I recently posted a query looking for information on a book I read 20 years ago, where I didn’t remember the author or title but did remember (some of) the plot.
Apparently, this is not the best place to look for this information.
Is there a good place on the Web or elsewhere where I can look for this information? (I’ve been looking off and on for the past 10+ years.)
Thanks.
Good SF sources are the Science Fiction Encyclopedia by Peter Nichols and Mark Clute, and the earlier edition, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction by Peter Nichols. The two editions are different, even allowing for the difference in ages (the older one, for one thing, is profusely illustrated). Don’t forget The Fantasy Encyclopedia.
There are online sources, too, which any good search engine can take you to, like Alpha Ralpha Boulevard (named after a Cordwainer Smith story)
Try the Locus Press index.
The best place was the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, which – though not without the occasional error – had just about everything you’d ever want to know about SF books. But it’s down now, since it started costing too much.
The various Locus indices (i’d suggest starting here) are probably the best current on-line resources for specific SF/Fantasy books, but they’re really only helpful for looking up information on specific books.
But if you want a book ID’d, you’d be best served posting the question somewhere – either a board like this (which you’ve already done with no reply, unfortunately) or somewhere SF-specific, like the rec.arts.sf.written newsgroup – which is where I’d recommend you try next.