slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (05/08/85)
Since I have been searching for this book for some time without
success, and since everyone else uses this newsgroups for such
searches...
I think I read this book when I was around 12. It is hard to
remember. (I started reading SF at about 10, and never really
read any juveniles-- started on the hard stuff.) It was, I
seem to remember, an ACE double. I do not remember either the
author or title. I eagerly grab any ACE double I can find to
see if that is it--but so far no luck.
The story concerns a space pilot in a war. He is captured and
imprisoned on a far away planet in a fairly conventional cell.
His captors have never had a human prisoner before. He manages
to drive them fairly crazy with his wild sense of humor--for
instance, he convinces them he has an invisible double who plays
tricks on them. I remember his making a "radio" to talk to the
double out of some wire and a block of wood--then making sure
the guards find it. Finally they let him go just to get rid
of him.
I remember the story as hilarious--but my sense of humor may
have changed in 25 years or so.
Does anyone else remember this--especially the author and/or
title?
--
Sue Brezden
Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
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Westminster, Co. 80234
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~muffy@lll-crg.ARPA (Muffy Barkocy) (05/08/85)
The book about the guy caught by the aliens who drives them crazy is called
"The Space Willies." It is one of my favorite stories, by Eric Frank
Russell. It's in an ACE double with "Six Worlds Yonder," also by Eric Frank
Russell.
Muffydale@aesat.UUCP (Dale Groves) (05/08/85)
I'm not sure, but this sounds like it could be 'The Space Willies' - author forgotten - I'll try to look it up 2 nite and mail you with author and flip side of double. In my recollection, the prisoner also tried to befuddle his captors with logic problems such as: if one hemisphere of a planet is water and the other hemisphere is land, is the water half a lake or the land half an island, given that an island is a body of land surrounded by water and a lake is a body of water surrounded by land..... dale r groves AES Data, Inc Mississauga, Ontario THE SHADOW KNOWS.....
brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust) (05/08/85)
This sounds like THE SPACE WILLIES by...er... oh, heck with it. How do I kill a follow-up once I'm this far with it? -- SKZB
cjh@petsd.UUCP (Chris Henrich) (05/11/85)
[] Dale Groves, searching old memories for a story title, writes: > I'm not sure, but this sounds like it could be 'The Space Willies' > - author forgotten - I'll try to look it up 2 nite and mail you > with author and flip side of double. In my recollection, the > prisoner also tried to befuddle his captors with logic problems > such as: > > if one hemisphere of a planet is water and the other > hemisphere is land, is the water half a lake or the land > half an island, given that an island is a body of land > surrounded by water and a lake is a body of water > surrounded by land..... > I think the original story was titled "Plus X" and was by Christopher Anvil. Public opinion seems to favor Eric Frank Russell - I can't check till I get home and look up the cover art in a book of Freas paintings and drawings. Dale is merging this story with "Diabologic" - also published in ASF in 1956. Regards, Chris -- Full-Name: Christopher J. Henrich UUCP: ..!(cornell | ariel | ukc | houxz)!vax135!petsd!cjh US Mail: MS 313; Perkin-Elmer; 106 Apple St; Tinton Falls, NJ 07724 Phone: (201) 758-7288
leeper@mtgzz.UUCP (m.r.leeper) (05/14/85)
Surely you are talking about THE SPACE WILLIES by Eric Frank Russell which was in an Ace Double with SIX WORLDS YONDER by Russell. I didn't remember the story myself by a gave a call to my Eustace and he remembered. Mark Leeper ...ihnp4!mtgzz!leeper
csw@ukc.UUCP (C.S.Welch) (05/16/85)
The book title that Sue Brezden is looking for is "Next of Kin" by Eric
Frank Russell. Another one of his that I found very entertaining was
"Wasp". Set against the same background of technologically advanced Earth
against less advanced but numerically superior Sirians ( spot the theme!)
it is the tale of a reluctant secret agent dropped on a planet behind
enemy lines with orders to create as much chaos as possible. Worth looking
at if you have the time, but not a great work of literature.
Chris Welch
Cranfield Institute
U.K.
csw@ukc.uucpmcb@styx.UUCP (Michael C. Berch) (02/19/86)
My account for author/title requests is fully paid up, so I submit the
following for the august members of the net. [A few of you might
remember seeing it; I first posted it in early 1984, and got NO responses,
which is most unusual.]
I am looking for the author, title, or a pointer to an SF short story
that I believe was published in the early 1960's (plus or minus a few
years). The story was darkly humorous, took place in an overcrowded
city, and involved a family or married (?) couple trying to make ends
meet even though a totalitarian government keeps making work days
longer by way of a Department of Time Distribution that can somehow
lengthen/shorten periods of time. There are a few other such agencies
mentioned in the story. I believe I read the story in either a reprint
or original hardcover anthology.
It isn't Ellison's "Repent, Harlequin ...", Farmer's "Sliced-Crosswise,
Only-on-Tuesday World" [-> Dayworld], nor Ballard's "Billenium" or
"Build-up" though it has something in common with each of these.
Any clues appreciated!
Michael C. Berch
ARPA: mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA
UUCP: {akgua,allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,dual,ihnp4,sun}!idi!styx!mcb