Octavia Smythe-Bunion I. Esq :
I’ve read that story! In an anthology called Science Fiction (cause that will be helpful). The cover was red and blue, but I can’t remember anything else. Arrgg! I think I still have the book, but it would be stored at my parents house, thousands of miles away…
*Originally posted by Octavia Smythe-Bunion I. Esq. *Okay, I have one. I read this back in one of my jr. high lit. books. There is this guy who has learned that there is supposedly an alternate world that is a paradise. He approaches this man who is supposed to know the path to get there. The man tells him about it, issues a few warnings, and instructs him to show up at a barn somewhere outside the city at a certain time.
This story is “Of Missing Persons” by Jack Finney. One of my all-time favorites! It appears in his anthology About Time: Twelve Stories .
*Originally posted by Fiat Lux *
It’s sort of a detective story, except the ‘detective’ is actually more a mystic, spooky occult investigator rather than a hardboiled PI. He goes to a town where several different people are having the same bad dream, about being at a feast, only the host always turns them away at the end. After looking around for a while, he finds out what’s going on. The dream is actually a spiritual guilt trip they’re all taking; they’re all sinners in some way or another, and they’re dreaming of the host (Jesus) denying them Heaven. The detective leaves them to their dreams and leaves town in the end **
The Detective of Dreams, Gene Wolfe, 1980. Appears in the Gene Wolfe anthology Endangered Species , 1989.
BTW, if you’re looking for a hard-to-find science-fiction story, the Locus Press offers a great online index by author, story title, and anthology title at http://www.locusmag.com/index/a4.html . There is a similar index for mystery stories at http://users.ev1.net/~homeville/msf/a4.htm .
Sorry, the link that I just gave for the mystery index was just for the index by author. The main link is http://users.ev1.net/~homeville/msf/0start.htm .
Gravity
January 28, 2003, 1:35pm
46
*Originally posted by fizgig *Gravity Thank you so much! I believe that may be the book, because I sort of have a vague recollection of a sequel, so the war may have come in the second book if that was accurate. It sounds pretty familiar. I’ll be so thrilled if I find a copy.
*fizgig , I’d be happy to send you my 1973 Dell Yearling reprint (in horrible shape) if you like. Just e-mail me with your address, and I’ll mail it out to you.
fizgig
January 30, 2003, 2:05am
47
Thank you for the generous offer, but I found some early printings ('36 and '39, I think) of The Good Master and The Singing Tree on www.abebooks.com . I wanted the whole yellowed paper, musty smell and cloth binding experience.
rjk
January 30, 2003, 2:58am
48
I just tried the SF link posted by brianmelendez , and it’s down for now, having exceeded it’s bandwidth limit. The main page works, http://www.locusmag.com/ and there’s a link in the News Log explaining.
*Originally posted by rjk *http://www.locusmag.com/ and there’s a link in the News Log explaining. **
There is a subset of the Locus index, for stories published pre-1984 (the year, not the novel), at http://users.ev1.net/~homeville/isfac/0start.htm .
Osbie
January 30, 2003, 5:27am
50
Thank you! You too, Don Roberto . I’ll be checking my local library for this.
rjk the book with the plant-man on the raft and the guy with the cougar is called “Dark is the Sun” by Philip Jose Farmer. I remember that image distinctly, since I searched for that book for years. Finally found it at a used bookstore. Good story.
*Originally posted by rjk *brianmelendez , and it’s down for now, having exceeded it’s bandwidth limit. The main page works, http://www.locusmag.com/ and there’s a link in the News Log explaining. **
OMG! Did the SDMB just slashdot someone?
*Originally posted by MusicJunkie *
That’s by Fritz Leiber but I can’t remenber the name. **
Musicjunkie , you were right: the story is “Sanity” by Fritz Leiber. Thanks!
