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[contest]Need help identifying a sci-fi/fantasy novel via its plot
gavinruneblade
Member Posts: 3,894 Arc User
Edit: Mods, I tried to post this in ten-forward as it's a bit off-topic. Not sure how it ended up here in general. Can you move it?
So, a long time ago, I read a specific book, I remember nearly all of it, but not the title nor the author. I'd like to find it so I can buy a copy. To the first person who can correctly identify the book I shall provide in-game all of the following:
Enough purple omega thingies for two upgrade kits (since the completed kits are bound), 5 keys, and 4 fleet ship modules.
Some background info that might help:
* I read the book in question in the mid '80s, it was probably written in the '70s, but there's no way it was written more recently than 1985
* Published in English, not translated from another language
* Had both hardback and softcover editions
* I don't recall the cover art, sorry I know in older sci-fi that can really help narrow down the list, but the hardback edition was an ugly creme-white color.
* One unique phrase from the book that might be all it takes for someone to go "oh I know that one": The Draw. This was a replacement for nighttime where a fog filled with monsters would roll in over the planet the book took place on.
* The book is a crossover science-fantasy setting
* I honestly don't know if there were ever any sequels, that's part of why I am looking to track it down again, but it was not advertised as a "first book in the blah-blah-blah trilogy" or anything like that.
* It used pulp novel language like "TRIBBLE" instead of "weird" or "strange" etc in the same sentence as a description of technobabble. like someone inspired by Asimov and Lovecraft at the same time.
And now to the plot:
Starts out a generic future universe with earth having multiple colony worlds, and it focused on a small family taking a trip to a new home on a different world. The family was well-to-do and the parents had servants take care of the kids instead of doing it themselves. Mother, Father, Older Sister (tween or younger), Younger Brother (6-ish). They had just gotten a new nursemaid to watch the kids right before leaving on the transport ship, who is the protagonist of the book. She thought there was something wrong with the sister because Older Sister kept talking to herself, telling her brother that she was leaving soon and he'd never see her again, etc. For ease I'll call the nursemaid "Sitter" as in babysitter.
When they arrived at the new planet and moved into their new house, Older Sister got a moment alone with her brother and taught him a hop-scotch game on these "TRIBBLE" tiles. While everyone was supposed to be asleep, Sister and Brother got up and tried to sneak down to the tiles, but Sitter followed them. They did the hopscotch game and getting to the far side, vanished. Sitter panicked, then followed and vanished as well.
From here out, it became a fantasy story until the very end where it switched back.
Upon her vision clearing, Sitter found herself in a forest. Even though she tried to follow the kids immediately, it appeared a few days had passed. She found Brother but he was turning into something called a "free folk" that was actually a satyr. The world was run by a ripoff of the white witch from Narnia whose name I don't recall. Sister was apparently a variant on a changeling into whom some incorporeal faerie spirit was placed at birth, it had taken her over and brought her home to be the princess. She had enough humanity to bring her brother along, but upon arriving she abandoned him because the free folk were considered a lesser species. Eating or drinking would trap Sitter in the world and turn her into a free folk too, so she was on a timer.
After a few hours of exploring, fog started to come in, Brother explained this was "the draw" and they had to hide. He guided her to a faerie ring (circle of mushrooms) inside of which they were safe. Froglike monsters went around through the woods eating anyone not in such rings. After the draw ended, Sitter found some flowers that the monsters didn't like and crushed them to spread their sap over a walking stick making it into basically a lightsaber vs the monsters. She travelled through the draw after that and the monsters hid from her.
Lots of plot drama, blah, blah, blah. She finds the queen's castle, confronts Sister who refuses to come home saying this is where she belongs and she's with her real family. Sitter kidnaps her and takes her back through the portal to the tiles, along with Brother. Whatever few spirit was in Sister dies, Brother turns back into a human. But it's not a happy ending as it is revealed that Sister was actually the queen's daughter and not fully human, being expelled and with that part of her dead she was forever "less" than she had been, always sad and could never go home again.
The end.
Weird book. But I based a campaign setting for DND on it years ago and wanted to re-read the book and see if the author had any others as I'm revisiting and reworking that campaign setting.
So there you go. Anyone ever read the book and do you remember the title/author?
So, a long time ago, I read a specific book, I remember nearly all of it, but not the title nor the author. I'd like to find it so I can buy a copy. To the first person who can correctly identify the book I shall provide in-game all of the following:
Enough purple omega thingies for two upgrade kits (since the completed kits are bound), 5 keys, and 4 fleet ship modules.
Some background info that might help:
* I read the book in question in the mid '80s, it was probably written in the '70s, but there's no way it was written more recently than 1985
* Published in English, not translated from another language
* Had both hardback and softcover editions
* I don't recall the cover art, sorry I know in older sci-fi that can really help narrow down the list, but the hardback edition was an ugly creme-white color.
* One unique phrase from the book that might be all it takes for someone to go "oh I know that one": The Draw. This was a replacement for nighttime where a fog filled with monsters would roll in over the planet the book took place on.
* The book is a crossover science-fantasy setting
* I honestly don't know if there were ever any sequels, that's part of why I am looking to track it down again, but it was not advertised as a "first book in the blah-blah-blah trilogy" or anything like that.
* It used pulp novel language like "TRIBBLE" instead of "weird" or "strange" etc in the same sentence as a description of technobabble. like someone inspired by Asimov and Lovecraft at the same time.
And now to the plot:
Starts out a generic future universe with earth having multiple colony worlds, and it focused on a small family taking a trip to a new home on a different world. The family was well-to-do and the parents had servants take care of the kids instead of doing it themselves. Mother, Father, Older Sister (tween or younger), Younger Brother (6-ish). They had just gotten a new nursemaid to watch the kids right before leaving on the transport ship, who is the protagonist of the book. She thought there was something wrong with the sister because Older Sister kept talking to herself, telling her brother that she was leaving soon and he'd never see her again, etc. For ease I'll call the nursemaid "Sitter" as in babysitter.
When they arrived at the new planet and moved into their new house, Older Sister got a moment alone with her brother and taught him a hop-scotch game on these "TRIBBLE" tiles. While everyone was supposed to be asleep, Sister and Brother got up and tried to sneak down to the tiles, but Sitter followed them. They did the hopscotch game and getting to the far side, vanished. Sitter panicked, then followed and vanished as well.
From here out, it became a fantasy story until the very end where it switched back.
Upon her vision clearing, Sitter found herself in a forest. Even though she tried to follow the kids immediately, it appeared a few days had passed. She found Brother but he was turning into something called a "free folk" that was actually a satyr. The world was run by a ripoff of the white witch from Narnia whose name I don't recall. Sister was apparently a variant on a changeling into whom some incorporeal faerie spirit was placed at birth, it had taken her over and brought her home to be the princess. She had enough humanity to bring her brother along, but upon arriving she abandoned him because the free folk were considered a lesser species. Eating or drinking would trap Sitter in the world and turn her into a free folk too, so she was on a timer.
After a few hours of exploring, fog started to come in, Brother explained this was "the draw" and they had to hide. He guided her to a faerie ring (circle of mushrooms) inside of which they were safe. Froglike monsters went around through the woods eating anyone not in such rings. After the draw ended, Sitter found some flowers that the monsters didn't like and crushed them to spread their sap over a walking stick making it into basically a lightsaber vs the monsters. She travelled through the draw after that and the monsters hid from her.
Lots of plot drama, blah, blah, blah. She finds the queen's castle, confronts Sister who refuses to come home saying this is where she belongs and she's with her real family. Sitter kidnaps her and takes her back through the portal to the tiles, along with Brother. Whatever few spirit was in Sister dies, Brother turns back into a human. But it's not a happy ending as it is revealed that Sister was actually the queen's daughter and not fully human, being expelled and with that part of her dead she was forever "less" than she had been, always sad and could never go home again.
The end.
Weird book. But I based a campaign setting for DND on it years ago and wanted to re-read the book and see if the author had any others as I'm revisiting and reworking that campaign setting.
So there you go. Anyone ever read the book and do you remember the title/author?
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Comments
My character Tsin'xing
Are there any more specific terms or names you can remember? Was the draw a fog or mist? Faerie or fairy spirit? Was it something specific the sitter could not consume in the fantasy world, or could she not eat or drink anything at all?
http://www.amazon.com/Dread-Companion-Andre-Norton/dp/0345315561
You found it. Congrats!
^.^