SOLVED. Science Fiction Anthology - any title (3 stories provided) can help [s]

[MrEkitten]

The actual Anothlogy was like "Year's Best Science Fiction" or something like that. Cover was orange, no artwork from what I remember. If I had to guess I would say this was between 1985-1991.

I'll try to list some of the stories I remember. Any help on any of the stories would be appreciated. I don't remember their order. There may be ideas that are wrong or mixed up; I apologize in advance. I'll leave the spoilers/endings out, but I remember 2 of them

Story A) SOLVED - "The Linguist" - A man is trying to finish reading Don Quixote before a group of men take away his memory. He works for the men and has changed his mind about giving them his memories. This is a 'Johnny Mnemonic' type of scenario. All the man wants to do is finish reading the story. The story takes place where he is hiding in a shed/house and the people wanting his memory have him surrounded.

Story B) A father and a son are having a discussion. I seem to think they were incorporeal (based on the questions), but I don't remember much about it. It was basically the son asking the father questions.

Story C) Man is beginning to colonize Mars. The air is very thin and there are domes set up for school and houses that have pressurized air. The first generation of children born on Mars can live without helmets outside of the 'domes'. The Earth born parents need air supply suits to live outside the 'domes'.

Again, just finding one title can lead me to the others. You guys have helped me before on other titles with just my lurking. I appreciate you guys/girls doing this.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

I know you said probably no artwork, but it might be worth it to look at this series:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/4925...

Some nice librarian has added tables of contents for every anthology. Maybe a story title will jar your memory?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Apparently Don Quixote is a recurring theme in sci-fi? I did not know that.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

C'mon, it's a classic. Just like King Arthur stuff, and Holy Grail chases. *le sigh*

But yeah, we just need to peg the name of one of these stories, then can search on which anthologies include that particular story - then you can narrow down to the one(s) which include all the stories.

Lobstergirl wrote: "Some nice librarian has added tables of contents for every anthology"

Where is that? I see the GR list at the link, but not the ToCs, nor do I find the ToCs in the individual entry (for the 30th one, haven't checked each individual entry)...

[Marilyn]

I haven't read it myself, but Google sleuthing leads me to believe your Don Quixote story is "The Linguist" by Stephen Robinett, which appeared in "The Year's Best SF 9" in 1976. Could this be the collection?

[Tim]

Marilyn wrote: "I haven't read it myself, but Google sleuthing leads me to believe your Don Quixote story is "The Linguist" by Stephen Robinett, which appeared in "The Year's Best SF 9" in 1976. Could this be the ..."

Great work, I looked for more than an hour yesterday dead-ending on the Terry Carr series. The no-art orange cover is pretty limiting.

I found this description of the story...

"The story is about a man who has a talent for learning languages, and who is selling his knowledge of languages on the black market to pay off his wife's gambling debts. (Parts of the brain containing certain information can be identified and surgically removed and implanted in another person's brain – saves having to study for years!) However, he also has a passion for literature, and believes that the great masterpieces should be read in their original language. So he is hiding out in the desert, frantically trying to finish War and Peace in the original Russian, before he is caught by the black marketeers and has his knowledge of Russian forcibly removed."

[MrEkitten]

Wow. I am going to say that "The Linguist" has to be the story I am thinking of for Story A. Definitely better Google sleuthing than I was able to do. And while none of the other stories bring back any memories (and I couldn't even read in 1976), it is just a matter of finding every publication this story appeared in. I have a new ray of hope and just knew you guys/girls could help. So many times, just by searching these comments have I found other books.

I'm going to move this into the "Possibly Solved" and will continue the search with this new information. I'll also post a Spoiler post with more info on the other two stories that might help.

Again, can't thank everyone enough.

[MrEkitten]

OK, after reading my first post I have racked my brain to come up with some more info on each story - I'll try to do the spoiler tags properly, but be warned this post does contain spoilers. (Even if they are misremembered.) I cannot vouch for the details as I haven't read the stories in over 20 years. I appreciate your understanding.

Story A) Solved - And I didn't have to give away the ending. :)

Story B) (view spoiler)[I think this story is about the boy dying (although I could be completely wrong). The boy is asking a lot of "life or philosophical" questions. The father is basically telling the boy that it is ok to die (or do whatever he needs to do). The boy is scared and has so many questions. At the end of the story the boys decides to do it. Whether it is die/be born/evolve/ or whatever he was doing.) (hide spoiler)]


Story C) Man is just colonizing Mars. There is a thin atmosphere and there is an infrastructure being built to hold the air pressurized for humans. The first generation of children born on Mars can handle the thin atmosphere better as their bodies have been able to adapt at such a young age. (view spoiler)[ At the end of the story, we find out that the children can't stand the parents/teachers. They have decided to revolt. They will break all the structures and kill anyone coming from Earth. Mars is their planet and they don't need any Earthlings telling them what to do. (hide spoiler)]

[Tim]

Shawn wrote: "And while none of the other stories bring back any memories (and I couldn't even read in 1976), it is just a matter of finding every publication this story appeared in."

according to www.isfdb.org (generally pretty thorough):

Galaxy, February 1975, (Feb 1975, ed. James Baen, publ. UPD Publishing Corporation, $0.75, 164pp, digest, magazine) Cover: Wendy Pini and Richard Pini - [VERIFIED]
The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 9, (1976, ed. Harry Harrison, Brian Aldiss, publ. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 0-297-77261-9, 206pp, hc, anth)
The Year's Best Science Fiction No. 9, (Jun 1976, ed. Harry Harrison, Brian Aldiss, publ. Orbit, 0-86007-894-9, £0.65, 206pp, pb, anth) - [VERIFIED]
Best SF: 75, The Ninth Annual, (Sep 1976, ed. Harry Harrison, Brian W. Aldiss, publ. Bobbs-Merrill Company, 0-672-52197-0, $10.00, 240pp, hc, anth)
Projections, (Jan 1979, Stephen Robinett, publ. Ace Books (An Analog Book), 0-441-68305-3, $1.95, x+308pp, pb, coll) - [VERIFIED]
Projections, (Apr 1979, Stephen Robinett, publ. Baronet Publishing Co. (A Baronet/Analog Book), 0-89437-055-3, $5.95, 281pp, tp, coll)

[Marilyn]

It's also worth noting that Stephen Robinett published under a pseudonym at first, so "The Linguist" can also be listed as being by "Tak Hallus", as it was in the February 1975 issue of "Galaxy Science Fiction" magazine.

(Oops, I posted this while Tim was posting his comment above, so yes, this magazine is already in his list!)

[Tim]

Projections contents and descriptions:

Helbent 4: Helbent 4 saves Earth from the Spacethings. Rather a boring story.
Jenson's Folly: Jenson builds a matter transmitter for a madman.
Cynthia: Quick travel between stars is possible by transmitting your mind into a willing host body at the other end.
The Linguist: Memory engram transplants allow rich people to buy knowledge and have it impressed into their minds.
The Satyr: Does a genetically engineered and articially created creature have free will, and is it responsible for its own actions?
Tomus: By transplanting their minds into young bodies, the Longevitors can live forever. But only if they can demonstrate that their talents are worth preserving will they be reanimated.
Pow Wow: Aliens camp out on the Moon and Chief Longlegs (with his infinite American Indian wisdom) is sent to negotiate.
The Tax Man: Tax evasion is punishable by death.
Projections: Is it ethical to use an advertising machine that shapes the thoughts of its audience?

[MrEkitten]

I just came here to say I also think it is "Projections". I just finished researching as well. Wow you guys are fast. I actually remember the cover and I also remember some of the stories. I am under the impression that the Martian children story could be just another short story (Frederic Brown maybe) that I read at the time.

I saying this is solved with Projections. Even with all my misinformation, you guys still helped.

[Tim]

Shawn wrote: "I just came here to say I also think it is "Projections". I just finished researching as well. Wow you guys are fast. I actually remember the cover and I also remember some of the stories. I am..."

I hope that's the one. Your description of the Linguist sounded pretty damned good and so I found a used copy of the Best SF: 75, The Ninth Annual and ordered it! May have to do the same with Projections.

[Marilyn]

Huzzah!

(*high-fives Tim*)

Glad we could help. :)