fritz@hpfclp.UUCP (fritz) (04/16/85)
It's worked for other people, so what the heck...
Out of perverse curiosity, I'd like to find the names & authors of the
first two science-fiction ("juvenile sci-fi" is probably closer) books
I ever read, in 3rd and 4th grade.
The first was a rather slim tome. I only remember two things about it:
1) the cover was hot pink, and 2) one scene in the story: the hero[ine?]
is, I believe, on some foreign planet, talking to the [military?] leader
of the natives. They are in a tizzy because of something they call
"The Seed". "The Seed?" asks our hero/ine, "What can be so dangerous
about a seed?" ...and you turn the page, which shows a 2-page illustration
of The Seed -- which makes the local mountain range look like pebbles.
It's got some kind of tendrils latched into the mountains, and I forget
what happens from there.
The second one might have been called "Rusty's Spaceship". It's a
thoroughly silly story about some boys who build a play spaceship out
of wood, and a very silly alien who needs a spaceship to get back to
his home. Only he can't remember where it is. So he tacks this magical
aluminum foil (one half of his Emperor's spaceship, which he had been
sent to find?) onto the front of the ship, and they go cruising around
the solar system trying to figure out where our friendly ET came from.
Magic pills take care of little problems like vacuum decompression,
oxygen & food starvation, etc.
Anybody recognize these gems? Please MAIL any responses (we don't need
a repeat of the "Mindkiller" avalanche, although I doubt as many people
will recognize these books!).
Thanks,
Gary Fritz
Hewlett Packard
Ft Collins, CO
{ihnp4,hplabs}!hpfcla!fritzgnome@olivee.UUCP (Gary Traveis) (04/19/85)
> It's worked for other people, so what the heck... > > Out of perverse curiosity, I'd like to find the names & authors of the > first two science-fiction ("juvenile sci-fi" is probably closer) books > I ever read, in 3rd and 4th grade. > > Gary Fritz > Hewlett Packard > Ft Collins, CO > {ihnp4,hplabs}!hpfcla!fritz How about a short story called The House. It is about a futuristic house on the outskirts of a city that has been recently nuked. One of the things I remember was the little robotic mice that tried to keep the inside of the house clean as it started to fall apart. (no mention of where it got it's power from...) If you have ever read it - I'd love to find it again. Gary
cberry@muddcs.UUCP (Craig Berry) (04/24/85)
[bugblatter]
The story concerning the futuristic house trying to maintain itself
on the fringes of a nuked city is Ray Bradbury's "And there shall come
soft rains...". It appears in _The Martian Chronicles_. Quite a good
set of stories, that...
Craig Berry
allegra!scgvaxd!muddcs!cberry | ucla-cs!muddcs!cberry
-----------------------------------------------------
"Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been."jrrt@ahuta.UUCP (r.mitchell) (04/24/85)
REFERENCES: <15200005@hpfclp.UUCP>, <328@olivee.UUCP>
Gary Traveis, (gnome@olivee.UUCP):
How about a short story called The House. It is about a futuristic
house on the outskirts of a city that has been recently nuked. One
of the things I remember was the little robotic mice that tried to
keep the inside of the house clean as it started to fall apart.
(no mention of where it got it's power from...)
A few of the minor details are off, Gary, but I bet you're thinking
of Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains," found in his MARTIAN
CHRONICLES collection. It is indeed a simple, yet powerful story.
Bradbury isn't appreciated as much as he could (should?) be.
Rob Mitchell
{allegra,ihnp4}!ahuta!jrrt
There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound...
- Sara Teasdale@RUTGERS.ARPA:York@STONY-BROOK.SCRC.Symbolics.COM (04/25/85)
From: William M. York <York@SCRC-QUABBIN.ARPA>
Date: 19 Apr 85 21:53:37 GMT
From: olivee!gnome@topaz.arpa (Gary Traveis)
How about a short story called The House. It is about a futuristic
house on the outskirts of a city that has been recently nuked. One
of the things I remember was the little robotic mice that tried to
keep the inside of the house clean as it started to fall apart. (no
mention of where it got it's power from...)
If you have ever read it - I'd love to find it again.
I believe that the story you are referring to is "There Will Come Soft
Rains", by Ray Bradbury. I think that it is included in "The Martian
Chronicles", although my library is unavailable for confirmation. My
strongest memory of the story is the "inverse" shadow (white on black
background) on the side of the house of a boy and a girl and a ball in
mid-air left by the initial flash of the explosion.keenan@inmet.UUCP (05/01/85)
>From: Joel B. Levin <levin@BBNCCT.ARPA> >Usenet: ...{ihnp4,[others?]}!bbncca!levin > >I, too, have been trying to find more about some juveniles I read in >elementary school. > >I have been trying to remember about a certain series of 'novels' (i.e. >4th grade equivalent) about a peculiar inhabited planet which orbits >Earth or orbits the sun near Earth. A very special type of lens was >required to see this planet, which was why real astronomers didn't know >about it; but somehow a kid found such a lens or ran into a visitor from >this planet (whom I remember as a nice little man) and got involved in >various problems on this planet. I think the books being refered to are ones that I've often wanted to ask the net about also. Or maybe its another series entirely. Anyway what I remember is that Mushrooms played a big part in the books. The nice little old man grew them in his basement. I think his name was Mr. Bass. Anyone recognize them now? I rember one story where the kids had some glowing stones with markings, and they went to the planet which had giant mushrooms growing on it and then they went into some kind of cave. If you can shead any light, Book name or Author please reply (by mail of course). --keenan ross UUCP: {ihnp4,harpo}!inmet!keenan Intermetrics, Inc. INTERNET: ima!inmet!keenan@CCA-UNIX.ARPA 733 Concord Ave. Cambridge, MA 02138 PHONE: (617) 661-1840