, that's it!!  Great book, and written by one of our very own!
    Will you autograph my copy?
    
    len.
    

    with an invitation like that, how could I refuse?
    best to discuss logistics via mail.
    
    I am: USMRM3::SPOPKES
    
    steven popkes
    

    I don't know whether this is the place to put this, but I can't
    seem to find another topic.
    
    I have some books that I *know* the author and title, but want to
    find copies. So far on some of them I've gotten no help with the
    old book dealers.
    
    The current book I'm looking for is "The Transfinite Man" by Colin
    Kapp.
    
    Help?
    
    steve p

    Over a year old; hope someone still reads this note.
    
    I read a story years ago that I think was in a book of short stories.
    This was about the cyclic evolution of "beings" who turned out to be
    micro organisms living in a pond. Their goal (from what I vaguely
    remember) was to survive from their current environment to what they
    though was an outside world.
    
    Can anybody remember the story or the book it was in?
    
    russ 

    Another _old_ story I'm looking for was also probably in a book of
    short stories. This was about some "beings/creatures/animals/?" living
    in the upper strata of a forest. I believe "death" to them was falling
    down below the level of the highest leaves of the forest.
    
    russ

    re:.21
    
    Sounds like James Blish's "Surface Tension" from his collection
    THE SEEDLING STARS.
    
    --- jerry    

    Re .22
    
    The creatures living in the tops of trees also appear in THE SEEDLING
    STARS.  Both the pond-dwellers and the tree-dwellers are genetically
    engineered, human-descended colonists of other planets.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    The creatures living in the tops of trees might be characters in
    Brian Aldiss's "Hothouse" series, collected in the volume "The Long
    Afternoon of Earth."
    
    					andrew 

    	.21   Sounds like a non-Dune Herbert book.  The Dosadi Experiment??
    
    	And I second Andrew's suggestion of the "Long Afternoon of Earth" for
    .22
    
    Tracey
    
    

    re .23 - .26:
    
    Thanks for the tips. The Seedling Stars sounds right; I remember that
    title, but no longer have it. I'll put that and "Long Afternoon..." and
    "Dosadi Experiment" on my look-for list.
    
    russ

.21 is defintely not the Dosadi Experiment.  I don't know what it is, though.

I'd put it on your list anyway, I liked it a lot.

Will

    I, so glad to see this lost and found.
    
    I have been looking for a book that I read in high school. (20 yrs ago)
    I know its a long time but.........
    
    The world had been destroyed and the survivors have come along to about
    the western days. the only book that survived was the bible. If
    anythingwas not perfict, it was destroyed as an abomination. If an ear
    of corn was not perfect, they burnen the whole crop. Every child had to
    be inspected for any defects at birth. They were killed even if they
    had a birth mark.
    
    One little boy had telepathic powers and could talk to his brother and 
    grandmother with his mind, but they could not tell anyone EVER. This
    story is about this little boy.
    
    Can anybody help me? Its a great book and I lost it years ago. ;(
    
    

    Re .29
    
    Sounds like The Chrysalids (sp?) by John Wyndham. One of my favourite
    books when I was at school.
    
    Peter
    
    

    Re .29
    
     I think it's "Re-birth" by John Wyndham.  My notes say it was
    published in 1955.  
    
     Wyndam also wrote "Day of the Triffids".
    
    
      -- Jeff
    

You have to remember that in the '50s,  British books were often published 
under different titles in the U.S.  It was "Re-birth" the first time I read it.

A British friend and I, both admirers of Brian Aldiss, have spent a lot of 
time figuring out that Mr A wrote only half as many books as we jointly 
member.

\dave
 

    THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. I CALLED A COUPLE USED BOOK STORES TODAY AND 
    FOUND A COPY!!!
    
    
                         LYNDA :)

	This one is from when I was a teenager. It was set in a near-future
	Earth which had been conquered by very superior aliens who treated
	people like vermin.

	So much so that they built elaborate force fields to restrict our
	movement. I don't recall much at all beyond the fact that it seemed a
	pretty good read, and some guy managed to manipulate the force fields
	to his own ends.

	I have a feeling he finally succeeded in using them against the aliens,
	and putting up some credible resistance. What the outcome was, I forget.

	The key to this one is the force fields. There were loving descriptions
	of all the colours and textures.

	Ring a bell with anyone?

	/Tom

    
    Borrowed a book from an ex-co-worker - I forget the author, and title -
    but the main character was a thief called Trent the Uncatchable. 
    pretty flimsy clue, I know.  It was the sequel to a book I remember
    nothing about except there was a group of people called Speed Freaks
    who staged a psuedo-rebellion when the world's government(s)  outlawed
    non-traffic-computer-controlled driving.  Anyone?  Anyone?
    
    				-jimbo
    

    Sounds familiar, kinda cyberpunkish?

    re .35
    
    Sounds like Heinlein's "Fifth Column" to me.

    
    No - not Heinlein . . .
    
    	 Involved a group of people engineered to be telepaths, then
    reviled by the general public.  Trent the Uncatchable was the only one
    of the group who was NOT tetepathic.  Another 'character' was an AI
    named 'Ring'.
    
    	Very cyberpunkish.  Another element were the 'PKF' which stood for
    - I think - Peace Keeper Elite, or something similar.  These were
    cyborgs with mini-laser things in their hands, enhanced strength, and
    all the other little goodies that any respectable cyborg should have.
    
    	Ring any bells, anyone?  Being able to ALMOST remember it is
    starting to drive me a bit nutty . . .
    
    					gracias,  Jimbo

    
    Whoops!  just noticed .38 referred to .35  - apologies - Jimbo
    

RE: .36 through .40

That is very definitely the books "Emerald Eyes" and "The Long Run" by
Daniel Keys Moran.  Good luck finding them, I found my copy in a used
book store, and they were the only Moran books there.

"Emerald Eyes" tells the story of Carl Castanaveras and his "family", who
are gene-engineered to be telepaths.  But what happens when the people who
are gene-engineered to be smarter, faster, and stronger than their creators,
(and are telepaths as well) don't want to do what their creators want?  This
is a very good book, with (IMHO) very real characters, and is much better than
my blurb makes it out to be.

"The Long Run" tells the story of Trent, who is one of the gene-engineered
people from "Emerald Eyes".  Trent is a thief, who visits most of the worlds
in his "long run".  Again IMHO, this is a better book than the first, and is
filled with little tiny details that are delightful.  I also felt that the
opponents (I cannot call them bad guys) were well drawn, and had solid
justification for doing what they did; they felt they were right and honorable
people who were doing the best for their society.  This is good work in a
light SF story.  DEC people will also enjoy it because Trent uses VAX t
echnology in his work.  

Spoilers follow:


I don't like "Emerald Eyes", and won't re-read it because of the incredible
downer ending (the PKF nukes the entire Castaneveras family).  But I am glad
I read it once, because it gave me more detail about why Trent hates the PKF
so much.

I *love* "The Long Run" because it is a lighter book than "Emerald Eyes", and
is filled with sly asides and humor.

    
    Re: .41
    
    Ken, do you happen to know if this is the same Daniel Keyes who wrote
    "Flowers for Algernon"?
    
    JP

    Re .41
    
    	Ken - thank you thank you thank you.  Now I can sleep nights . . .
    
    					-Jimbo
    

RE: .42

I strongly suspect *not*, because this is "Daniel Keys Moran"
                                                    ^^- note no 'e'

and "Flowers for Algernon" was written by "Daniel Keyes"
                                                     ^- note 'e' plus no MORAN

Further, "Flowers for Algernon" was copyrighted in 1959, and "Emerald Eyes"
was copyrighted in 1988.  Further, the blurb talks about "Armageddon Blues"
being Moran's first book, and makes no mention of "Flowers for Algernon".

Given the stature of "Flowers for Algernon", if this was the same author I
would expect the publisher to at least mention it, if not shout it on the
cover or the back blurb.


RE: .43

You're welcome.

-- Ken Moreau

    re .35 - I'm pretty sure the story you remember is titled "The City of
    Force".  I have it in a collection of short stories, which is so old
    the pages are turning brown.  It has long been one of my favorites.
    I'll see if I can track it down.
    
    len.
    

    re:.35
    
    I suspect that the book is "Lords of the Psychon" by Daniel F. Galouye,
    published in 1963 by Bantam; Library of Congress # 63-9177 ( pre-isbn).
    
    I can't remember much about it, as it is at least 20 years since I read
    it, but the back cover says - City of Force  huge prisms, obelisks,
    cubes, cylinders, rhombohedrons, domes, pyramids shimmered with glowing
    colors, corruscating essence, blinding radiance...
    
    								/alan

    The short story (upon which "Lords of the Psychon" must be based, or
    from which it was extracted as an excerpt) appeared in
    
    	"Bodyguard and four other short science fiction novels from Galaxy"
    
    published by Pocket Books (Permabook edition) in September 1962.  The
    collection is edited by H. L. Gold.  The story by Daniel F. Galouye
    is titled "The City of Force".  The original edition was by Doubleday,
    published in June 1960.
    
    In the short story (at 57 pages does it really qualify as a short novel?)
    the protagonist Bruno of the Spruce Clan leaves his sylvan life to
    attempt to communicate with the Spheres, who have usurped Earth and
    treat Mankind as vermin.  Bruno discovers he has some facility at
    manipulating the forces that are the substance of the Spheres'
    civilization, provoking an "extermination" of the humans living within
    the City of Force.  He flees with them, taking with him two rings of
    force with which he can tap into the extradimensional energy reservoir
    that supplies the Spheres, vowing to use them to reestablish Mankind as
    a potent adversary to the Spheres.
    
    It's obvious how Galouye could have used this as the basis for a longer
    work. 
    
    len.
    

    re: .47
    
    Based on your synopsis, the Lord of the Psychon has little in common
    with the short story other than the "psychon".  I'm rereading the novel
    and I'll checkout the story too.  The novel has to do with an Army
    Captain "fighting" the spheres to prevent Earth from being transferred
    into another dimension.  This book seems to combine Mad Max's milieu
    with Varley's invaders ( or rather may have been the seminal work for
    them ).  Another related work might be William Tenn's Men in Walls.
    
    							/alan

>            Another related work might be William Tenn's Men in Walls.
>    
>    							/alan

    I believe this is the same book I have by Tenn with the title
    _Of Men and Monsters_.  One of my all-time favorites.

	Mike

	Thanks people, I am convinced you have cracked it. Consider
	me a converted sceptic, this topic is a brilliant example of
	group-think.

	/Tom

    re: .50
    
    Great, but which answer was the one one you were looking for?  /alan
    

    	I am looking for a title and autoor af a book/story/series.
    
    	It is about a space cop style man with a phantom arm.
    
    	He can do things like reach through a wall and flick a swithc
    on the other side.
    
    	Efw
    

    You are looking for the stories about "Gil the Arm" by Larry Niven.
    Punnishly, Gil is an agent for A.R.M., a police force for the U.N.
    He is the narrator and hero of the novel "The Patchwork Girl" and of
    several other short stories and novelettes.  I believe there is an
    anthology of the short works, entitled "The Long A.R.M. of Gil
    Hamilton."
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    There are other Gil the ARM stories in other volumes of Niven's 
    "Known Space" series.
    
    					andrew