SOLVED. giant sphere spaceship found and takes/traps human [s]

[Jeff]

I read this one a long time ago. I seem to recall the ship was under Antarctic ice, but might have just been under water. I recall a group of people get trapped in it with few supplies, but they find a wall of cubby holes. anything put in one of the cubbies gets replicated. I seem to recall using the cubbies 'lock' them -- once used, they only replicate the one item.

if I had to guess, the ship takes the people with it when it leaves earth.

[Andy]

Could this be Michael Crichton's Sphere? Sphere

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I was going to say Sphere as well, but I don't remember anything about cubby holes. Been a long time since I read it, though.

[Jeff]

Naw, it's not Sphere.

[Knits Reads Games Sings]

For some reason, I want to suggest that this is one of the Rama novels... even though they're not under water. Just something about your synopsis made me think Rama.

Failing that, how about The Star Web? It's older (published in 1975), starts in Antarctica and ends in outer space, and something spherical is pictured on the front.

Or maybe Songs of Distant Earth? It takes place on a water planet and features a spaceship with an ice shield?

[Knits Reads Games Sings]

There's also this list about things found in the ice... maybe one of those books?

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

[Aerulan]

Probably not it, some details don't match (not under ice, the ship is mistaken for an asteroid approaching Earth) but there is The Dig by Alan Dean Foster which has a similar sort of feel to what you describe.

[Jeff]

It's not The Dig (but that one looks interesting, too). It might be The Star Web -- it's hard to find enough synopsis online to know for sure -- but I did order a copy to read anyway. Hopefully that one is it.

[Jeff]

It was The Star Web -- and it was a hard book to find for a reason.. not nearly as good as I remembered.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

At least it is found and that spot in your brain that was wondering about it can wonder about something else :-) Glad you found it.

[Knits Reads Games Sings]

I'm sorry it wasn't as good as you remembered =( But I agree with Amy--at least your brain can quit pondering!