1. Story identification requests (rec.arts.sf.written)
Description
This article is from the rec.arts.sf.written FAQ, by Evelyn C. Leeper evelynleeper@geocities.com with numerous contributions by others.
1. Story identification requests (rec.arts.sf.written)
"Does anyone know this story?" <plot summary follows>
It used to be said that you should ask that all responses be e-mailed
back to you, then post the correct answer to the net. These days, no
one does that, and people seem to enjoy the discussion that often
follows. Nevertheless, at least check if someone else has responded
before you post a bare-bones reply.
And *do* put a useful subject line on your posting. For example,
"Subject: ID req: telepathic dog story" is more likely to get people
who know the answer to respond than "Subject: story request".
[Provided by Evelyn Leeper [evelynleeper@geocities.com].]
Four of the most common requested stories are:
1) There are some time travellers to the age of dinosaurs. They have
to stay on a special floating path to avoid changing the future.
However, one steps off the path. When they return to the future,
things are subtly changed. The guy who steps off the path then looks
at his shoe and finds a dead butterfly. == A SOUND OF THUNDER by Ray
Bradbury
This has been anthologized many times, but according to William
Contento's database on www.sff.net, the most recent is Bradbury's
collection CLASSIC STORIES VOLUME 1 (Bantam 1990, 1995). It can also
be found in Asimov & Greenberg's anthology THE GREAT SF STORIES: 14
(DAW 1986), which is often available in used book stores. [Provided
by Robert Schmunk, [rbs@skatecity.com]].
2) An expedition to a dead star discovers that the supernova had
destroyed an entire civilization. When they compute the exact time
the star exploded, they find that it was seen on earth at the right
time to be the Star of Bethlehem. == THE STAR by Arthur Clarke
3) A special kind of glass has been invented where light takes years
to pass through it. Panes of this glass are hung in scenic areas and
then sold to be used as picture windows. == LIGHT OF OTHER DAYS
by Bob Shaw:
- "Light of Other Days" is the title of the original short story,
first published in ASF 8/66, and frequently anthologised.
- OTHER DAYS, OTHER EYES is the title of the "fix-up" (novel),
which incorporates "Light of Other Days" and three of the other
slow glass stories: "Burden of Proof" (ASF 5/67), "A Dome of Many-
Coloured Glass" (FAN 4/72) and the eponymous novella (AMZ 5/72).
4) The protagonist of this novel lives through a "time loop" wherein he
would die, return to his youth (only a little later each time), live a
new life each time, but always die and re-commence a cycle. In the
course of one life he encountered a woman who experiences the same
phenomenon. == REPLAY by Ken Grimwood
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