What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
► UNSOLVED: One specific book
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SF: Man fights computer to gain right to change society
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Sounds kind of like Piers Anthony's Adept series, but there if you win top place in all the games I believe you get to migrate off planet. Also there is a parallel universe, with fantasy and magic, so this might not be it. Starts with Split Infinity.
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Michele wrote: "Sounds kind of like Piers Anthony's Adept series, but there if you win top place in all the games I believe you get to migrate off planet. Also there is a parallel universe, with fantasy and magic,..."Hmm... Split Infinity, I recall it vaguely.
Offhand my gut reaction is that it isn't the one I was thinking of, but I'll take a look.
Thank you for the suggestion.
This sounds neat -- hope somebody can find this!
Alright, I've re-read Split Infinity, and can now say with certainty that it is not the book I was thinking of. Although it did help me refine my recollections a bit (which I'll add to the first post). Any other suggestions would be welcome
Hmm, did you recall anything about the means of production? Obviously, computer controlled - but robots? robotic factories? nanotech? Or did people actually do (some, say limited) work (under computer direction?)?
Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "Hmm, did you recall anything about the means of production? Obviously, computer controlled - but robots? robotic factories? nanotech? Or did people actually do (some, say limited) work (under com..."My recollection is that the general population lived a life of ease. I think the story pre-dated the common use of nanotech in fiction. I think in most cases where some sort of manufactured goods were required it was just off-handedly mentioned that the computer(s) provided them. There might occasionally have been robots, but I don't recall them as being a major feature of the story.
Mostly (from what I recall) the story focused on the protagonist's desire to pass beyond the limitations of his dependent status and what he risked/suffered to get there.
Yeah, I got the main focus. But, often I remember the tech stuff. There are a bunch of stories that involve getting your programmer bit (ie: given permission to program reality/control the computer which controls many/every thing), but I can't put my finger on all of them (which is why I'm a member of this group).Getting your bit set happened (happens still?) in MUDs (online, IRL). And should've happened in Rick Cook's books (but did not, anyone who learned to program could make magic).
But yours is more straight scifi (and yeah, split infinity came to mind for me too).
The 'challenge society' theme happens in one of Ringo's series (but is not your book). There are some prime programming keys, but you don't need to learn/achieve to get them, they are limited (I think, only 9) and inherited (or stolen). Btw, I do NOT recommend Ringo for reading, since he has (to my knowledge) never completed a series.
There's 5 rings in Pirates of Thunder, which allow you to reprogram the Master Computer which runs all of human-controlled space, but, again, it's not a matter of strict achievement - more shades of 'items of power'
Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "There's 5 rings in Pirates of Thunder, which allow you to reprogram the Master Computer which runs all of human-controlled space, but, again, it's not a matter of strict achievement - more shades of 'items of power'..."Hmm... that doesn't really sound like it, but I'll take a look, thank you.
Tab wrote: "How many years ago did you read this?"
Years and years. Um ... I probably read it no earlier than 1978, and probably no later than 1995. So ... we're talking 20+ years ago probably.
I was NOT recommending any of those books/series as solutions to your query, just saying that the themes are... around a LOT.
This sounds vaguely like Futuretrack 5. There are some similarities, but goodreads doesn't have a good summary, so I'll put down what the inside cover of my copy says:"Henry Kitson makes his first mistake when he scores a hundred per cent in his exams. Not for him therefore the glamorous cushy career pattern of most of his contemporaries. Promoted to Tech, he is equipped with a white coat and a clipboard and becomes one of that small body who keep the country's computerized living systems going.
His second mistake is going on the razzle. In London, where survival depends on skill and daring andthe population is controlled by fear and sensationalism, Kitson becomes pinball champion and meets blond, leather-clad Keri, London's bike-racing champion of Futuretrack 5...
...And what is Kitson's destined roll? As a fortune teller predicts, "You'll regret what you'll do for the rest of your born days.""
Okay, it sounds a bit less promising when I re-read what you say, but maybe this will trigger someone else's memory somehow.
Hmm, I don't think that was it. My recollections don't include a specific city name, it's possible that it simply wasn't named. I also don't think most people even had jobs. My recollection was that the protagonist was considered unusual specifically because of his drive to challenge the computer, it was essentially his job in a time when most people lived a life of indolence.
I also don't recall much in the way of romance, I think the protagonist knew he was likely to be exiled and avoided subjecting a love interest to that sort of pain.
Thank you for the suggestion though.
Along the lines of Futuretrack 5, there's Isaac Asimov's short(?), "Profession", which has young people competing in the "Olympics" (more mental/skill based, than physical) for, da-da-dum: their life-long profession.But, not so-much exile - nor re-dos (mostly). Just getting stuck in a not-so-good profession when you fail. Granted, MC was going for 'Registered Computer Programmer', but also not a 'computer' which controlled society.
But, that's not the OP's *book*, unless they've really mangled/mislaid/confused their memory/description of what they're searching for.
Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "But, that's not the OP's *book*, unless they've really mangled/mislaid/confused their memory/description of what they're searching for. "Sadly, that's always a possibility.
I think I've got the parts that I do recall correct, but we are talking about something I read 20-something years ago.
Well, you have a pretty good description, so I'm apt to think that you've not mangled it overly much.Profession is available on the web, if you do a google search for it.
This looks interesting. I would like to read it when it's found.
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Could it have been by Keith Laumer? That's the name that popped into my head when reading the description, and it's the sort of thing he would have written. If it was him, though, I have no idea which specific book it might be.
@PeterHm... I recall reading most of the Retief series years ago, and enjoying it quite a bit. I may have read some other things by Laumer as well ... didn't he have a story with a war between two people going the opposite direction in time?
I don't think it was a Laumer story, but ... I've been meaning to re-read some of his stuff anyway. Thanks for the suggestion.
@Lobstergirl
It's not a mystery I've managed to solve yet. I would still like to re-read the story if I can track it down. I'm not really pursuing it with great fervor, but I am still curious.
@DavidHm... I don't think that was it. I think the writing and the author's grasp of computer science would have required the book to be written more recently than that (late 60's early 70's maybe?).
Still, there do seem to be some similar elements, I'll take a look, thank you for the suggestion.
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Lobstergirl wrote: "Still looking now?"Sadly, yes. I'd still like to re-read the story, and I still haven't figured out what it was.
Chris wrote: "I'd still like to re-read the story, and I still haven't figured out what it was."You can bump your thread once a month. Doing so gets more eyes on your problem.
Michele wrote: "Not an exact match to your description, but maybe The Last Starship from Earth?"Hmm.. pretty sure that's not it, but thank you for the suggestion nonetheless.
Mod
You can "bump" your thread every month or so. This pushes your thread back to the top of the folder instead of languishing here on page 176 where fewer eyes will see it. Get back in the game! Bump!
You can do this by typing a new comment at the end of the thread, or even by typing the word "bump."
Good luck!
Okay, thank you Kate. It remains a mystery to me, and I would like to read the story again, but it is sort of a back-burner mystery. I'd like to know, but it's not driving me mad.
Peter wrote: "Could it have been by Keith Laumer? That's the name that popped into my head when reading the description, and it's the sort of thing he would have written. If it was him, though, I ..."I searched on scifi.stackexchange.com and if it's Keith Laumer it could be the "Placement Test" story:
https://scifi.stackexchange.com/quest...
Hmm... Laumer would be about the right vintage ... I'll take a look, thank you.
Rings of the Master series by Jack L. Chalker?
Links for Sue's suggestion. First book is Lords of the Middle Dark by Jack L. Chalker.Series page
https://www.goodreads.com/series/4181...
What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
Lords of the Middle Dark (other topics)The Last Starship from Earth (other topics)
The Last Starship from Earth (other topics)
The World of Null-A (other topics)
Futuretrack 5 (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Jack L. Chalker (other topics)Keith Laumer (other topics)
A.E. van Vogt (other topics)
Keith Laumer (other topics)
If you beat all the games, then you qualify to be a programer, and are allowed to alter and change society, but if you don't, you're exiled from the society for a given period of time. My recollection is that the protagonist fails at least once.
It's the kind of book that might perhaps have been written by either Piers Anthony or Tanith Lee, but ... nothing leaps out at me when I look at their book lists.
Any help would be appreciated.
Edit: Split Infinity does have some similarities to what I recalled, but that's not the one I was thinking of.
I recall that the bulk of the population were dependents, cared for, but at least in some regards, treated as children by the computer that ruled the society. Only by passing the challenges could one make the metaphorical transition to adulthood and gain the right to alter the program.
My recollections are that the title (that the protagonist earned) may actually have been "Programer".