Identify a Sci Fi story/novel

Cafe Society
1

A recent thread on Robert Silverberg got me thinking about a science fiction story I read a long time ago, and I was hoping someone might be able to help me identify it.

I read this in the 70s, I think, probably the early 70s. I don’t know if it was new at the time, but I’m guessing it was no more then 10 years old. I think it’s a novel, but I suppose it could be a long story or novella, but I read it in paperback and my memory is it was alone and not part of a collection.

I also thought it was by Robert Silverberg, but looking at his published works nothing is looking familiar.

It’s a first contact story, and I think takes place in the American southwest in approximately the same time as it was written, so sometime in the 1960s or soon after.

I think the title was something like “The Golden Cord” or “The Silver Lariat” or some other combination that came out to a precious binding of some kind. In the story, two of the main characters (one human, one alien) are sort of soul mates, and even though they come from different planets, they are metaphorically bound together by the “golden cord”. I even seem to recall the cover illustration on the paperback had a picture of the two with a glowing cord loosely wrapped around them.

In the beginning of the book, an alien craft is found. I think it looked something like a large egg? Not sure about that. A guy (I don’t think he was police or government, just a smart guy with the money and respect in the community to get people to listen him) figures out what is going on, and he and his kids begin the process of getting to know the aliens. During the course of this, one of the humans falls in love with one of the aliens (I think the human is one of the guy’s kids). There are, of course, the usual trials and tribulations, such as people (and some government agents) who want to kill or capture the aliens, etc.

One dumb little detail that stands out in my memory was that when the guy (or the kids) go to meet with the aliens, they talk about having “plenipotentiary” power to negotiate with the aliens. It was the first time I had come across that word and had to look it up.

Anybody point me in the right direction?

2

Doesn’t ring a bell, but have a free bump.

3

The theme sounds Andre Norton-ish.

4

I’ve read a few Norton stories over the years, I’ll check out her stuff and see if anything looks familiar.

Anybody else hazard a guess?

5

“Plenipotentiary” is the kind of quasi-legal term that Heinlein sometimes liked to throw around, but I’ve read a lot of his stuff, and this story doesn’t ring a bell for me.

6

Does sound like something he’d use, doesn’t it?

I don’t think it’s Heinlein, but I could be wrong, of course. This was a book one of my older brothers purchased, and he wasn’t a huge Heinlein fan. Plus, like you, I’ve read at least the majority of his stuff (and I think all his fiction), and it just doesn’t fit with any of my memories of his stuff.

But hell, if my memory was that good I’d be able to remember who wrote this book! So just in case, I’ll go look at Heinlein again. :slight_smile: