SOLVED. Scifi-space cadet? with silicone based alien [s]

[Candace]

I have had this thing gnawing at my brains for years. When I was much younger (80s or early 90s) I read a book, or possibly novella about what I vaguely remember as a space station and a cadet. There was an alien I think he was hiding and it had silicone Or glass like tentacles that it tried to use to type but they would break so the kid put socks on them. I think I have all the facts straight but am not sure. I think it was a few decades old when I read it. I think alpha centaur I was involved but I am not sure. Any help is appreciated!

[Candace]

bump

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Well, you're not imagining there being a story with 'socks on tentacles in order to type', since I've read that somewhere. The rest, doesn't really ring a bell.

And I can see why google isn't helping you x_x

The closest I can remember is _Sentenced to Prism_, but I can't remember if Azure was ever typing in that or not... Definitely does NOT match the rest of your description. I really would like to re-read that, but I'm unsure of where my copies might be hiding.

[Candace]

I don't promise all the details are exact or right, it would have been over 15 years ago that I read it. I'm going to try to get my hands on a copy of that book and see if that's it. It sounds familiar but I'm not sure. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Shanna_redwind]

I thought of Sentenced to Prism as well, but so little matched beyond the silicone based life forms that I didn't mention it.

He was on a whole planet of silicone bases life forms. There was a base on the planet, but not a space station. I don't think any of the life forms typed, but they did have tentacles that extended from them to do fine manipulation. The intelligent aliens that he interacted with had a stronghold to protect them from other life forms, but they weren't really hiding.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

He might've been typing here: (view spoiler)[
The thing is, I can't recall if when Azure went back to the ruins of the human base, whether or not he used his tentacle(s) to type on the human-style keyboard (I think that the telepathy-tentacle was his finest manipulative digit, maybe excluding his cutting mouth-parts). He definitely wasn't typing in his natural environment. :) But, IF he did, that might be the scene I recall with socks/typing.
(hide spoiler)]

An aside: it wasn't really a stronghold, since even the hexagonal wall blocks were sentient, mobile lifeforms too. The sentient beings were a little bit hiding(view spoiler)[, as they weren't distinguishable from most of the other lifeforms on the planet, and the human exploratory base hadn't figured out that they were there... (hide spoiler)] but not really 'hiding on purpose'.


But yeah, as I said, just about NOTHING in _Sentenced to Prism_ matches the poster's description. Just saying that I HAVE read something like what the poster is describing, but I can't recall any more about the book either. Prism is just about the only book I can think of for silicon-based lifeforms (minus (perhaps?) _Uller Uprising_, (IIRC) which I've not read - but I own (read the back, and inside a little bit)). I don't think Uller is even a smidgen close to what the OP is looking for. (ie: I've definitely not read (heh) any place that a sock scene could be in there - whereas (as detailed in the spoiler) there is a place in Prism that a sock scene COULD be (maybe. perhaps.)).

Also, Prism is a good read. So, there. :P

[Brian]

Definitely not the Uller Uprising I remember. There was a silicone based cadet in one of the Star Trek series of novels too, but again nothing like the original post.

[Candace]

Well I got a hold of a copy of Sentenced to Prism and will be reading it tonight so I will let you know. Like I said it was a fairly vague memory though the socks and tentacle-like things I am sure of. If nothing else Sentenced to Prism looks like a good read and vaguely familiar. I appreciate all the ideas and am looking forward to any others.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

You're looking for _Omni Astropilots_ by Laura J. Mixon. The socks scene starts on page 153 in the YA MMPB edition, when Sssrei types out: 'GIV ME SOX ... Then she looked at its membranes which were shattering on the keys.'

You're welcome :D

[Candace]

OMG you are right. You are the best!!! I could totally buy you a Klondike bar or flowers or something right now!

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Mmm, books or book-credit(s) are the bestestest gifts ever.

Btw, you can move this to the SOLVED folder, by editing the title of this post. We like to keep the finished/archived versions in the solved folder, so the next person who's googling for your answer can automatically get it :)

And you should thank random people for getting rid of books, that I got the opportunity to buy, since I saw the cover for this, and went: Ah-ha!

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Moved this down and shelved the book for you Candace. Congrats on finding your book

[Candace]

thanks Anna I was on my tablet and wasn't able to edit it at the time to change it!