ABANDONED. only a few people left in the world and they communicate by computer

[Julee]

I read a sci-fi or end of the world book where there were only a few people left and they were scattered around the planet and only communicated by computer. I think in the end, they were going to meet but I cant remember what happened. Does this ring a bell to anyone?

[Kagama-the Literaturevixen]

The only book that I can think of at the top my head isFeed,but there isnt a shortage of people.

Do you remember when you read this?

[LauraW]

I remember a book where there were a boy and a girl in separate parts of a building, both being raised by computers. They eventually were allowed to communicate through the computers. I can't remember the name of the book and I can't seem to find it in my list of Goodreads books. That means I might not have finished it.

[Andy]

"When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" by Cory Doctorow, available on his site here http://craphound.com/overclocked/Cory... has this theme.

[Julee]

Thanks for the ideas! I don't think its the Sysadmins book-but I may read that one anyway!I just checked out Feed and I dont think thats it. Laura, yours sounds close, let me know if you find the title? I was thinking that there were a few people, maybe in different cities or countries? I think I read it about 5 or 6 years ago. Its driving me crazy! Thanks everyone for ideas!

[Kellista]

Hmm, following this thread as the book sounds interesting!

[Brian]

Kinda sort close - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nake...

[Melanti]

Could this have been a short story?

I read a short story with a similar plot a few years ago.

The issue was that so much could be done in the home via computer that there was no need to leave the home anymore. And because there was no need to do so, everyone gradually became phobic of anything outside their homes.

Someone had talked the main character into leaving, I think to meet a female? (No one leaving their homes means no new kids!) (view spoiler)[The climax was the main character was unable to leave- the agoraphobia was too strong... (hide spoiler)]

I believe it was published in the 1960's or so, and from what I remember of the style, it seems like something Bradbury would have written - but I can't locate the story.

I was googling random phrases to try to find it and I found a request with a similar summary. Someone suggested The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov.

[Melanti]

I think I found the one I was thinking of, finally! It's not by Bradbury after all, which was why I couldn't find it.

"Huddling Place" by Clifford D. Simak, published 1944, found in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume 1 and City.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddling...

[Cheryl]

Just in case someone else is looking for a similar story, we can add The Machine Stops, remarkably prescient pre-sf, by (of all people) E.M. Forster to the list of works that have this theme of last days and isolation.

[Julee]

WOW! Thanks everyone! Im beginning to think what I remember is a collaboration of many books/stories Ive read. At least now I have a bunch of books to read! And, I totally forgot about The Machine Stops which Im going to read tonight.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

I believe I downloaded the Machine stops the other day, as this was brought up on the sff forums.

http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/praj...

There's another short story in this theme, I think in Asimov's or Analog. Theme was humans had pissed off some aliens, and they gave us a disease, and everyone wanted to burrow up into small tunnels. The people on the spaceship turned their cabins into burrows (where did they get the dirt?) and the main protag (who was Caucasian - because it was post-apoc and only Polynesian / Asians were dominate races) wanted to destroy the spaceship instead of returning to Earth (ie: stopping the disease). Nobody listened to him, sure that experts on earth could cure this hostile meme. (view spoiler)[Turns out they couldn't and Earth is in trouble. Eventually, protag makes a recovery - and Earth gov asks him to serve again (after having dismissed him in disgrace for being right). Turns out some humans are able to overcome it. (hide spoiler)] Dunno what happened after that, nor name or title. Although I'm thinking it was a big name (Andre Norton?) or someone like that.

edit: I think this may be part of the Mauri series by Anderson, but I'm unsure of which story.

edit: Gave this its own query:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

There's also a graphic novel(? it had a *lot* of text blocks, so more like a heavily illustrated story?) that has some of these same themes. Except that it's 'vampires' who've taken over the surface in the ruins and fight amongst themselves and humans live underground. Protag communicates on the net with someone who turns out to live on the surface, and when he gets in trouble/gets expelled she snatches him in a heavily armed dune-buggy (he wasn't expecting it to be so hostile) and whisks him away to her fortress and puts him in the shower... (view spoiler)[because she likes to eat clean meat. Truth was that she lured him out of the human place, ie: it was a setup. Also, details are that she and other vampires are some type of XXY or some other type of genetic deviants? (hide spoiler)]

edit: This has its own query:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Amanda]

There was a short story where a woman was the main character. She was a composer/music person. Nobody ever had to leave there little rooms because everything was provided for them. She was talking with someone about what the outside was like and how music was no longer like it used to be, people just took older music and changed it around a bit stuff like that. She was going to go outside to get inspiration for her music and meet the person she had been talking to. Can't remember the name though.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

a short story where a woman was the main character.

That sounds like a bit of a muddle of Forster. Go read the link, if you're curious :)

[Amanda]

That sounds like a bit of a muddle of Forster. Go read the link, if you're curious :)"
I have read The Machine stops but this one was a bit different. Maybe it had been inspired by Forster.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Ahh, well, tell us how it was different? Or, start a new thread :D

[Cheryl]

I suggest not starting a new thread, as we have a good discussion here already. Julee, if you want, you or I can move this to 'requsts: for books in general' folder. That way you'll still get suggestions, and the discussion can continue, also. Or leave it here if you think there's still something specific to find.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Well, I was eventually going to list a request for the graphic novel one, but I'm not yet quite desperate to find it (I've also not exhausted my search powers on it).

How likely do you think someone is to read the middle of the thread, after not knowing the first description/starting post? Not a rhetorical question, I'd really like a best guess on that.

Also, I'm not sure Julee's has actually been answered; she just has a list of things to try.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Just--I don't think anyone reads the middle of the thread without reading the beginning. If all you read was the middle, you'd never be able to figure if a book actually met the OPs description. I find that I even go back periodically and re-read beginning posts if its been a long time since the Original Post was made.

[Julee]

I dont think Ive found the one I was looking for but this discussion has been great and Ive gotten a lot of new books to read! :) Id like to leave it here if its ok as someone may still remember the exact book or story. Thanks everyone for the great dialogue!

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Julee, if you haven't found the book yet, the thread definately needs to stay in the "UNSOLVED" folder. Periodically (every month or two or three) you might want to go in and give it a "bump" to get it back in people's mind. After all, someone new might have joined the group that hasn't seen the message yet. Or someone that HAS seen the message might read the book between now and then. So just keep on bumping it up there.

[LauraW]

Julee wrote: "Thanks for the ideas! I don't think its the Sysadmins book-but I may read that one anyway!I just checked out Feed and I dont think thats it. Laura, yours sounds close, let me know if you find the t..."

I found the book I was thinking of. It is titled Alien Child and the author is Pamela Sargent.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Alien Child for the click link for LauraW's book

[Justanotherbiblophile]

*bump* For my requests in message #12 :)

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Just--is post 12 a request by you for the titles of those books? Or a suggestion for the OP? If it is a request by you--you need to start your own thread, as people will be looking at this thread based on the OP's post.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

That was my opinion as well, however Cheryl in CC NV (cherylllr) said in msg #17:

"I suggest not starting a new thread,"

[Ann aka Iftcan]

She also suggested going down to "Looking for books in general." I guess it depends on if you want to find your specific books or are just interested in the discussion we have going here.

[Cheryl]

Hi, yes, to clarify the special situation we have here. Julee, the OP, wants this thread to stay in Unsolved. So, we can't move it intact, with the included discussion, to Looking for Books in General.

However, Just.., you're more than welcome to start a new thread there on this theme. Or, if you believe there are specific titles you want us to help you figure out, please go ahead and start new threads here in Unsolved for each of them.

I hope that clears things up a bit, if anyone was still confused.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Julee, are you still looking for this book or did you find it?

[Cheryl]

Hmm ... Julee didn't answer LG, but did claim she'd be still interested in guesses ... this can be a 'last chance' bump and if we still don't hear from her, next mod. can move to Abandoned?

[Dcmckinney]

I don't recall a book on these lines, but there was an episode of seaQuest DSV where they went through a dimensional rift (jumped the shark) and were in the future with very few people that never interacted accept via computer. ... found the information and this isn't as close as I remembered it, but here you go anyway.

"Playtime" October 23, 1994
A distant call for help pulls the seaQuest through an underwater anomaly, propelling the boat 225 years into the future where they find that mankind has destroyed itself, leaving only two teenaged kids as the only Human life left on Earth.