Category Archives: Science Fiction

322N: Aliens Use TV For Mind Control (Solved)

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Seeking a Kid's Book, I believe I read it in the early 80’s. About aliens invading and a group of friends trying to stop it? Or kids who had a machine that allowed them to make people think aliens were invading via TV. . . sort of a kid's War of the Worlds. Or kids get a machine from aliens to control people via the TV. May have had some device for mind control like TV or remote control. I think it took place in a big city. Had a cartoon-like cover. . . there may have been similar illustrations throughout the book. It was for kids 8-12 range I’d guess. I know it’s not the book series “Tripods”, for younger kids than that. I was young when I read it. . it's driving me nuts!!! Thanks

320G: Sci-fi about a seductive green vine

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This book was probably from the 1970s or 1980s (I read it in the 1990s), and its hardcover was entirely covered in green vines (from what I remember). It was about an (alien?) plant that grew really fast and completely covered a family’s house. The members of the family are totally entranced by the vine, which seems to cast a kind of spell over them (and maybe even speak inside their minds?), until it is almost too late to do anything and they’re entirely trapped.

 

319L: Short story sci-fi, mutants compete to cause most suffering

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From 70s or 80s.  Group of normal seeming people can influence others to violence.  Once a year they get together with scrapbooks and show how much war and death they have caused.  The worst one “wins.”  Protagonist is one of them but tired of hurting and killing.  She refuses to use her powers.  They gang up on her and the new contest is who can eliminate her.  Her trusted butler tries to kill her under their influence.  Sorry, I know this one is kind of a downer.

316A: Garden of Dragons?

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My book was read during my time in the Navy, probably about 1973-75. It was a paperback novel, and had some blues and purples on the cover and maybe said something about garden of dragons or something like that. I can remember that at one point these scientists were in the jungle and they were surrounded by massive bugs. I just remember enjoying the read but heck it was 40+ years ago and my memory just isn't cooperating!

313H: Monkey Brain Time Travel (Solved)

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I’m haunted by a (probably YA) time travel book I read in the mid 70s. I believe it takes place in England, where relatives are visiting (maybe from America?) their professor/scientist Uncle (?) who has produced a time travel potion. I think one of its main ingredients is monkey brains, but I’m not 100% sure. The serum allows the imbiber to travel back to Middle Age Britain, not sure if it’s as an active participant or as a fly-on-the-wall. Whichever character it is that starts taking trips, soon gets caught up in the people and events of that past. He becomes addicted to it. The danger is that his body stays more-or-less in present day geographically, so when he comes out of the trip he may be standing in the middle of a super highway or some such that wasn’t there hundreds of years ago. I don’t remember the resolution. I just remember loving the imagery and concept. Anybody?

309A: Trying to get home

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Not a kids book I don’t think-

A fantasy/SF paperback maybe from the 80s? About a woman  who gets dumped off on a semi primitive planet by her hosts. I’m remembering something like it was a traveling party ship? And she gets dumped in some small seaside town? She makes her way to the big city and attempts to earn money to support herself/get off planet by telling fortunes in the town market but is brought up short and taken up by the powerful magician of the town who sees that she has no magic and is faking the fortune telling. Very bad in a place where magic is real.

He is a sarcastic and very self satisfied type.

His brother challenges him for primacy in the family -a magicians duel – that is short circuited by her non magical interference. The brother loses. The jerk/ magician acts like himself some more.

So….

Our heroine (in some sort of snit with the magician) somehow gets on a ship leaving the planet only to find herself stuck with the magician who leaves on the same ship ( in a very self satisfied and sarcastic way, of course) to talk her back.