This may require some explanation. I think the best example is probably Asimov’s I, Robot, where there are the three laws of robotics which have to be followed, yet each story involves some sort of unique interpretation or subversion of those rules without breaking them. The only other major example that I can think of that really hits the same spot for me is the manga/anime/movie series Death Note, which does some pretty incredible things within the rules.
I can see where Ender’s Game has aspects of this, and I wouldn’t ignore recommendations like this, but the other two I mentioned seem closer because the rules are always in your face. I don’t know if that makes sense, because I’ve never seen anything else like my other two examples (and yet the influence of I, Robot has to mean there are copies, of which Death Note probably is one).
I’m sorry to ramble a bit, but how about it? Any other examples of this?
Larry Niven wrote some fantasy stories in a universe where the physics of magic and the fact that magic is powered by a non-renewable energy are often crucial to the story.
The first Myst book (by David Wingrove) is largely about the large effects caused by small changes to the setup of a scenario. That’s not quite the same as what you are looking for, but I think it might interest you as the focus is still on following ideas through to their unexpected–though obvious in retrospect–results.
It’s a pretty minor element of the series, but the Discworld books involving the Watch tend to be like this, especially where Vimes and Carrot are concerned. They both play stricly by the book… or as far as twisting the book can go.
I remember a hilarious scene in … Night Watch, I think ? Where Vimes intimidates another cop to let him pass by saying something to the amount of “You’re going to let me walk in the easy way, because I really wouldn’t like the alternative”. The alternative, in this case, being Vimes saying “ok then” and going away without making any more fuss :).
Or it could have be William de Worde instead of Vimes, come to think about it - he, too, was a black belt in literal-fu. He never ever tells a lie, but whether people take his words to mean something else… well, it’s their fault, isn’t it ?
Most fantasy novels have a set of rules – often unwritten – and try not to break them.
Jack Chalker’s Dancing Gods books list them as appropriate for each chapter. My favorite is “Weather and climate permitting, all beautiful women shall be scantily clad.”
I’ll definitely have to check some of these out (well, the ones I’m not familiar with – Gremlins is an interesting suggestion). Thanks, and if anyone has anymore suggestions I’m curious.
Heh. That’s exactly what I thought of when I saw the thread title.
Sorry, I can’t think of any other good examples. Maybe a courtroom drama or something like that, where the laws or rules of court procedure are cleverly exploited… but I can’t come up with anything specific.
There is a similar scene in Men at Arms where Captain Carrot is asking permission to enter and search the Clowns Guild “…otherwise I deeply regret I will have to follow my orders” (or words to that effect). This intimidates the Doctor into allowing the search, whereas Carrot’s orders were of course to walk away if refused permission to enter.
Jack Vance uses this theme a lot; often the rules are those of etiquette and people go to pretty elaborate lenghts to comply with them. The Dying Earth series is a good place to start.
In Mercedes Lackey’s Five Hundred Kingdoms series, there is a magical force called the Tradition that attempts to push events and people along the paths of stories and archetypes. It’s too powerful to fight, so people who understand it try to play along and manipulate, exploit or channel it; like forcing it along a path to a story with a happy ending. Or always being kind to old ladies at crossroads because the odds are they are a witch. Or never trying to make your kingdom TOO peaceful and prosperous, because that makes for poor stories; the Tradition “likes” conflict. Or making a point to the princess you are rescuing that “your husband is heroically leading his forces to rescue you”, because otherwise the Tradition is likely to make her fall in love with you; since that’s what princessess are “supposed” to do with rescuers.
Any story where someone has to get around an inability to or prohibition against lying, where they have to get really inventive with how they phrase things.
Ah, thanks for reminding me, there’s a Frederick Forsyth short story where this comes into play that I remember liking a lot, probably because of this reason.
“The Cold Equations” sound right up my alley as well – thanks everyone again.