ABANDONED. Fantasy: once you know your future you cannot change it. you will die trying to save your bestfriend.

[Maggie]

Intro - Set in a time before steel(high fantasy?). The main character grows up in a village and when he chooses to leave he asks a girl to read his future. she does and tells him that if he knows his future he can never change it. he wants to know anyway and she tells him that he will die trying to save his best friend, and he will fail (so they are both dead).

Cover - yellowish color, I believe it was a landscape

Spoiler-ish (mid book)
-He doesn't want to befriend anyone so that his future cannot become true.
-He becomes kind of a mercenary and fights in a war.
-His best friend is a dog.
-Some lady wants him to trade his dog for her goat, she wants to eat the dog. (random very small part of the story but it was something i remembered)


SPOLIER

(view spoiler)[
-some people had gotten captured and they have to go into a bunch of caves to save them. I believe 2 of the girls were the main focus. (in last few chapters of book, but its not really a spoiler).
-epilogue- the man and the dog are in the afterlife. there's some river and a naked woman and the have to cross the river (or something like that, its a very strange afterlife).
(hide spoiler)]

[Dylan]

Sword Song by Rosemary Sutcliff, maybe?

[Mir]

Could it have had something to do with Greek mythology?

[Maggie]

@ Dylan: there are no seas or oceans from what I remember so I don't think that's it.

@Miriam: I don't think so. I don't think I recognized any of the people or places that were mentioned in the book.

[Maggie]

by the way I read this story about 3 years ago in a library but it looked to be at least a few years old. I was likely printed before 2004 (based on how old the hardcover book looked)

[Abby]

I hope you find it! I want to read it! Bump!

[Maggie]

Thanks So do I. I tracked it down to my old school library. sadly they get rid of a lot of books over the summer. I'm hoping they kept a list of everything they every bought or ever got rid of.

EDIT: They don't :(

[Maggie]

I am still looking for this book. Does anyone have new ideals?

[Schooner505]

I don't know the book, but I would recommend going to http://www.reddit.com/r/tipofmytongue, registering, and clicking the 'post a case' button half way down on the right. Describe the book to them, and I guarantee someone will know it. They helped me find the name of a book that I'd been looking for for 23 years! Good luck.

[Pogue]

If you find the book let us know. I want to read it too.

[Maggie]

Thank you Schooner, I'll try there;
and Stephanie I'll be sure to let you know once I find it.

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

This seems really familiar although I can't figure out what it is.

Is it possible that instead of being set in the past that it could've been set in a post-apocalyptic landscape?

[Maggie]

it's possible. But if so all technology and knowledge was lost.

[Maggie]

@Schooner:
I posted this on Reddit in October and still no luck. I'm starting to think I dreamed this book.

[Abby]

Maybe You should write it. ;)

[Maggie]

haha believe me if I had any talent I'd write it just so I could get sued and find the book xD

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

I'm bumping this because I still want to know what this one is.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Christina--I LOVE your changed name. I too am about there. :o)

(Maggie, no idea on your book, but hey, thought I'd add to your bump.)

[Maggie]

Thanks for the bumps :)
I think this would be classified as a 'High Fantasy' but other than that I've made little progress in finding this book.

[Abby]

Bump! Still want to know this one!

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

bump

[Michele]

Maggie wrote: "haha believe me if I had any talent I'd write it just so I could get sued and find the book xD"

An interesting, if extreme, approach to getting an answer!!

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

I'm still dying to know what book this is. I know I've read it but I can't figure out the title.

[M—]

Your subject line made me think of the Machine of Death and This is How You Die short story anthologies, but their premise does not jive with your remembered details of a fantasy novel.

[Michele]

This was for sure a full-length novel, not a short story?

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Duplicate thread for:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Closing that one to prevent confusion.

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

bump

[Abby]

bump

[Abby]

Maggie, (and Cristina) I'm never going to let this thread die!
Some questions instead of just the usual basic bump...

1. You say the main character fights in a war. Do either of you remember what the war is about? Civil war? Good vs evil?
2. How does he get his dog? Do you remember its name?
3. Does he ever meet the fortune-telling girl again?
4. Is there any romance in the story?

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

bump

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Duplicate thread deleted.

[Abby]

Bump!
Maggie, do you remember there being any romance in the book?

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

bump and I'm going to throw in A Boy and His Dog even though I don't think that's it

[Abby]

Cristina, do you remember any romance in the story?

[A book away from an episode of hoarders]

Not really romance per se but, there was a woman that seduced the guy but I'm pretty sure he left afterwards with his dog. It's been a while

[Abby]

Maybe I'll give a Boy and His Dog a try and see how it compares to the original post description.

[Abby]

Happy belated fourth of July! Bump!

[Kris]

Maggie, are you still looking for this book or did you find it?
(Note: Last post by Maggie is Aug 22, 2013.)

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Kris wrote: "Maggie, are you still looking for this book or did you find it?
(Note: Last post by Maggie is Aug 22, 2013.)"

No response in 2+ years. Moving to Abandoned.