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What book is this - do you know?; trying to find a science fiction novel
Topic Started: Apr 6 2010, 06:52 PM (276 Views)
jodi
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Fulla-Carp


"There is a camp/settlement of people. A travelling 'caravan' (eg. lots of wagons/stuff/people) leaves from it once per year, and goes to a peninsula far away. A boy goes with the caravan, as a stow-away I think, he is escaping from some bad event (murder?) at the camp. Somewhere the caravan stops at/near a beach.... A scary beast-thing comes out of the sea... ... the caravan gets to the peninsula; near the end of the road there is a narrow area (bridge? pass?), where I think the caravan is searched before being allowed to continue.... somewhere on the peninsula (high up?) there is an underground prison... it is dark/cold/stormy, the prisoners escape (are released? by the boy??)... on the other side of the peninsula from the caravan-road, there is a bay... spaceships(?) depart from here.... The End."
:) Jodi
my artlog ~ todayatmydesk.weebly.com
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JoeB
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No, I have never heard of it but don't forget the machine guns used to kill the "sharks" attacking the caravans and that the kid actually reopens an abandoned restaurant on the road at one point (he has learned to be a very good cook).
"There are many ingredients in the stew of annoyance." - Bucky Katt
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JoeB
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Just kidding. You are describing "Destiny's Road" by Larry Niven.

Library Journal
 
On the planet Destiny, which has been settled by Earth colonists, Jemmy Bloocher lives in Spiral Town at the far end of the peninsula. After accidentally killing a man from one of the caravans that supply trade goods and the essential potassium-rich speckles, Jemmy flees down the road into the unknown, assuming new identities to avoid capture for 27 years. Curious about what happened to a second landing spaceship, Jemmy traces its route 200 years after it first landed. He discovers what really befell the ship, that there are other towns along the road Spiral Town residents never knew about, and the secret of speckles.
"There are many ingredients in the stew of annoyance." - Bucky Katt
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apple
one of the angels
Is it by Stephen King -
The Stand?

if not THE STAND is absolutely brilliant - just read it instead
it behooves me to behold
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jodi
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I loved The Stand - it was an awesome book.

Thanks, Joe! - I'm looking for this bood for another person - she seems to think it was written in the 70's or 80's, but maybe it is this one. I'll let you know.
:) Jodi
my artlog ~ todayatmydesk.weebly.com
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1hp
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Fulla-Carp

How about "The Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis - a great read. Here's a synopsis from Amazon:

Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for science fiction, this book is a tour de force that is sure to captivate all those who love time travel themes, as well as those who have a deep appreciation for medieval history. The author masterfully melds these two genres, creating a novel that is riveting and highly entertaining.

The year is 2048 A.D., and a young history student named Kivrin is preparing to do an on site study of the turbulent fourteenth century. Her mission has placed two of the University's professors at cross purposes, as the proponent for this study, Mr. Gilchrist, finds himself pitted against Mr. Dunworthy, Kivrin's mentor, who believes that this trip in time is far too dangerous. Mr. Gilchrist, however, is in the position to have the final say on the project.

Kivrin is scheduled to land in the rural English countryside of the fourteenth century some twenty years before the Black Death savages England. Armed with the knowledge of fourteenth century customs, dress, languages, religious practices, and history, Kivrin is raring to go back in time. When she travels back, however, an unforeseen crisis in the present places Kivrin in a potentially deadly situation upon her arrival in the past.

The book alternates between what is happening in the present and what is happening in the past, as those in the present work to unravel the mystery of what went wrong. Meanwhile, Kivrin struggles to overcome the anomalous situations she encounters that run contra to her expectations. Believing herself stranded in the past, Kivrin artfully maneuvers around the precarious situations in which she finds herself, never losing her humanity despite the horror of her situation, given what went wrong.

Steeped in well-researched medieval life, it is the story of Kivrin's sojourn in the past that captures the imagination of the reader. This is a stunning book that is totally gripping. The spellbound reader will definitely keep turning the pages of this wonderful book, which is clearly written by a master storyteller. Bravo!

There are 10 kinds of people in this world, those that understand binary and................
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Kincaid
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HOLY CARP!!!
But it is written in fourteenth century English? Now that would be a challenging read!
Kincaid - disgusted Republican Partisan since 2006.
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jodi
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That sounds like a good one too. I really need to check out more books from the local library.

Hey, Joe - it looks like you might have found the book - the person who is looking thinks that is it. How did you find it? Have you read it?

:) Jodi
my artlog ~ todayatmydesk.weebly.com
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1hp
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Actually just bought the follow on book - To Say Nothing of the Dog - but haven't read it yet. It deals with 1940s England, plus Victorian England. And I bought a book of short stories by the same author (Miracle and Other Christmas Stories), but again am saving it for the next plane trip.

I usually don't read science fiction books, but like sci fi movies - haven't figured why. Do you classify LOTRings as SF? (books were great)
There are 10 kinds of people in this world, those that understand binary and................
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
jodi
Apr 7 2010, 09:13 AM
I loved The Stand - it was an awesome book.

now reading "under the dome"

the next huge king good vs evil epic.

very similar to the stand.
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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Aqua Letifer
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ZOOOOOM!
bachophile
Apr 7 2010, 07:48 PM
jodi
Apr 7 2010, 09:13 AM
I loved The Stand - it was an awesome book.

now reading "under the dome"

the next huge king good vs evil epic.

very similar to the stand.
Right on! :thumb:

I have my own copy waiting for me on my shelf. I hope to get to it sometime this summer. :smile:
I cite irreconcilable differences.
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JoeB
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Quote:
 
Hey, Joe - it looks like you might have found the book - the person who is looking thinks that is it. How did you find it? Have you read it?


Yes, I did read it but it was quite a while ago. I remember it as a "good read" that held my interest. In general SF, there are some real gems. "Forever War" by Joe Haldeman (the sequel "Forever Peace "is also good), "A Canticle For Leibowitz" by Walter Miller, and "Enders Game" by Orson Scott Card are a few examples that come to mind.
"There are many ingredients in the stew of annoyance." - Bucky Katt
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Luke's Dad
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Emperor Pengin
bachophile
Apr 7 2010, 07:48 PM
jodi
Apr 7 2010, 09:13 AM
I loved The Stand - it was an awesome book.

now reading "under the dome"

the next huge king good vs evil epic.

very similar to the stand.
I curious and wanting to read it, but I'm also a little skeptical of a Stephen King novel that was inspired by The Simpson's Movie.
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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