Category Archives: Science Fiction

357F: Wizard vs. Seriously Overgrown Plant

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I’m looking for a short story that was published in a compilation of sci-fi stories, probably somewhere between 1995-2005. Sci-fi short story was about wizard and a plant that was taking over the earth. The wizard was trying to kill the plant to save the world, but no matter what he tried, he couldn’t do anything about the plant and it ended up taking over the world. Wizard also had a globe or orb that was an exact replica of the earth. The orb displayed live and the wizard could zoom in and see anything and anyone and what they were doing. The only thing that didn’t show up on the globe was the globe.

356G: People With Special Powers Live On Narrow Inhabitable Strip Of Planet

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This is about a two-book series that was likely written between 1975 and 1999. The survivors of a planet lived on a narrow inhabitable strip of the planet. On both sides there were less habitable areas. On one side lived mutants who were like vampires and werewolves. In the strip lived the main characters in a town, one a strongman, one a mind reader whose wife was a healer and operated a clinic, one a blind woman who could see the future. There were several towns. The mind reader has a female child whose skin changed colors and also had a son. The leader of the werewolves had a son who killed those living in the town where the main characters lived. When the blind woman got her sight back temporarily, she lost the ability to see the future. The healer’s wife died near the end of the book and the mind reader decided to move to another town where his children had previously moved.

352W: Late 50’s early 60’s space fiction

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Late 50’s early 60’s space fiction about a boy on a planet (possibly mars) with his pet.  The boy needs to get to different city/friends home.  Walks via an old highway but the temperature dips extremely, causing the boy to find refuge in a giant cabbage like plant that closes at night, saving him.

Read this from the 5th grade 1961/62 Ellis Elementary School library in Sunnyvale California.

350Z: AI Celebrate Anniversary Date Of Their Creation

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I read this story in English, I think in an anthology of short stories (I read a lot of those), sometime around the very end of the 90s or early 2000s. I’m pretty sure it was only a few pages long.

It’s presented from the perspective of a family waiting for a lift or a babysitter before going to a party. The parents are getting ready and the kids are (I think) getting ready for bed.

The gist of it is (you discover either through the story or at the end) that humans invented Artificial Intelligence at some point. Instead of the AIs turning on humans Skynet-style, they simply realised that Earth was a tiny part of the universe and that they were easily capable of travelling out into space in search of freedom and adventure in places that humans weren’t suited to. Thus they went out and colonised the stars, but they still remember their creators fondly and keep an eye on them. Every year (I think) they throw a huge party for humanity on the anniversary of their creation to say thank you, and this is the party that the parents are getting ready for

I *think* the story ends with the parents getting into the car/spaceship that arrives to take them to the party, and possibly robots arriving to babysit the kids?

It’s set in “The Future”, but I don’t recall it being specific with a date or time frame.

For years I suspected it was by Brian Aldiss, but I haven’t managed to find any of his work that seems to fit it. I don’t recall it being particularly aimed at kids or YA, but it would likely have been easy for them to read anyway.

349D: Kind slug symbiote

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Trying to find a science fiction book. I think a detective ends up finding a slug-like alien inhabiting a human. Somehow discovers it’s kind and doesn’t want to hurt humans, it had to do it in order to live, possibly after crash landing on earth. Normally they are symbiote with another alien species mutually beneficial. At the end of the book, I think she (detective) lets it into her head to save it. Think sequel?

346Z: Virtual World Where Appearances Are Deceiving

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I read this book in 2003 but I have no idea what the publishing year is.

I’m pretty sure Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is on the cover. It’s science fiction. It’s in the future and all races have cross-bred so much that people all have brown hair, skin, and eyes. People go into the virtual world to change their appearance so they can be different...cat tails, blue skin etc.... that’s all I remember.

346S: The no where land – Abstract Menace Engulfs World (Solved!)

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The book opens with a team of emergency responders in a bar. Suddenly an alarm goes off, which is a shock – this normally doesn’t happen. Their work is to contain something abstract that has become very physical (e.g. “nothingness”) that threatens to engulf the land/world and is the result of some sort of corporate greed in the past. There are large pipes that contain the menace. This assignment doesn’t go as planned and the protagonist (a man) embarks on a harrowing journey.  Later in the journey some outside group/nation that seemed vaguely Middle Eastern comes to help. A new order is established with things very different as a result of the abstract threat.
The title is something like “the no where land” or “the nothing world”. I would guess that the book was written in the last 15 years by a man. It is sci-fi / fantasy but the laws of reality within the book are constantly changing and it’s a real mind bender.

346N: Old TV’s with many antennae that float!

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I’m looking for a children’s/preteen’s chapter(?) book which was some in a similar black and white, hand drawn art style to Shel Silverstein. It had the same white pages with black words and drawings, but more detailed. And more words. It was not by him though, I checked. I was reminded of this book by a picture I will include below. In the book, however, I believe they were older thick TVs with antennas sticking out in a similar way to the picture. They floated and I believe they were some sort of antagonist or tools used by them. I think I remember little creatures (goblins?) and/or children in the book as well. There was also a lot of junk and trash and piles of books on some pages. Maybe also some strange wildlife scenes like they were in an alien/fantasy planet? I know it definitely did not take place in the real word. Fear was a large element in the book, I believe it was mildly dark/adventure focused, not for very small children. I hope this is enough information, I have a burning desire to know what this book is because it seems so interesting!