SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped The Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 1994 Other Authors Cassettes Cyberbooks RC 30309 by Ben Bova read by Jack Fox 2 cassettes A cyberbook is a pocket-calculator-size device that will allow readers to view books by inserting tiny chips into it. Its inventor, Carl Lewis, claims it will revolutionize the publishing industry. But there are those in the industry who don't want it revolutionized, and they could be dangerous. Dangerous enough to murder nice, elderly people on the streets of New York? Some strong language. 1989. Earth RC 32735 by David Brin read by Roy Avers 5 cassettes It is the mid-2000s and the greenhouse effect is having a devastating impact on Earth. It is almost impossible to go outside without protective clothing, sunglasses, and lotions. Siberia has become a temperate zone and Miami has disappeared, all due to shifting weather patterns. Now a black hole has been found at the planet's core, and a team of scientists must discover a way to prevent Earth's destruction. Strong language. 1990. The Postman RC 23860 by David Brin read by Ray Foushee 2 cassettes In the aftermath of a nuclear war that has devastated the nation, a traveling storyteller borrows the jacket of a long-dead postal worker and is transformed unwittingly into a symbol of hope for America's future. Some strong language. 1985. Startide Rising RC 23715 by David Brin read by Roy Avers 3 cassettes Armadas of alien races clash in space to claim a Terran exploration vessel manned by a crew of humans and dolphins and bearing one of the most important secrets in galactic history. Hugo and Nebula Awards. 1983. The Uplift War RC 27254 by David Brin read by Roy Avers 4 cassettes Intergalactic warfare threatens when a brutal alien race invades the planet Garth where human beings and sapient chimps are working to restore the dying planet. 1987. Mad King RC 17436 by Edgar Rice Burroughs read by Mark Waldrip 2 cassettes The evil regent of the kingdom of Lutha incarcerates Leopold, rightful heir to the throne, on charges that the young king has gone insane. Ten years later when Leopold escapes, a young visiting American is mistaken for the mad king and becomes involved in the adventures and intrigues to restore the kingdom. 1914. Moon Maid RC 17664 by Edgar Rice Burroughs read by Jack Robinson 1 cassette A spaceship forced to make a lunar landing discovers a strange world of flying women, semi-human monsters, and conical cities hidden on barren plains. 1923. Neuromancer RC 34589 by William Gibson read by James DeLotel 2 cassettes Chase, a twenty-first century computer interfacer, is caught stealing and receives nerve damage as punishment. When even Japan's medical minds can't repair the injury, drug-addicted and penniless Chase loses hope, until he is kidnapped by strangers who promise to cure him if he uses his expertise on their dangerous project. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards. 1984. Wolfbane RC 11078 by Cyril M. Kornbluth and Frederik Pohl read by Art Metzler 1 cassette Provocative science fiction novel set on a future Earth describes a limited social order and the rebels, known as "wolves," who reject the system. It relates the metamorphosis of one wolf to world savior. 1959. Doctor Rat RC 15309 by William Kotzwinkle read by Howard Hoffmann 1 cassette Inventive comic fable in which plucky, fanatical Doctor Rat dedicates his life to protecting mankind from the worldwide mobilization of the ungrateful animal kingdom. Strong language. 1976. Superman 3 RC 19922 by William Kotzwinkle and David Newman read by George Guidall-Shapiro 1 cassette Superman is pitted against the most sophisticated enemy he's ever encountered a computer evilly programmed to put one man in charge of the world. Based on the movie of the same name, this brisk novelization incorporates both satire and slapstick. For high school and adult readers. Some strong language. 1983. The two books of the _E.T._ series should be read in the following order: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial RC 18651 by William Kotzwinkle and Melissa Mathison read by John Stratton 1 cassette Based on the movie of the same name, this fable blends science fiction and whimsical fantasy with human drama. A ten-million-year-old alien botanist marooned on Earth is befriended by a ten-year-old boy who assumes the role of protector for this angelic being. For high school and adult readers. Some strong language. Also issued on flexible disc as FD 18651. Bestseller 1982. E.T.: The Book of the Green Planet RC 22400 by William Kotzwinkle and Steven Spielberg read by Mitzi Friedlander 2 cassettes When E.T. returns to his home planet, he finds that he has fallen out of favor with his colleagues. They try to prevent him from journeying back to Earth to provide spiritual guidance for his young friend Elliott. For high school and adult readers. 1985. Dreamsnake RC 12246 by Vonda N. McIntyre read by Amy Nathan 2 cassettes A science fiction adventure. Snake, sent on her first mission from the colony of healers where she was raised, loses her "dreamsnake," a telepathic creature of alien origin that soothes patients and makes healing possible. She is pursued in her travels by Arevin, a young man who has loved her since he saw her heal a dying child. 1978. The two books of the _Tekwar_ series should be read in the following order: TekWar RC 31309 by William Shatner read by Gary Tipton 2 cassettes Ex-cop Jake Cardigan has been framed for dealing Tek, an addictive computerized drug, and is serving a fifteen-year sentence in a compulsory coma. Paroled after only four years, he returns to Earth from the orbiting prison. Cardigan joins a detective agency and travels to Mexico to find the missing Dr. Kittridge, inventor of an anti-Tek device, and his beautiful daughter Beth. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1989. TekLords RC 33605 by William Shatner read by Gary Tipton 2 cassettes In twenty-second-century Los Angeles, Jake Cardigan is again battling the TekLords, the drug cartel pushing the deadly narcotic Tek. A top drug-control agent has been murdered by a zombie assassin, and Jake, assisted by his girlfriend Beth Kittridge and his partner Sid Gomez, must find the killer. Unfortunately, the murderer also controls a lethal synthetic plague. Strong language. 1991. The Boy Who Reversed Himself RC 27809 by William Sleator read by Mimi Bederman 1 cassette Laura discovers that her strange new neighbor, Omar, is the one leaving messages, written in reverse, in her locker without even opening the door. She wheedles him into taking her into the fourth dimension but refuses to heed his warnings against using her new powers capriciously. Soon she and her boyfriend, Pete, are trapped and terrorized in the fourth dimension. For junior and senior high readers. 1986. House of Stairs RC 8990 by William Sleator read by John Stratton 4 cassettes Five sixteen-year-old orphans are imprisoned in a building of endless flights of stairs and landings where scientists control their behavior and thought by rewarding them when they are cruel to each other. For junior and senior high readers. 1974. Interstellar Pig RC 22792 by William Sleator read by Kurt Henschen 1 cassette Barney's boring seaside vacation becomes exciting when he joins his unusual neighbors in a science fiction game, Interstellar Pig. The game soon takes a chilling turn as Barney realizes that if he loses, Earth will be destroyed. For junior and senior high readers. 1984. Singularity RC 23128 by William Sleator read by John Stratton 1 cassette Sixteen-year-old Harry and Barry have an uneasy relationship as twins. The opportunity to explore their problems comes when they are sent to investigate an old house willed to their family by an eccentric uncle. They discover a strange playhouse that turns out to be the gateway to another universe and neither twin is ever the same again. For junior and senior high readers. 1985. Close Encounters of the Third Kind RC 12320 by Steven Spielberg read by Connie Meng 1 cassette Based on the movie about contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. Centers on the experiences of a woman whose son has been taken from Earth and a man whose belief costs him his job and family and drives him to the brink of madness. Some strong language. Also issued on flexible disc as FD 12320. 1977. This two-book sequence should be read in the following order: Grass RC 31199 by Sheri S. Tepper read by John Polk 4 cassettes Marjorie Yrarier and her family are sent to the planet Grass on a diplomatic mission. Grass is the only planet that has not been infected by the plague, and Marjorie is charged with finding the secret of its immunity. Could the secret have anything to do with the hunt? The hounds of the dangerous hunt are huge red-eyed beasts, and the mounts are much larger than horses. Some strong language. 1989. Raising the Stones RC 36434 by Sheri S. Tepper read by John Polk 4 cassettes The Owlbrit and their gods, who inhabited Hobbs Land, are all dead. Before the last Owlbrit died, he recommended to the newly arrived colonists that they make regular sacrifices. They did not listen, and strife and discord abounded. Children, led by Jeopardy Wilm, restore the temple and install a god, and life improves. Unfortunately, groups from two other societies are jealous. Some strong language. 1990. The two books of the _Awakeners_ series should be read in the following order: Northshore RC 28258 by Sheri S. Tepper read by Suzanne Toren 2 cassettes Fantasy novel set on a distant planet where human colonists and winged natives coexist in an uneasy symbiosis. A young woman whose mother committed suicide in the World River flees from the Temples and ends up aboard the ship of the man who found her mother's body and who carved a magical statue of it. Meanwhile the girl becomes an object of hot pursuit when both humans and avians conspire to upset the balance of order, each to their own advantage. 1987. Southshore RC 27541 by Sheri S. Tepper read by Suzanne Toren 2 cassettes Thrasne takes his boat south across the World River to discover the Southshore where humans and Thraish, the winged native race, live in comparative peace. Meanwhile Pamra Don, Awakener in the Tower of Baris, begins her great pilgrimage along Northshore where intrigues between the human Chancery and the Thraish threaten to climax in total war. 1987. _From the Earth to the Moon_ and _All Around the Moon_ RC 8767 by Jules Verne read by Patricia Beaudry 7 cassettes Nineteenth-century French classics. Three men and two dogs are shot to the moon in a specially constructed shell. An enormous gun is used. Original Edward Roth translations. 1863. Master of the World RC 11191 by Jules Verne read by Art Metzler 1 cassette Three men from Earth set out to find and capture the elusive "Master of the World" who holds an incredible machine with which he can control the entire world. 1904. Twenty Thousand Leagues under the SeaRC 13748 by Jules Verne read by Hal Tenny 3 cassettes This science fiction novel is almost prophetic in its account of the first submarine, _Nautilus_, whose skipper, Captain Nemo, is a mad genius. Written long before the first submarine was developed. 1869. The Summer Queen RC 34560 by Joan D. Vinge read by Barbara Caruso 8 cassettes in 2 containers Now that Tiamat has moved from its generations-long winter to its lengthy summer, Arienrhod, the Snow Queen, has been replaced by Moon Dawntreader, the Summer Queen. Moon wants her people to return to traditional customs and to stop killing the mers amiable sea creatures whose extinction heralds the end of the world. But the Summers resist her reforms. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1991. The two books of the _Psion_ series should be read in the following order: Psion RC 29149 by Joan D. Vinge read by Bruce Huntey 2 cassettes Five hundred years into the future, authorities on a distant planet try to use Cat, a half-human, half-alien teenage orphan, as a weapon against another Psion a psychically gifted individual. Cat takes a lot of mental, emotional, and physical abuse, but emerges more or less intact and a lot wiser. 1982. Catspaw RC 29141 by Joan D. Vinge read by Bruce Huntey 3 cassettes Cat half-human, half alien was kidnapped by authorities of the planet Psion and must now travel to Earth, where he is to prevent the assassination of Lady Elnear. Cat must use all of his telepathic ability and streetwise survival skills to defeat the real menace a charismatic preacher who wants to distribute mind-controlling drugs to people. 1988. A Fire upon the Deep RC 35758 by Vernor Vinge read by Gary Tipton 5 cassettes Space is divided into zones of intelligence from the Unthinking Depths to the Slow Zone, where Earth resides, to the Beyond, and finally to the Transcend, where the inhabitants are intelligent but survive for only a brief time. When a colony within the Beyond releases a predator, known as the Blight, all zones are endangered. One ship escapes to the Unthinking Depths, but when it lands, the only survivors are two children. Violence and strong language. 1992. The three books of the _Realtime_ series should be read in the following order. The Peace War RC 27054 by Vernor Vinge read by Bruce Huntey 2 cassettes The Peace Authority generates force fields that seal people and power in a timeless void as a means of maintaining control over a post-nuclear, plague-ridden Earth. The novel portrays the battle between the Authority, whose power is weakening after six decades, and a group of lonely scientists or "tinkers." 1984. Marooned in Realtime RC 27055 by Vernor Vinge read by Bruce Huntey 2 cassettes The remaining survivors of humanity emerge from time stasis into a far future, where the high-techs Marta and Yelen Korolev attempt to unite the conflicting factions of time travelers to begin a new civilization. Murder and sabotage threaten this plan, and it is up to Will Brierson, a detective from the twenty-first century, to stop the murderer and protect humanity's second-chance bid. 1986. Forging the Darksword RC 27287 by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman read by Dennis Rooney 3 cassettes An emperor's son condemned to die because he lacks magical powers, a reclusive scholar who is a devotee of forbidden knowledge, an evil bishop, and a turncoat warlock move through this fantasy set in a kingdom where the powers of the mind have been developed to a high art. Some violence. 1987. The three books of the _Dragonlance Chronicles_ should be read in the following order: Dragons of Autumn Twilight RC 29171 by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman read by Peter Johnson 3 cassettes Dragons have returned to Krynn, and war and destruction threaten to engulf the land. But the promise of hope appears in the form of a beautiful barbarian woman with a blue crystal staff in her hand. Knight, barbarian, warrior, dwarf, and half-elf join forces to search for the legendary Dragonlance. 1984. Dragons of Winter Night RC 29172 by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman read by Peter Johnson The land of Krynn is engulfed in war and destruction, but a band of heroes hopes to return peace by finding two artifacts, the Dragon Orb and the legendary Dragonlance, objects which may help or destroy them. 1985. Dragons of Spring Dawning RC 29173 by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman read by Peter Johnson 3 cassettes After the bitter winds of winter, hope dawns with the coming of spring. The people of Krynn, now armed with the dragonlances, begin a final battle against the dragons and Takhisis, the queen of darkness, who threaten to overwhelm them. 1985. The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth RC 9589 by H.G. Wells read by Jack Hrkach 2 cassettes One of the author's early science fiction fantasies. Two English scientists, working on the principles of growth in living matter, discover a substance they name "the food of the gods." When they test the substance, it produces chicks the size of buzzards and rats larger than horses. 1904. The Invisible Man RC 9593 by H.G. Wells read by Elizabeth Douglas 1 cassette A classic science fiction novel about a scientist who discovers how to make himself invisible. 1897. The Time Machine RC 33367 by H.G. Wells read by David Palmer 1 cassette In this short novel, the first of Wells's works in science fiction, the Time Traveller constructs a machine that will enable him to move backward or forward in time. He travels far into the future and reappears dishevelled, pale, and haggard. 1895. This two-book sequence should be read in the following order: When Worlds Collide RC 15996 by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer read by Edward Bryce 2 cassettes Scientists discover two new planets, one of which is on a collision course with Earth, spelling certain doom for humanity. A group of scientists secretly begin constructing a spaceship to evacuate a chosen few to a new planet, but the secret leaks out threatening to destroy even this one last chance for human survival. 1933. After Worlds Collide RC 14983 by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer read by George Guidall-Shapiro 2 cassettes A small group of men and women, escaping the destruction of Earth, land on a strange planet in the solar system and must contend with the unknown forces of their new home to survive and ensure the future of the human race. 1934. Braille Anna to the Infinite Power BR 5441 by Mildred Ames 2 volumes In the 1990s Anna, a brilliant young mathematician, is dumbfounded to meet a girl who is her identical image and who even has her first two names. Anna learns that they were cloned from an outstanding physicist, now dead, as part of a government experiment in genetic engineering. Chilling science fiction for junior and senior high readers. 1981. The Anti-Death League BR 545 by Kingsley Amis 4 volumes A novel that treats the cruel illogic of death with a combination of science fiction, espionage, bedroom farce, and fairy tale. 1966. Pandora's Planet BR 1930 by Christopher Anvil 3 volumes When the Centrans invade Earth, they discover that Earthmen are more intelligent and clever than they had thought. 1972. The Immortals BR 2890 by Rene Barjavel 2 volumes An Indian biologist and sage discovers a virus that not only causes immortality but is highly contagious. World leaders agree the virus must be kept secret, but a "community of the immortals" is set up on a sealed-off Aleutian island. 1974. The Computer Connection BR 3084 by Alfred Bester 2 volumes A band of immortals selects a brilliant young physicist to join them in immortality. The physicist tries to take over a supercomputer that controls mechanical activity on Earth but the crazed computer takes command of the scientist. 1975. The Stars My Destination BR 5282 by Alfred Bester 2 volumes In a grotesque future where men have acquired the ability of instant teleportation, Gully Foyle, a common rogue, vows to track down the men who left him to die in a wrecked spaceship. In doing so, he becomes the pathfinder of man's destiny among the stars. 1956. The Light That Never Was BR 1856 by Lloyd Biggle 3 volumes Life on the planet Donov is usually tranquil, but its neighboring planets are plagued by a series of riots in which vicious humans are slaughtering intelligent animaloids. To aid his animaloid comrades, a billionaire shuttles 3,000 of them to Donov to establish a refugee colony. 1972. Monument BR 2536 by Lloyd Biggle 3 volumes A ruthless billionaire promoter tries to convert the paradise world of Langri, a land of fascinating plant and animal life, sparkling seas, and beaches, into a real-estate scheme. The natives try to combat his manipulations with a plan they inherited from a wandering prospector. 1974. Silence Is Deadly BR 3859 by Lloyd Biggle 2 volumes Surgically altered to look like a native, Jan Darzek is sent to the planet Kamm to find out why two agents have met odd and identical deaths among the deaf and speechless inhabitants. 1977. Watchers of the Dark BR 301 by Lloyd Biggle 3 volumes A New York private eye accepts a $1,000,000 assignment to leave the Milky Way and discover the origin of the mysterious "dark" that threatens a distant galaxy. 1966. . . . And All the Stars a Stage BR 1781 by James Blish 2 volumes Jorn applies for a job in experimental space research and is selected and trained as a navigator for a huge ship, the _Javelin_, the first vehicle to implement the recently developed faster-than-light Ervak effect. 1971. The Simultaneous Man BR 1341 by Ralph Blum 2 volumes Science fiction and social commentary about government brain-control technology that erases sad or guilty memories and replaces them with more suitable thoughts. 1970. Planet of the Apes BR 8125 by Pierre Boulle 2 volumes A fable in which the author exposes the folly of human ambition. On a distant planet very similar to Earth, human beings are naked, wild, and speechless while apes are clothed, civilized, and intelligent. This situation evolved because humans became lazy and developed the feeling that life has no meaning. 1963. Millennium: A Novel about People and Politics in the Year 1999 BR 3180 by Ben Bova 1 volume In the last week of December 1999, Colonel Chet Kinsman of Moonbase and Colonel Piotr Leon Lunagrad proclaim Selene an independent nation and combine forces in a hair-raising attempt to stop their countries from setting off a nuclear holocaust. 1976. The Pollinators of Eden BR 1202 by John Boyd 2 volumes In this science fiction fantasy, a researcher of the Bureau of Exotic Plants in the Department of Agriculture goes to a flower-inhabited planet called Flora to look for her fianc‚. 1969. Palace without Chairs BR 4692 by Brigid Brophy 3 volumes Satirical fable set in the modern fairy-tale kingdom of Evarchia ruled by a religious king and a vegetarian queen. Monarchy and communism exist side by side until a mysterious soldier takes advantage of the power vacuum to engineer a bloodless coup. 1978. The Crucible of Time BR 5668 by John Brunner 4 volumes Over the millenia an alien race struggles to evolve on a hostile planet. As cosmic disasters throw civilization after civilization back into barbarism, a dedicated few realize that they must develop the technology to leave the planet if they are to escape the ultimate doom. 1983. The Shockwave Rider BR 3303 by John Brunner 3 volumes Early in the twenty-first century, Nickie Haflinger is selected to enter Tarnover, an institution dedicated to the molding of potential geniuses. After he leaves, he steals a code that helps him rewrite his identity by wiping out old data. 1975. The Wrong End of Time BR 1996 by John Brunner 2 volumes Danty Ward, a black "reb" and dropout, can sense things that haven't happened yet. He lives in an America that is controlled by a military complex, where he meets up with a Russian alien, Sheklov. 1971. Witch Wood BR 8474 by John Buchan 3 volumes A fantasy, written in the early 1920s, set in the seventeenth-century Scottish midlands. The Reverend David Sempill comes to Woodilee in August of 1644. He battles for his faith and for the love of Katrine. Some say it was the devil that took him away, and others say it was the fairies, and that he went with them gladly. 1927. Mind of My Mind BR 3821 by Octavia E. Butler 2 volumes A ruthless mutant named Doro has spent the last 4,000 years trying to breed a race in his own image. The experiment results in a daughter who attains full powers and begins to build a mental community out of Doro's half-telepathic failures and partial successes. 1977. Patternmaster BR 3308 by Octavia E. Butler 2 volumes In the Earth's distant future, the Patternists use psi power to control the Mutes and to battle strange four-legged humanoids called Clayarks. Some strong language. 1976. War with the Newts BR 8688 by Karel Capek and others 3 volumes Captain van Toch discovers a previously unknown species of intelligent salamanders off the coast of an island near Sumatra. He teaches these newts how to harvest pearls and dreams of turning their skills into a profitable enterprise. But the clever creatures plot to continue their activities along other coastlines, invading, if necessary, the land preferred by humans. The only hope is for a war of newts against newts. 1985. Close to Critical BR 3812 by Hal Clement 2 volumes Amusing hard-core science fiction tale. To establish contact with the natives of Tenebra, Earth scientists arrange for a robot to steal a clutch of Tenebran eggs and raise them to accept the robot as their teacher. For high school and adult readers. 1964. The Overman Culture BR 1940 by Edmund Cooper 2 volumes London during the reign of Queen Victoria forms the backdrop for a computer civilization and the enactment of a modern genesis theory in this fantasy novel. 1972. The Deep BR 3137 by John Crowley 2 volumes Into a barely civilized world of perpetual warfare comes a nameless, sexless visitor from the sky whose purpose is unknown even to itself. 1975. The Runaway Robot BR 768 by Lester Del Rey 2 volumes Rex, the robot, and a young boy become close friends on the planet Ganymede. When the boy is reluctant to return to Earth without him, the robot's superior intelligence attacks the problem of their remaining together. For junior and senior high readers. 1964. Signals BR 4151 by Deborah Deutschman 3 volumes Sociologist Nick Schrader, working at a scientific think-tank in Santa Barbara, is shocked to learn that one of his colleagues, a famous physicist, is murdered. Among the dead man's papers, documentation is found proving that signals from outer space establish the presence of aliens. Some strong language. 1978. The Blue Hawk BR 3545 by Peter Dickinson 3 volumes Young Tron, a novice training for the priesthood, defies tradition and rescues the blue hawk intended for sacrifice during a royal ritual. Tron's act dooms the king to death and himself to exile. Suspenseful fantasy for junior and senior high readers. 1976. The Dragon Knight BR 9094 by Gordon R. Dickson 4 volumes Jim Eckert, the Baron de Bois de Malencontri et Riveroak and his wife, Angie, have settled down in the fourteenth century in a castle with many twentieth-century conveniences. But the baron has a problem his magical talents have surfaced and he often finds himself in the form of a dragon. Will his magic help when he is called upon to rescue the heir to England's throne? 1990. The Pritcher Mass BR 1998 by Gordon R. Dickson 2 volumes The only hope for survival, as the Earth is dying of pollution, appears to be in the Pritcher Mass, a psychic forcefield in the stars beyond Pluto. 1972. What Entropy Means to Me BR 1934 by George Alec Effinger 2 volumes An allegorical fantasy tracing the different journeys of two brothers Dore, who travels across an uncharted planet, and Seyt, who voyages into the mind. 1972. Beyond the Resurrection BR 2255 by Gordon Eklund 2 volumes A science fiction novel about the year 2004 and an experimental school that operates on the Intensive Therapy theory to turn out happy, whole children. However, an adolescent mutant seems to have come into possession of ominous powers. 1973. Earth BR 1857 by Marie C. Farca 2 volumes A space traveler from a futuristic planet Earth arrives on another planet of the same name, when primitive organizations with humans named simply "Boy" and "Lady" create a fertile and rugged environment. Here the spaceman learns something of independence and history with a pioneer spirit. 1972. Godsfire BR 4043 by Cynthia Felice 4 volumes Heao, a member of the ruling feline people, belongs to a cult of intellectuals on a planet in the throes of a receding ice age. She and all her people have been conquered by a primitive king whose dreams of destruction haunt him and may doom all of her kind. 1978. Alien BR 4215 by Alan Dean Foster and others 2 volumes Mother, the Mind Bank computer of interstellar tug _Nostromo_, is programmed to plot the ship across space without human aid. But when her sensors detect an alien distress call, Mother awakens her seven crew members out of hypersleep to answer it. They find a massive vessel on an inhospitable planetoid with horrors lurking. Strong language. 1979. A Very Private Life BR 1069 by Michael Frayn 1 volume In this futuristic novel, those who can afford it withdraw inside their houses, where their experience of the universe is filtered through electric circuits, and their minds are chemically prepared. One girl abandons this sterilized nirvana, where discomfort and death have been excluded, for the dirty, noisy world. 1968. The Revolving Boy BR 358 by Gertrude Friedberg 2 volumes A special child, with uncanny powers of direction-finding, is the center of this fantasy. How the source of his strange power is discovered and the evidence of life in outer space is confirmed leads to a suspenseful climax. 1966. The Man Who Folded Himself BR 3105 by David Gerrold 1 volume Danny, a nice young man, inherits a timebelt upon the death of his uncle and takes a trip through time. He discovers how to duplicate himself endlessly in either sex. Some explicit descriptions of sex. 1973. Neuromancer BR 9062 by William Gibson 2 volumes Case, a twenty-first century computer interfacer, is caught stealing and receives nerve damage as punishment. When even Japan's medical minds can't repair the injury, drug-addicted and penniless Case loses hope, until he is kidnapped by strangers who promise to cure him if he uses his expertise on their dangerous project. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of sex. Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards. 1984. God Game BR 6551 by Andrew M. Greeley 2 volumes A bestselling novelist who lives in Chicago is testing out a new computer game when a bolt of lightning strikes his satellite dish. This creates a link to a mysterious world where he can play God, dealing with a host of characters who have minds of their own. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1986. The Mutants Are Coming BR 5961 by Isidore Haiblum 3 volumes James Morgan, the top troubleshooter of Moon Base, is sent as ambassador back to Earth to drum up more financial support. He finds twenty-first-century America controlled by a dictator and is promptly embroiled in a futuristic maze of political intrigue, including an impending revolt by the ostracized mutant community. Strong language. 1984. Mindbridge BR 3411 by Joe W. Haldeman 2 volumes Jacques Lefavre attempts to prevent interstellar war by establishing a telepathic link with an alien race that threatens the extinction of humankind. Some strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. 1976. Secret of the Sixth Magic BR 6569 by Lyndon Hardy 3 volumes The laws of the five magics are under attack in the fantasy land of Arcadia and are in danger of being completely voided. Jemidon, an inept apprentice sorcerer, learns that only he can save the world, but he does not know how to fight the mysterious being that is causing the trouble. 1984. The Paradox Men BR 6212 by Charles L. Harness 2 volumes Classic science fiction novel conveys a philosophical message about the transcendental nature of love and the human spirit. Concerns the swordplay adventures of Alar the Thief, who is a subversive in a high-tech future and has the identity problems of an amnesiac superman. 1984. Mythago Wood BR 6526 by Robert Holdstock 3 volumes The Huxley family lives on the edge of Ryhope Wood, a forest in a remote corner of Britain. One by one, the Huxley men are drawn into the wild, primitive life of Ryhope Wood. They are lured by their curiosity, by the beauty of one of the mythical beings living there, and by their lust for power over the beast-like humans who inhabit the wood. British Science Fiction Association Award for Best Novel of the Year, 1984. The three books of the _Master Li_ series should be read in the following order: Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was BR 5969 by Barry Hughart 3 volumes In an imagined China of the seventh century, two companions set out on a legendary journey in search of the Great Root of Power, which alone can release the enchanted children caught in a drugged slumber. A fable of witty adventures. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1984. The Story of the Stone BR 7876 by Barry Hughart 3 volumes Fantasy set in an ancient and imaginary China. Master Li and his faithful assistant Number Ten Ox are called upon to investigate the theft of a manuscript and the murder of a monk. Accompanied by Moon Boy and Grief of Dawn they search for a mysteriously powerful stone and seek to escape the clutches of the Laughing Prince a long-dead ogre. Some strong language and descriptions of sex. 1988. Eight Skilled Gentlemen BR 8807 by Barry Hughart 2 volumes Master Li and his faithful sidekick Number Ten Ox are back for more adventures in Hughart's mythical seventh-century China. A villain's execution is interrupted by the appearance of a vampire ghoul. This ominous sign marks the beginning of a long, complicated confrontation between the duo and characters who appear to be prehistoric demons. Violence, descriptions of sex, and some strong language. 1991. Death Arms BR 8480 by K.W. Jeter 2 volumes A look at a dark world of the future. A mass-psychotic event called "the Fear" has occurred. R.D. Legger leaves his job with a corporation and heads for Los Angeles. He discovers a city crumbling under corruption and realizes he is the pawn of a powerful conglomerate SCRAP. He is pursued by a "slow bullet," a missile that follows its intended victim reciting his rights before killing him. Violence and strong language. 1987. Ice BR 1457 by Anna Kavan 2 volumes A science fiction story full of fantasy about the end of the world, which comes in the form of glaciers. 1970. The _Fionavar trilogy_ should be read in the following order: The Summer Tree BR 6556 by Guy Gavriel Kay 3 volumes Five people travel to a fantasy land called Fionavar, where they interact with gods, goddesses, and dwarves. They get caught in a devastating drought and find themselves in the midst of a war between most of the inhabitants and the immortal Raoth Maugrim, with his following of evil powers. 1984. The Wandering Fire BR 7617 by Guy Gavriel Kay 3 volumes Five young men and women from Toronto have returned to the world of Fionavar. This time they have brought with them Arthur Pendragon (from the Arthurian legends) to assist them in the battle between good and evil. 1986. The Darkest Road BR 7616 by Guy Gavriel Kay 4 volumes The five men and women from Earth world become caught up in the final battle between the forces of good and evil. Each has grown, suffered, and changed as a result of experiences in Fionavar. 1986. The Incredible Umbrella BR 4030 by Marvin Kaye 2 volumes Whimsical, literate fantasy about a disillusioned professor of English literature who buys an umbrella that transports him to other worlds, including a Gilbert and Sullivan cosmos and the London of Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 1979. Time: 110100 BR 1995 by Leo P. Kelley 2 volumes A man travels from place to place on what he discovers to be a devastated Earth, until he finds himself in the computerized harem of Superstud where he is promised a lusty reprieve from his confusion. Explicit descriptions of sex. 1972. The Lerios Mecca BR 2481 by Gene Lancour 2 volumes Dirshan, a dropout from the Alithar Empire, is given a chance to reinstate himself by making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Lerios and by exposing a traitor. 1973. The House in November BR 1479 by Keith Laumer 2 volumes Jeff Mallory wakes up to find he has lost three months of his life and that his city is being ruled by creatures that are half machine, half human. How the grotesque queen of these creatures is kept from spawning is the central theme of this suspense tale with a surprise climax. 1970. The Long Twilight BR 4221 by Keith Laumer 2 volumes Grayle and Falconer have fought a long bitter duel over eons of time, giving rise to the bloody legends of Earth. The climax to their hatred is now at hand, and the final battleground is a rogue atomic power plant that menaces the entire Earth. 1969. Children of the Dust BR 6813 by Louise Lawrence 2 volumes In the aftermath of atomic war, members of an English family struggle to survive amidst the incomparable horror and devastation. Those whose fate it is to survive will produce new generations of a mutated humankind better adapted, perhaps, to life on a wasted planet. For junior and senior high readers. 1985. The Wanderer BR 8641 by Fritz Leiber 3 volumes The action of this Hugo Award-winning novel is described in a mosaic fashion from the points of view of a number of different characters. The Wanderer, a strange purple and gold planet, pulls into the Earth's orbit causing catastrophic changes in its surface. After breaking up the Moon and using it for fuel, the Wanderer speeds away, pursued by the spaceship _Baba Yaga_. Some strong language. 1964. The Young Unicorns BR 904 by Madeleine L'Engle 3 volumes A suspenseful story set in the future centers on the struggle for control of a laser beam that can alter the human mind. Villains emerge from unexpected places to spring on a young blind girl, a former gang member, and the kindly Austin family. For high school and adult readers. 1968. Perelandra BR 7558 by C.S. Lewis 2 volumes The conflict between good and evil is central in this story as the Oyarsa of Malacandra orders Earthman Ransom to a neighboring world, a paradise threatened by a villainous scientist. 1944. A Secret History of Time to Come BR 4690 by Robie Macauley 2 volumes Racial warfare causes the collapse of civilization and a return to barbarism in America. Centuries later a man clad in buckskin explores the dense forests of the North Central States, discovering what is left of society and becoming involved in the rescue of a young girl kidnapped by a raiding band of horsemen from the South. Strong language. 1979. Superman: Last Son of Krypton BR 4111 by Elliot S. Maggin 2 volumes A brilliant scientist on the dying planet Krypton launches his infant son to Earth in a tiny starship. Raised as Clark Kent in Smallville, U.S.A., the boy becomes a newsman who fights evil in the guise of Superman. Fast-paced adventure for junior and senior high and adult readers. 1978. Guernica Night BR 2796 by Barry N. Malzberg 1 volume In the world of the future, a tightly organized society robs its citizens of self-respect and dignity thus creating a rash of suicides. Violence and explicit descriptions of sex. 1974. Weapon BR 8210 by Robert Mason 3 volumes Solo is a six-foot two-inch, 300-pound robot, with a brain and the strength of thirty men. He is a failure as a weapon because he refuses to kill on command. On a trial mission to Costa Rica, he escapes and crosses the border into Nicaragua. Found by a group of campesinos who recharge his flagging batteries, Solo, in turn, defends their village when it is attacked. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1989. A Creed for the Third Millennium BR 6186 by Colleen McCullough 3 volumes As a second ice age threatens twenty-first-century America, troubled Americans flock to charismatic psychologist Joshua Christian. When Dr. Judith Carriol recruits Christian for the U.S. government in "Operation Messiah" to boost the flagging spirits of the people, she is horrified to find that the psychologist takes his role seriously and is "on a god trip." Strong language. Bestseller 1985. A Canticle for Leibowitz BR 8614 by Walter M. Miller 3 volumes The futuristic novel is set in a monastery after the destruction of the present civilization. The central theme is the church's role as preserver of wisdom and spiritual life. 1955. The Falling Woman BR 8700 by Pat Murphy 2 volumes Alienated from modern society, archaeologist Elizabeth Butler finds contentment excavating an ancient Mayan city in the Yucatan jungle. Her grown daughter seeks her out to renew their mother-daughter relationship, but Elizabeth's life becomes bound up with the specter of a long-dead Mayan priestess who shows her the ancient rituals of the Maya. The priestess, though, requires a horrible sacrifice. Nebula Award. 1986. Heaven and Hell and the Megas FactorBR 2997 by Robert Nathan 1 volume A gentle satirical fantasy about the state of the world. Sophia and Buckthorne, ambassadors from Heaven and Hell respectively, are sent to Earth to find a cure for humanity's increasing ills. The two spirit worlds are scandalized to discover their representatives have fallen in love. Some strong language. 1975. The Nuclear Age BR 6540 by Tim O'Brien 3 volumes William Cowling, who heads a typical middle-class family in 1995, is obsessed with fear of nuclear annihilation. While digging an enormous hole in his backyard to use as a shelter, Cowling relives, in vivid detail, the fears and dangers of his past. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1985. Nineteen Eighty-Four BR 1614 by George Orwell 4 volumes A satirical, frightening novel about a future time under a totalitarian regime, where the people believe ignorance is strength and war is peace. 1963. Final Solution BR 2370 by Richard E. Peck 2 volumes Robert Kiley views revolutionary change as a significant step forward in the educational process, but when he lends his name to a program to carry out such a change, it becomes necessary for a colleague to place him in a state of suspended animation to save his life. 1973. The Light Fantastic BR 7296 by Terry Pratchett 2 volumes As Great A'Tuin, the cosmic turtle, is carrying Discworld through space toward almost certain doom, the mages of Unseen University search frantically for one of the Eight Great Spells that has taken up residence in the head of the failed Wizard Rincewind. Chronicles the further humorous adventures of Rincewind, its "un-hero," and his companions Cohen the Barbarian, Twoflower, and the Luggage. 1986. Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down BR 1231 by Ishmael Reed 1 volume An African American novelist comments on twentieth-century society by creating a pioneer town located in a time warp. A desperado rides into town and finds that the children have taken over the town from the adults. 1969. Stargate BR 3312 by Stephen Robinett 2 volumes In the twenty-first century, a hopeful young engineer and a daring, seventy-five-year-old trouble-shooter try to protect Merryweather Enterprises' new transmitter against the sinister designs of another giant corporation, Spieler Interstellar. 1976. Ironcastle BR 3315 by J.H. Rosny and Philip Jose Farmer 2 volumes Somewhere in the unexplored heart of Africa, an intelligence from outer space lands and takes over. When explorer Hareton Ironcastle receives word of the invasion, he leads a safari to the hidden land where he discovers unknown monsters and pre-humans. 1976. Haroun and the Sea of Stories BR 8488 by Salman Rushdie 2 volumes Rashid, the great story teller, is left with no stories to tell when his wife Soraya leaves and the wicked tyrant, Khattam-Shud, vows to poison the Sea of Stories. Rashid's son, Haroun, sets out to restore his father's gift. He battles the evil Khattam-Shud and purifies the waters of the source of all stories. Bestseller 1990. Contact BR 6336 by Carl Sagan 4 volumes A speculative adventure of the first encounter of humankind with intelligent life from beyond our solar system. Brilliant astrophysicist Ellie Arroway of Project Argus is instrumental in decoding the first radio signal received from space, and she persuades the world leaders not to consider the message a threat. Bestseller 1985. The Little Prince BR 1431 by Antoine de Saint-Exupery 1 volume The narrator's plane was forced down in the African desert where he meets the little prince from Asteroid B-612, who freely shares his experiences with the fascinated pilot. For children and adults. 1943. Earthseed BR 5761 by Pamela Sargent 2 volumes Zoheret and her shipmates have been created from genetic banks to fulfill the final destiny of the human race. As they prepare to populate a new planet, they find themselves victims of the same instinct that almost destroyed their ancestors on Earth one hundred years ago. For high school and adult readers. 1983. The Vandal BR 5283 by Ann Schlee 2 volumes A sixteen-year-old boy rebels against a tranquilized society of the future in which computers rule and a memory-suppressing drug keeps everyone under control. Chilling science fiction for junior and senior high readers. 1979. Medusa's Children BR 3934 by Bob Shaw 2 volumes A distant planet is home for aquatic humans whose sea god becomes a threat to men on Earth. For high school and adult readers. 1977. Cemetery World BR 2425 by Clifford D. Simak 2 volumes An artist of the far future, an archaeologist aided by robots, and a band of attractive ghosts search for treasure on an Earth that has been turned into a well-kept cemetery by mercenary Mother Earth, Inc. 1973. Highway of Eternity BR 6729 by Clifford D. Simak 3 volumes When investigator Jay Corcoran's client mysteriously disappears, Jay examines the man's hotel room. There, thanks to his trick vision, Jay sees an extra balcony stuck to the outside of the hotel. With no means of access to the balcony, Jay summons old friend Tom Boone, who has the curious ability to "step around a corner" into another reality. This time they wind up in eighteenth-century England. Some strong language. 1986. Special Deliverance BR 6364 by Clifford D. Simak 2 volumes An English professor is transported to another world where he joins a motley group of characters from other worlds and times a poet, a robot, a parson, a brigadier general, and an engineer who band together to solve the riddle of their existence. Some strong language. 1982. Way Station BR 3570 by Clifford D. Simak 2 volumes Enoch Wallace looks like any other man on Earth except that he is more than 100 years old and shows no signs of aging. As keeper of Earth's only way station, he is the only human allowed to communicate with intergalactic beings. Hugo Award. 1963. The two books of the _Hyperion_ series should be read in the following order: Hyperion BR 8683 by Dan Simmons 4 volumes On Hyperion, home of the Hegemony, also dwells the Shrike, a creature who lives in the Valley of the Time Tombs. Seven people who have suffered at the hands of the Shrike go to Hyperion to confront the beast and to uncover the Time Tombs' secrets. But a battle brews on Hyperion between the Hegemony and their enemy, the Ousters. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 1989. The Fall of Hyperion BR 8684 by Dan Simmons 6 volumes The war between the Hegemony and the Ousters continues on the planet Hyperion. The seven pilgrims, who have come to confront the Shrike, are waging their own war within the Time Tombs against this hideous creature whose freedom will mean death to humanity. Some strong language. Bestseller 1990. Hauser's Memory BR 1061 by Curt Siodmak 3 volumes A combination of science fiction and mystery in which a defecting East German scientist's memory is transmitted to the brain of a scientist who is an orthodox Jew. 1968. Norstrilia BR 4073 by Cordwainer Smith 3 volumes The richest boy in the galaxy buys Earth and the right to do with it anything he wants. For high school and adult readers. 1975. The Night Life of the Gods BR 5095 by Thorne Smith 3 volumes An eccentric scientist discovers a way to bring several Olympian gods to life and turns them loose for a raucous night on Broadway. 1931. David's Sling BR 8414 by Marc Stiegler 3 volumes It is some future time, and war between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S. looms large on the horizon. Scientist Jan Evans convinces Senator Hilan Forstil of the need to develop smart weapons based on the new information technology weapons like "David's sling." But there are those who still believe in the efficacy of nuclear weapons. The result is a war within a war, and Earth's survival depends on which theory prevails. 1988. The Hunger BR 4822 by Whitley Strieber 3 volumes A gothic horror fantasy about a beautiful, ageless vampire who currently lives a trendy existence in Manhattan. When her lover of 200 years begins aging, she ruthlessly seduces a brilliant young woman scientist engaged in sleep research. Violence and some explicit descriptions of sex. 1981. Forbidden Planet BR 8822 by W.J. Stuart 2 volumes United Planets cruiser C-57-D is on a mission to learn the fate of a scientific expedition to Altair-4. The would-be rescuers find the sole survivors, Dr. Morbius and his daughter along with their robot servant, living an idyllic existence on the exotic planet. And Morbius, who possesses the knowledge and power of a long-dead super-civilization, does not want to be rescued. Novel based on the landmark science fiction film. 1956. The Joyous Invasions BR 635 by Theodore Sturgeon 5 volumes Three science fiction novellas focusing on the foibles of human nature. 1965. Yargo BR 4138 by Jacqueline Susann 2 volumes Susann's first novel, completed in 1956 and published posthumously, is a science fiction love story. A lovely young woman is beamed into space from Avalon, New Jersey, and carried by spaceship to the solar system of the emotionless, intelligent, and beautiful Yargoans. Bestseller 1979. Gulliver's Travels BR 2929 by Jonathan Swift 6 volumes The eighteenth-century biting satire on morals, art, and politics from four different points of view and four strange societies. Includes an introduction and a summary of the literary criticism on this classic. 1968. The Wonderful O BR 4260 by James Thurber 1 volume An adult fairy tale and frolic through the English language. Involves a hidden treasure, a tyrannical villain named Black whose mother gets stuck in a porthole, and Black's attempts to ban everything spelled with the letter "o" from the peaceful island of Ooroo. 1957. Beloved Son BR 4169 by George Reginald Turner 6 volumes After forty years in space the first interstellar expedition comes home and the twentieth century confronts the twenty-first: an Earth struggling for recovery from the collapse of the 1990s. Behind the scenes geneticists, untroubled by ethical speculations, are busy creating Ultimate Man from clone tissue taken forty years earlier. 1978. Starmother BR 3123 by Sydney J. Van Scyoc 2 volumes Cadet Jahna is chosen to go to a backwater planet with an interstellar peace corp to investigate an epidemic of mutant births and to care for the monster children. She must decide whether to stay and become the Starmother or retreat to civilization. Some violence. 1976. The Purloined Prince BR 1789 by Ian Wallace 2 volumes A science fiction mystery novel about the disappearance of the crown jewels of Lavranche and the absence of the crown prince himself. 1971. The Mermaid in the Swimming Pool BR 733 by Douglass Wallop 2 volumes A forty-seven-year-old man whose life is dull finds his only satisfaction in drinking and swimming in his new pool until one summer night a mermaid appears, beginning a season of enchantment. 1968. The God Machine BR 2233 by William Jon Watkins 3 volumes A fascist America manipulates a university professor's discoveries in mind control for its own ends. Forced to flee the government, the professor and his wife find refuge in the world of Amorphous and meet The God Machine. 1973. The Old Gods Waken BR 4408 by Manly Wade Wellman 2 volumes A wandering minstrel and a Cherokee medicine man learn that two newcomers to Wolter Mountain, North Carolina, are in fact old world druids intent upon combining their powers with the pre-Indian spirits sleeping on top of the mountain. Armed with their own arsenal of mystical powers, John and the medicine man join in battle against the evil sorcerers. 1979. The Time Machine BR 8652 by H.G. Wells 1 volume In this short novel, the first of Wells's works in science fiction, the Time Traveller constructs a machine that will enable him to move backward or forward in time. He travels far into the future and reappears dishevelled, pale, and haggard. 1895. The Island of Dr. Moreau BR 4714 by H.G. Wells and Michael Kerr 1 volume A castaway comes to a mysterious island inhabited by grotesque creatures under the control of two scientists. 1896. The Sixth Seal BR 1787 by Mary Wesley 2 volumes A humorous, end-of-the-world British fantasy in which Muriel, a recent widow, awakens to find her neighbors and almost everything else gone in her little village of Devon. She and her son see some furs, feathers, and false teeth lying about and attempt to discover what has happened. 1971. All Judgment Fled BR 1380 by James White 2 volumes An alien spaceship that appears in the solar system is, from all evidence, a product of great intelligence. However, six astronauts who investigate it cannot identify the chief occupants of the ship as its builders. Communication is impossible and the hostility irrational. 1969. Manseed BR 5930 by Jack Williamson 2 volumes Five men and one woman head a project to launch a thousand seed ships to colonize the stars with clones of themselves. When one of the seed ships runs into trouble, the Defender, a robot with painful memories of his creators, is activated to protect his human charges. 1982. Jog Rummage BR 2741 by Grahame Wright 3 volumes English fantasy and allegory about a crippled girl and the rivalry between the Jogs and the Rats. Piracy and mob rule result when Rummage, the kindly, wise Jog philosopher, is ignored. 1974. When Worlds Collide BR 4458 by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer 2 volumes Scientists discover two new planets, one of which is on a collision course with Earth, spelling certain doom for humanity. A group of scientists secretly begin constructing a spaceship to evacuate a chosen few to a new planet, but the secret leaks out threatening to destroy even this one last chance for human survival. 1933. The Day of the Triffids BR 8820 by John Wyndham 2 volumes In this English science fiction work, a blinding blast from meteors causes the Earth to be overrun by great flesh-eating plants, which almost exterminate humankind. The survivors are fighting not only against a hostile form of life, but also against each other and themselves. 1951. Re-Birth BR 1445 by John Wyndham 3 volumes A fanatical community is obsessed with weeding out all mutations in the population. The different ones are condemned to a hideous exile and even children are careful to hide their differences from their zealous parents. 1970. The Seeds of Time BR 1098 by John Wyndham 4 volumes Ten science fiction pieces some humorous dealing with love, morality, psychology, and the human condition, through such plots as those of the struggle between two men to inhabit one healthy body, and of the mixed marriage of a twentieth-century man and a twenty-second-century woman. 1956. Trouble with Lichen BR 229 by John Wyndham 3 volumes British science fiction in which a Cambridge researcher discovers an antidote for old age. But it is derived from a very rare lichen, and a rival scientist is also on the trail. 1963. The Stars Will Speak BR 6811 by George Zebrowski 2 volumes Lissa feels drawn to leave the safety of her artificial planet when alien communication signals reach our solar system in the twenty-first century. Against her parent's reservations, she applies to and is accepted by Earth's prestigious Interstellar Institute, where she joins others trying to decode the messages. Some descriptions of sex. For junior and senior high readers. 1985. *** 5/18/95 (gft) ***