# ID SCiFi book from vague recollection **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-scifi-book-from-vague-recollection/781493 "2017-03-05T21:34:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-scifi-book-from-vague-recollection/781493/1 "2017-03-05T21:34:57Z")
I have a vague recollection of a science fiction-ish book, and wondered if any of you could ID it. As I recall, the main character is some kind of wildly wealthy daredevil adventurer. I believe his “companion” was a computer which had either been with him since he was young, or perhaps that he had built/rebuilt. I’m not sure whether his parents had died when he was young, or if they had sorta left him in the care of this technological “nanny.” That’s basically all I can remember. I was thinking about it after reading a newspaper article bout baby monitors that interact with the kid and learn and adapt over time. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-scifi-book-from-vague-recollection/781493/2 "2017-03-05T22:09:15Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > I have a vague recollection of a science fiction-ish book, and wondered if any of you could ID it. > > As I recall, the main character is some kind of wildly wealthy daredevil adventurer. I believe his “companion” was a computer which had either been with him since he was young, or perhaps that he had built/rebuilt. I’m not sure whether his parents had died when he was young, or if they had sorta left him in the care of this technological “nanny.” That’s basically all I can remember. That’s the plot of the TOM STRONG comic book; he doesn’t call himself a superhero, he’s just a rich explorer who helps out during emergencies and, okay, fights crime if it pops up while he’s adventuring; and his parents, who often left him in the care of a technological manservant when he was young, died when he was just a kid – which meant he had to get Pneuman back up and running, but hey, he had the skills. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-scifi-book-from-vague-recollection/781493/3 "2017-03-06T13:12:21Z")
Boy, that sure sounds like it, down to the name of the butler Pneuman. (Tho I don’t remember any gorilla). But my confusion now stems from the fact that I’ve never read comic books/graphic novels. I wonder if this was ever published as a text novel or collection of stories, or maybe an audiobook I listened to on a family roadtrip… ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-scifi-book-from-vague-recollection/781493/4 "2017-03-06T14:43:30Z")
Star Wars! wait… nm ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-scifi-book-from-vague-recollection/781493/5 "2017-03-06T19:07:58Z")
It sounds somewhat like _Fireship_ by Joan D. Vinge.