SOLVED. Sci-fi about an explorer that changes into the species they encounter while exploring each planet. [s]

[Michael]

This book depicts a group of explorers who when they encounter a new world one of them is able to change into the beings that exist on that planet in order to study them more efficiently. The guy decides in the end to permanently change into one of the species they have encountered on one of the planets they explored.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Any more details?

There are some books that are related:

Lords of the Middle Dark have a one-time/one-way change into other "species".

There's also the web-shifter series, but the aliens in that (there are very few of them) are not originally human, and can't permanently change to anything (although they can last centuries in any form), they're always still shifters at heart. They explore and save cultures (mostly).

But neither of these sounds like a fit to your request...

[Aerulan]

Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "There's also the web-shifter series..."

That's the one I thought of seeing the thread title, but you're right it doesn't fit. Nice to see somebody else who knows those books though. Offering up a link to the first webshifter book in case the OP wants to check them out anyway Beholder's Eye

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Well, in the Lords of the Middle Dark they DO have Vulture. Who is able to change into a member of whatever is the dominate human form on the planets they visit. In the last book, he's forced to remain in the form of one of the inhabitants of the second to last planet they visit.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

Hmmm, Ann's got a point.

If by 'one of them', you mean one and only one person in the whole crew who can do the job, and not: 'standard operating procedure is send down one transformed guy, how about you this time?'

Then take the Lords of the Middle Dark as an actual suggestion then. :D

And by 'dominate human form' she means centaur, beaver-type, amphibious scorpion/crayfish, etc, etc. So pretty much aliens in form and often culture/thought.

(view spoiler)[
Vulture can absorb/replace/eat/kill and become any unique protoplasmic being, and is used as a scout/spy/doppelganger to check out the cultures that they're going to steal from.

He ends up getting trapped by the enemy computer's forces, and run thru the transform machine, and thus gets locked into the lifeform of the second to last planet that they need to hit.

So not really a decision to choose that form, but he does make the best of it.

And, they're not really explorers, per se. Except that they need to explore in order to achieve their goals.

Also, I'm only using 'he' because that's the gender he ends up becoming. :)
(hide spoiler)]

[Michael]

Sorry could have been a little more clear on what going on. It's not just one of them that can change but the guy that is used is one that wants to do this.

They also have some type of advanced machine for doing this. It's all about learning the languages, customs, and culture of each planet they explore, and goes on to depict the interaction of this individual on each planet.

I was thinking maybe Ringo wrote it but I cant remember. It's been about 15 years or more since I read the book and it was an older book when I read it.

Oh, and at the end of the story the guy decides he wants to be permanently changed into one of the species they explored because he liked their body and how much it enhanced the senses.The creature was reptilian in nature.

[Andy]

This is something like Beyond the Veil of Stars, but I don't remember anyone deciding to stay permanently in alien form.

The part about staying permanently in alien form is a bit like what happens in Simak's story "Desertion" http://mystudyjournal.livejournal.com... or Anderson's "Call Me Joe" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_Me_Joe

[Michael]

No, wasn't one of those. But good effort none the less.

[Michele]

Possibly Clifford Simak's City? It's not the plot of the entire book but it is the plot of one of the interlinked sub-stories. The planet in question is Jupiter; men transform into the native creatures to go out and gather information. In the end, the human and his canine companion decide to stay in that form because their senses are so enhanced.

[Michael]

No, thats not it Michele, close though.The whole story only revolves around the main character and his interaction with the different species. Specially the reptilian one, where he becomes enamored with one of their rituals of walking off of a cliff to commit suicide for some reason. He really wants to find out why they do this.And it is this reptilian state that he eventually wants to remain in.

[Ella-grace]

This sounds like 'State of the Art', a short story by Iain M Banks as part of his culture series. It's in a book of short stories by the author, also entitled the state of the art.

[Andy]

Here's a description of "State of the Art" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stat... - doesn't look like it has reptilian aliens in it.

[Michael]

Not it Andy, but thanks anyway. I'm beginning to think I'm not going to find it. "sigh"

[Mawgojzeta]

Ella-grace wrote: "This sounds like 'State of the Art', a short story by Iain M Banks as part of his culture series. It's in a book of short stories by the author, also entitled the state of the art."

I thought of that book, too, but passed it up because it was not an exploring team.

Michael, do not give up hope yet. I, for one, am really interested in what other suggestions people come up with.

[Michael]

Thanks Mawgojzeta, I just cant remember any of the details about the author it's been so long ago. But the author was in line with some of Webers,Ringos, and Flints books. I just cant remember who it was. Thanks.

[Serendi]

Maybe you should ask on the Baen's Bar forums at baen.com, if it seems like a book by a Baen-style author.

[Michael]

I had forgot all about that place. Was a member there years ago.Thanks Serendi.

[Serendi]

Let us know if you find out anything!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

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

[Krazykiwi]

If you're still looking, this reminds me strongly of a Clifford D. Simak novella, possibly related to the City stories, although I can't for the life of me think of the name of it.

[Sue]

Krazykiwi, I think the novella is 'Desertion'. and it is from 'City'

[Krazykiwi]

That's it exactly. The reviews on this standalone edition Desertion also point to Call Me Joe as having a very similar plot. Hopefully one of those two is Michael's story.

ETA: Pfft, I could swear I read through the whole thread before I posted, but both those stories are mentioned already. Oh well.

[Patnel]

A Miracle of Rare Design

This doesn't fit all the given details, but it's pretty close. The description is terrible and uninformative, but if you read some of the reviews, it gets fleshed out.

[Andy]

Jack Sharkey had a series of stories in which the hero enters the consciousness of various aliens. Here's an article that mentions one of the stories http://galacticjourney.org/october-18... and several Sharkey stories are available at Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho... - good luck!

[Michael]

Eureka.... after a 4 year hiatus from this forum and after giving up all hope, Patnel had found the book. " A Miracle of Rare Design" by Mike Resnick was the one I was looking for. Thank you Mr. Patnel. I had forgotten so much of the details of the book that it was kind of vague with my description. Sorry I wasn't as helpful as I should have been but my memory was pretty cloudy on the details. Thank you everyone on this forum for your efforts and contributions in this thread. God Bless.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Fantastic.