@RUTGERS.ARPA:jlong@bbnccm.arpa (02/15/85)
From: Julian R. Long <jlong@BBNCCM.ARPA> HELP ! I am trying to find the title and author of a book i read 12 (ish) years ago . I may have the story confused with others i have read but here is the little you've got to go on . There story is set maybe on earth , a group of humanoids , ( who may later turn out to be insects !) live near the sea in a vast forest/jungle , i think they live in trees / foiliage (?) . The story is told in the First person by one of the humanoids and i think it narates his life , there is a question that is present throughout the story , something to do with where they come from or got to . There are battles with other tribes of similar humanoids the main target being food which is in short supply. In the end of the story our humanoid get into (burrows) a moth which lands on the top of the trees/foiliage and which then flies to the moon where our humanoid turns into a fly ( man this sounds crazy ! but i'm sure i read it ) . I remember the jungle being full of nasty things they had to avoid like plants which eat you . Also every thing was very BIG ( or they were very small ) . Some of the humanoids had different functions in life , i remember a humanoid-type "designed" to carry things with a hunched back and funny arms . Maybe something to do with spiders , maybe it was set in the future ( where ever that is ? ) , post nuclear war ? Now i'm just guessing . That is all i remember . Anyone got any ideas please send to SF-LOVERS or if possible jlong@BBN-UNIX . Thank-you . Julain long .
wenn@cmu-cs-g.ARPA (John Wenn) (02/16/85)
> The story is told in the First person by one of the humanoids > and i think it narates his life , there is a question that is present > throughout the story , something to do with where they come from or > got to . There are battles with other tribes of similar humanoids > the main target being food which is in short supply. > ... This is "Hothouse" by Brian Aldiss (aka "The Long Afternoon of Earth"). This was recently re-released, so you can even get a new copy in paperback. A pretty good book of Earth's Far-Far-Far future, but I still prefer Jack Vance's "The Dying Earth" or Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun". /John
wfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly) (02/17/85)
> There story is set maybe on earth , a group of humanoids , > ( who may later turn out to be insects !) live near the sea in a > vast forest/jungle , i think they live in trees / foiliage (?) . > ... In the end of the story our humanoid get into (burrows) a moth > which lands on the top of the trees/foiliage and which then flies > to the moon ... Maybe something to do with spiders ... I think the author of the book you're looking for was Brian Aldiss, and its title may be something like 'Hothouse World.' To the best of my recollection, there were giant spiders that trafficked between the Earth and the Moon on giant spiderwebs, and the main character hitches a ride to the moon on one of the spiders. Maybe someone else remembers the exact title; I think it was serialized (maybe in F & SF) some years ago.