SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Recommendations and Lost Books
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Forgotten SF Book Poss. C. J. Cherryh (though it's looking like not), Toilet as Meditative Device
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look into Olivia Butler's Xenogenesis Trilogy
No, I've read the first book in that series and that isn't it. Thanks for trying.
Well, I read the whole Xenogenesis series and none of them were it, so still looking for suggestions.
There’s another stand alone cat person book. Hestia maybe?
The catpeople aspect is too broad for me to come up with anything, but the toilet thing immediately reminded me of David Macaulay’s Motel of the Mysteries. It came out in 1979 and it’s about archeologists a couple thousand years from now uncovering a motel and hilariously misunderstanding the everyday objects they find. (Our civilization collapsed because we were catastrophically buried in paperwork in 1985.)The toilet seat one has stuck with me for 40 years because of its absurdity. This is it: https://goo.gl/images/jSqmvc
Of course, Macaulay’s book is satire about how we completely misinterpret lost civilizations, but it’s a hoot nonetheless.
Rachel wrote: "There’s another stand alone cat person book. Hestia maybe?"No, it isn't Hestia. The cat-like character is only a supporting character, not the lead one. The lead one is a normal human, an unusual thing for the setting. Thanks for trying.
Trike wrote: "The catpeople aspect is too broad for me to come up with anything, but the toilet thing immediately reminded me of David Macaulay’s Motel of the Mysteries. It came out in 1979 and it’..."No, it isn't Motel of the Mysteries. I read and enjoyed that one years ago. My book is a serious drama, though one character does have a mental snicker about the people not knowing what the toilets were originally for.
Jennifer wrote: "This maybe? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1..."
No, not that one, darn it. No mental abilities or twins in mine. Thanks for trying.
I saw this thread because you posted about C.J Cherryh. She is one of my favorite authors and the series by Octavia Butler is amazing. I am sorry it wasn't the book you were looking for.
C. J. Cherryh bump.Note to self: last post Feb. 5.
The description reminds me of novella "The Ballad of Lost C'mell" by Cordwainer Smith (originally published in Galaxy Magazine, October 1962) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bal...). I don't have access to the story right now, and I don't recall the toilet/meditation angle (it's been years since I read the story), but the underpeople/cat-human-hybrid angle in Smith's story does strike a chord. (The C' in C'Mell's name stands for "cat-derived.")
I hope this is helpful, and even if it's not the specific story you're remembering, you might find it worth reading, anyway.
John
JOHN wrote: "The description reminds me of novella "The Ballad of Lost C'mell" by Cordwainer Smith (originally published in Galaxy Magazine, October 1962) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bal......"I have read it, but it isn't my story. Thanks for trying. :-)
Old bump back to page 1.
Old bump.
AI to the rescue? Maybe? "Norstrilia" is a science fiction novel set in the far future, where humanity has colonized the galaxy and created new, genetically-engineered species. The protagonist, Rod McBan, is a member of the norstrilian ruling class, and he has a rare genetic makeup that makes him part of multiple humanoid species, including one that is feline in nature.
In the book, human waste disposal units are highly prized and valuable objects, and they are considered religious artifacts by some cultures, which matches your initial description. Rod McBan is also born as a normal human, which is rare in his society, as most people are born as clones.
No, not Nostrilia. In my book, the main character isn't a person of high social rank, just an average Joe/Jane. Thanks for trying.
I am not helping, but for me toilet is certainly a meditative device :-D
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Norstrilia (other topics)Motel of the Mysteries (other topics)
Motel of the Mysteries (other topics)
The Witches of Karres (other topics)
Set in the future, probably a hundred years or more. There are several humanoid lifeforms in the society. The heroine/hero is the result of 2 or more of them interbreeding. One of the lifeforms is somewhat feline. The heroine/hero is born a normal human which I think was rare for the time.
Some members of the society use old style human toilets as religious/meditative objects because they don't know what they are.
ETA: This is a minor plot point in the story and is only mentioned once or twice.
I read the book back in the 80s. I've looked at Cherryh's books list, but nothing rings a bell, so it may not be one of hers.
I don't recall anything else clearly about the plot.
I think the cover was primarily reddish in color.
Here's a similar cover. If you cut the image down the middle, throw away the left side and stretch out the right side, it looked sorta like that.
The Witches of Karres
Already eliminated:
The Chanur stories
Larry Niven's Kzin stories
Anne McCaffrey's Doona stories
Ursula K. Le Guin
Cyteen
Cuckoo's Egg
Andre Norton
The Legacy of Lehr
Cat Karina
Nostrilia
The Spell Sword
Psion
The Wanderer by Fritz Leiber
Jo Clayton
Hestia
Xenogenesis
I've already posted this question on the "What's the Name of That Book" group.