# Ask the guy who is pretty good at SF Story Identification

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-is-pretty-good-at-sf-story-identification/462417>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** books-writing-myths\
**Created:** [September 7, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-is-pretty-good-at-sf-story-identification/462417 "2008-09-07T00:08:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 689

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**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-who-is-pretty-good-at-sf-story-identification/462417/689 "2020-10-23T20:45:51Z")

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The first was discussed in this old thread: [Vague short story description, want name](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vague-short-story-description-want-name/63760)

It was in one chapter of [Helliconia Winter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helliconia#Helliconia_Winter) by Brian W. Aldiss. It expanded on the concept from his short story _Manuscript Found in a Police State_.

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