OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Hey dudes, long time no post. I've got a tough one for you. Hope you can help me out. I've searched all over and can't figure out the name of a sci fi book I read once. Here is a plot synopsis:

A young woman is a weak telepath in a world that has discovered telepathy and outlawed it. She wants to link up with other telepaths but she only seems to be good at reading minds, not sending info, so she can't send out a telepathic SOS. The plot thickens as the authorities begin to suspect her. A lot of stuff happens that I forget, including a love story, but in the end she finds out that she is actually a master telepath who is especially gifted at receiving. Somehow she ends up on the Moon with a bunch of other telepaths and they all beam away (telepathically of course), aided by telepathic aliens.

OK, now that you're done laughing, please help! My plot synopsis does not do the book justice. I'm going nuts that I can't find this book again. It was published some time before 1979.

First one to answer correctly will get some sort of prize.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

"The telepathic chick that did stuff"

Is that it?!? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...ies/tongue.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

reminds me of an animated french movie, i saw a long time back.

humans were a 'pet' race for these giants. the giants had a kind of telepathic meditation that was centered on their moon. the humans stole teaching-devices from the giants, and learned moderate psychic powers. then they built a rocket ship, escaped to the moon, and melted all of the giants brains, by using the moon's psychic influence.

or something like that.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

The humans were called Ohms (from homme, the french for man) the movie is called something like fantasia or something.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Doesn't ring a bell.

* On the other hand, I don't have any bells in my head.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Good job! fantasia was a disney movie, but you're close enough to remind me of the title! turns out, it was Fantasic Planet:

http://imdb.com/title/tt0070544/

now, what the name of that book was, i have no idea. cant say that i ever read it.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Dmm, was it a novel or a short story in an anthology? Or can you remember specifically.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

It's unlikely that anyone under 35 has read the book.
Your description of "Fantastic Planet" has me ROFL. You actually watched the whole thing? Or is it better than it sounds?

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

I've been thinking for years that it was a novel. I suppose it could have been a long short story; it's been a long time since I read it.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Maybe what I should do is write my OWN novel, plagiarizing as much of that book as I can remember, and get it on the best-seller list. When the lawyers come after me, I'll have my answer. Plus enough money to fight them off.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

We should have a forum-wide short story competition. Everyone writes a story called (and about) "Psychic Moon Chick". Word limit- let's say, 5000 words.

On the submission date, entrants posts their story to a special thread. Everyone gets a few days to read them all, then we set up a poll thread and everyone votes for the winner.

The first prize is... ummm... psychic powers.
Second prize can be 7.3×10^22 kg of rock in orbit above your home planet.
Which means third prize is a chick. Probably a chicken, but possibly a duckling.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

I'm game. But I still want to know the name of that book.
Authors should post anonymously somehow, so there's no favoritism.
What should the post date be?

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

I think we'd need to allow at least a month or two for ppl to write.

Anonymity would be tricky. Either everyone creates a second forum account (not the best idea) or everyone mails their entries to a neutral arbitrator. (better idea).

I think we could have a graphics section as well, for ppl to come up with visual interpretations of the title.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Oooo, I think I have an idea for one. This is going to be fun.

Seems like a lot of work to keep it anonymous. Just have people post their stories and let everyone vote on them. I think we can all be adult about it. It's not like it's real prizes. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

I could act as neutral arbitrator.

Not that much work. Just upload a bunch of text files and keep a chart of ID numbers and names.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

The Rowan?
The ship who sang?

Never read them but the description sort of fits yours, though none mentioned aliens. The second one sounds closer.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Nice try but no cigar. Thanks anyway. Actually, those sound like good books; I'll have to read them.
In "MY" book, the heroine spends almost the entire book on Earth, and only at the end winds up on the Moon (in a prison camp for telepaths) from which they all escape. The book starts with her in a train, trying to ignore all the other "voices" from the passengers, when she suddenly mentally contacts the only other telepath she has ever encountered. But the train rushes on and she loses contact. The rest of the book is her trying to find this person while running from the authorities, and all the while the "telepath underground" is trying to find her.

Well, I'll have a hard time winning that prize now -- I've given away the entire plot of my plagiarization.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

I think I read both of the books you mentioned. I don't ever recall reading a story like Dmm mentions, so I don't think the 2 you mentioned are the ones. But it has been a very, very long time since I have read them. Sorry, can't be of much help. I used to be an avid Sci-fi and fantasy reader. Still like the genre, but just have too many other things I would rather be doing.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Suggestion: since some people might be students, we should have a story due date in early January, so they can participate. Everyone send his/her story and/or picture to Imperator Fyron, by whatever means IF specifies. How about it? Agreed?

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

It was a longshot. not much to narrow down the search with but who knows. Don't suppose you remember any names? Characters, author, a word in the title?

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Nothing. Maybe I only dreamed that I once read it.
Except, once I wrote music for a poem that I read and really liked, and years later discovered that the poem had long ago been set to music. And of course the old music was quite similar to "my" music.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Story contest sounds good. I might submit something. Don't have an idea (yet?) though.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Ugh, I consider myself fairly good at researching stuff, but I haven't found a whiff of your story here. How did the story refer to telepathics? Was the word telepathy used, or psionics, or something else. Were telepathic individuals called espers, seers, simply telepaths? Anything that might trigger a memory that we could use to narrow it down some. You used the term "telepathic underground" in quotes. Is that because it was a phrase you remember being used specifically?

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

You can try posting your question on the Stumpers-L mailing list. It's official definition is as the list for 'difficult reference questions' but that's fairly loosely defined. Lots of people post there asking for help identifying books that they cannot quite remember.

http://domin.dom.edu/depts/gslis/stumpers/

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Could it be one of these books? http://listsofbests.com/list/29/
Or Here

I would post on some book sites and ask those folks. Good luck man. (Ask Powells book store I am sure someone there might know.)

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Geo: Thank you very much for your efforts. This has really exposed the weakness of databases. I don't remember the words used. Could have been anything you suggested, or it could have been "mentals" or "mentats" or something entirely different. Not necessarily telepath. And there was a special word for the few "telepaths" who could do all of the "telepathic" abilities. (Most people could only do one.) Similarly, I put "telepathic underground" in quotes to indicate that I was making up that word. I doubt seriously if that's what the author called it.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

I don't think this is it, but...

Slan by A. E. van Vogt
is as close as I can come.

It has been a long time since I have read it. I don't remember the girl part, but it had telipathic people and it was illegal to be telepathic.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Mutant, written in 1953 by Kuttner, comes close but is not the book. Aargh!

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction novel
 

Another book that is similar but not "my" book. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image.../firedevil.gif I'm really thinking I could just plagiarize from memory, re-write it, and collect the rewards. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...es/Injured.gif (That's supposed to be a pirate.) Seems like several authors have already plagiarized each other to some degree!

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

I thought it was Slan too, but that didn't quite fit.

You might try spending the day at the library browsing the science fiction section.

One side benefit of this, spending the day googling the word telepath brings you to some really "interesting" websites. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Ooooooh, writing contest. Sounds fun. Course I'm concentrating on Hell is For Heroes right now, so I might not have time.

OR....

I could just make Alice telepathic! Victory would be mine!

I won't though, coz she's no where near creepy enough to be a telepath in that universe, and plus it'd just make her WAY too similar to River from Firefly. So Alice'll just have to remain mind-blind. And points if you can tell me what work of fiction that term is from.

dmn, I think I may have read the book you're referring to, despite being under 35, and I'm kicking myself trying to remember the title. I might still even have my copy back home in Dublin, so I'll see what I can scrounge up when I get back.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

'mind-blind'? Tons.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Yeah, but you only get points if you tell me which on I'm thinking of. Bwaha! Victory is mine!

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Oh, that's easy.

Whichever one you're thinking of.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

OK, I've got an idea for my story entry coming along nicely in my head. We ought to set up a page somewhere with all the details of the contest (word limit, closing date, how to enter) clearly laid out.

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Crossing my fingers!

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Will you be posting instructions, or did the enthusiasm die out?

Re: OT: Can\'t remember name of science fiction nov
 

Did you ever write the story? I started one; will finish if others are still interested.