I'd like to know the name of this book/short story/comic

[mrface]

I read this fantasy book a few years ago about an assassin and his thief friend, who may have been a dwarf. They lived in a world where a white mage ruled, and had closed all of the evil portals, I think, and had wiped out both the thief and assassin guilds. I think the assassin and the thief are chased out of the city, after trying to infiltrate the mage's castle. They meet a druid who says that without evil, the world will end, and they set off to open up the dark portals, collecting a few companions along the way, including a very dark, evil, wizard living in some sort of cave, and who I think was not human. I thought the name was something along the lines of Necessary Evil, but the library I remember checking it out from doesn't have it.

[Jorpho]

It wouldn't be one of the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books, would it?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fafhrd_and_the_Gray_Mouser

[SiC]

Sounds like Jack Chalker and the Well of Souls series.

Cheers, that looks like the stuff.

[mrface]

It wouldn't be one of the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books, would it?

No, I think its newer, although it might have just been a newer printing. They do look a bit similar, and Fafhrd sounds like fun, so I'll give it a try.

[lollypatrolly]

I read this short fantasy book (may have been for children or "young adults", it's been so long that I honestly can't remember), where the protagonist was in a coma in the real world. She adventured around in some kind of dream world, but I can't for the life of me recall much else about it. I believe the story led up to a showdown where she had to defeat some evil-doer, but that doesn't really help narrow it down :/ I think she dreams of the real world hospital while in the dream world, though I may be making this up. Later on she finds other people in her own situation.

Google gives me nothing, so I turn to this forum in search of an answer, if you'd be so kind. If you just guess titles, I may even recognize it, so don't be shy

[SecondTalon]

I read this fantasy book a few years ago about an assassin and his thief friend, who may have been a dwarf. They lived in a world where a white mage ruled, and had closed all of the evil portals, I think, and had wiped out both the thief and assassin guilds. I think the assassin and the thief are chased out of the city, after trying to infiltrate the mage's castle. They meet a druid who says that without evil, the world will end, and they set off to open up the dark portals, collecting a few companions along the way, including a very dark, evil, wizard living in some sort of cave, and who I think was not human. I thought the name was something along the lines of Necessary Evil, but the library I remember checking it out from doesn't have it.

Villains by Necessity by Eve Forward. It's both a parody of the sword and sorcery books, what with the unstoppable assassin, galfling rogue, drowish sorcerer, druid obsessed with balance and cursed knight. It's also a decent little D&D style explanation of why all good all the time is just as bad as all evil all the time. Decent first book. Shame she only wrote two, and both are out of print.

[SpaceShipRat]

My Mum would like to find a book that she describes as "like Watership Down, but with owls". She can remember nothing about the title, author, character names etc. My Google-Fu has failed me. The details she could give me are:
* She read it about 20 years ago.
* From the various owl types included, she thinks it might be set in Great Britain or perhaps Europe.
* It described things from the owls' point of view, like how they see things whilst flying at night etc.
* There was a romance subplot in which a young owl fell in love with an owl of a different type.
Bonus thankyou points for anyone who can name this in time for Mother's Day (second Sunday in May here)

I have it!
"Watership down with owls" Here it is: "The Ancient Solitary Reign" by Martin Hocke.
Not nearly as well written as Richard Adam's books, but better that "Guardians of Ga'Hoole"!

[PAstrychef]

I keep reading that as Gillhoolies which is a slang term for the testicles in my circles.

[Amarantha]

My Mum would like to find a book that she describes as "like Watership Down, but with owls".

"The Ancient Solitary Reign" by Martin Hocke.

Yay! You rock so hard

[InfamousAnarchist]

I am failing so hard at Google-fu right now.
I remember reading a short story about... well, I'm fairly certain it involved a train station and a big pantheon of gods. I read it about the same time as American Gods, I think, which leads me to believe it's Gaiman, but Google doesn't turn anything up. I don't think it's Garth Nix, either, but I feel like it could be, but it's not in Across The Wall.

I'm looking for any suggestions you may have,

[Ended]

I am failing so hard at Google-fu right now.
I remember reading a short story about... well, I'm fairly certain it involved a train station and a big pantheon of gods. I read it about the same time as American Gods, I think, which leads me to believe it's Gaiman, but Google doesn't turn anything up. I don't think it's Garth Nix, either, but I feel like it could be, but it's not in Across The Wall.

I'm looking for any suggestions you may have,

This is a very long shot, but your description reminded me of The Bridge-Builders by Kipling.

[pernero]

It's about a team of time travellers (or maybe just one or two individuals). But there is a certain time period which they cannot travel to.

Vague ending spoilers:

Spoiler:

In the end, one of the females turns out to be from the forbidden time period.

Any idea? Thank you!

[Zohar]

Any chance it could be The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov? Seems vaguely relevant...

[pernero]

Thank you!

[InfamousAnarchist]

I am failing so hard at Google-fu right now.
I remember reading a short story about... well, I'm fairly certain it involved a train station and a big pantheon of gods. I read it about the same time as American Gods, I think, which leads me to believe it's Gaiman, but Google doesn't turn anything up. I don't think it's Garth Nix, either, but I feel like it could be, but it's not in Across The Wall.

I'm looking for any suggestions you may have,

This is a very long shot, but your description reminded me of The Bridge-Builders by Kipling.

Thank you, but that isn't it. I'll keep hunting.

[Abderite]

I am failing so hard at Google-fu right now.
I remember reading a short story about... well, I'm fairly certain it involved a train station and a big pantheon of gods. I read it about the same time as American Gods, I think, which leads me to believe it's Gaiman, but Google doesn't turn anything up. I don't think it's Garth Nix, either, but I feel like it could be, but it's not in Across The Wall.

Sounds like The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, by Douglas Adams.

[InfamousAnarchist]

I am failing so hard at Google-fu right now.
I remember reading a short story about... well, I'm fairly certain it involved a train station and a big pantheon of gods. I read it about the same time as American Gods, I think, which leads me to believe it's Gaiman, but Google doesn't turn anything up. I don't think it's Garth Nix, either, but I feel like it could be, but it's not in Across The Wall.

Sounds like The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, by Douglas Adams.

I actually think I might have read it in a big horror anthology. And I know where to find it. So I think I'm good. Thank you everyone!

[kvaks]

Please help me, I can't figure out what book this story in my head is from. I must have read it, but scanning the book shelf at home gave me no clues. I'm pretty sure it's a novel, probably not a comic book and very unlikely a movie.

About the story. There's this guy (lonely, depressed) who meets a girl who's a ghosts, and he meets his dead family who are alive again (they're ghosts). The ghosts live by draining him of his life "spirit" (or whatever, he gets weaker when he stays with them). I think for this reason the girl ghost tempt him to spend time with her. I think he eventually realized this. I also think his dead parents (ghosts) didn't realize they were killing him. It probably ends well, but I can't really remember.

I'm pretty sure it's Japanese, and, like I said, a book.

That's mostly what I have. Does anyone recognize it and can identify it for me? (Use spoiler obscurification on the title if that is required by the conventions of this forum. And please excuse me for posting this in a new, separate thread at first! I'm very sorry about that!)

(I thought perhaps it was Murakami, but I've only read "Kafka on the Shore" by him, and it's not that, is it?)

[mipadi]

I'm hoping that someone here can help me find a book.

Way back when I was in high school, I read a pretty cool science fiction novel that I picked up at my local library. Years later, I wanted to re-read it, but I could remember neither the title nor the author. I probably read the book almost ten years ago, and for the past 6-7 years I have been trying to figure out just what the heck I read so I can pick it up again.

If anyone's interested, the book is The Shift by George Foy. Thanks to a local librarian, I managed to track it down. If anyone reading this is a librarian, rest assured that you guys totally rock.

[SquareRootofBlue]

I read about a book about a Frenchman who keeps hearing from the older generation that things were better in their day. Handily he somehow has access to a time machine and goes back a generation, hears the same thing there, and keeps going back, eventually he ends up back in the stone age. That's literally all I know about the book, I don't know the title or author and my Google-fu has failed me on this one, which is a shame because it sounds quite interesting.

Are there any forumites willing to take up the challenge?

[andy06]

So there was this webcomic about two girls discussing how a hot guy has been following one of them around but is too shy to talk, and both the girls go something like "oh how cute" and then there is also this fat bald guy who is following her and they both go "perve/stalker".

I'm paraphrasing of course but I tried going through all the archives and could not find it. Anyone who knows about this care to link me? Pretty please

[SquareRootofBlue]

I read about a book about a Frenchman who keeps hearing from the older generation that things were better in their day. Handily he somehow has access to a time machine and goes back a generation, hears the same thing there, and keeps going back, eventually he ends up back in the stone age. That's literally all I know about the book, I don't know the title or author and my Google-fu has failed me on this one, which is a shame because it sounds quite interesting.

Does anyone know what it might be?

[Grop]

My google-fu suggests Laudator temporis acti - C'était mieux avant by Lucien Jerphagnon. Although they mention no time machine: only evidence that everyone has been complaining like that forever.

[SquareRootofBlue]

Thanks Grop, that's it OK, sounds interesting.

I just have one other which is about a man who sit on a mountain top meditating, he slows his perception of time down to a point where he sees the rise and fall of empires and the landscape change over thousands of years. I remember reading about it in a /. comment ages ago but they unfortunately didn't give any detail. Does anyone know what it may be?

[Wanderer13]

Hey,

I couldn't find a more appropriate place for this, so if I missed one please let me know.

I'm looking for a particular comic:

To the best of my recollection it was a circle with a little growth/pimple looking thing. The big circle represented human knowledge, the growth was the knowledge acquired during a graduate degree, then there was a little dotted(maybe?) line and passing through that line was the contribution a researcher made with his/her dissertation.

I've checked the two websites I might have possibly seen this on, but can't find the link.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[imMAW]

http://matt.might.net/articles/phd-school-in-pictures/

[jcidiot]

go to (tvtropes alert) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/M ... toSurprise

under the 'literature" section, there is a short story called "shards" (crtl-f it if needed). However, no authour is provided, and my google-fu is weak. can someone help me find it? thanks!

[Deep_Thought]

This one has been bugging me for a while. At school I borrowed a comic/graphic novel from a friend. This featured a tripedal alien that looked kind of like a kangaroo who lived on Earth. He had been thrown out of his home-world for, of all things, eating yoghurt during pregnancy. You see bringing a child to term for these aliens was very difficult, so pregnancy was shared between three of them each of who would keep the foetus for one trimester. Apparently yoghurt acted as a cure, allowing this alien to bring his child to term single-handed. This was such a threat to their way of life that the alien government threw him out. I would really like to know for sure that this was the product of someone else's deranged imagination and not mine, but my Google-fu is failing me! Please help!

(And yes everywhere I've written 'he' in the above should probably be 'she', but I'm fairly sure that this alien was supposed to be a male...)

[jonwilliamsl]

2. Kid's fiction/fantasy book or series. There was this girl who moves in with her cousin/uncle/other relations, maybe a girl and boy near her own age, and a little-crazy uncle (Freddy, maybe?) I remember distinctly a bust of Thoreau that factored in heavily. And either a companion to the first book, or the same book, she marches to Washington to stop the building of a nuclear bomb. I recall clearly a scene where she opens the front door and instead of seeing normal things, sees white ash raining down like nuclear winter. This could be one book, or a series, or two books which are completely unrelated yet are linked in my memory.

The second book is The Fragile Flag by Jane Langton. There are a series of 8, and I am certain that the first one is in that series.

[vector]

2. Kid's fiction/fantasy book or series. There was this girl who moves in with her cousin/uncle/other relations, maybe a girl and boy near her own age, and a little-crazy uncle (Freddy, maybe?) I remember distinctly a bust of Thoreau that factored in heavily.

This sounds like The Diamond in the Window, also by Jane Laughton.

[SilentSigil]

I came across one of those one chapter teasers at the back of a Terry Pratchett novel a few years back, and I've recently been trying to dig up the book. I can't remember for the life of me what the authors name was, or anything else pertinent to actually finding the thing.

The story was about an assasin-in-training on his final test to 'graduate'. To pass, he had to kill one of his instructors, the poison master, who was by all accounts a real arse when it came his turn to 'proctor' these exams. They end up in a cathedral, where the student takes a pot-shot at the area above where he spied a pair of boots, giving away his position. The boots were a decoy, and he catches on just in time to save himself.

The style of writing was kinda dry humor. Time-setting was medieval-ish.

The name of the series, maybe, was "the assasins of (some place name)" and I think the author was something Hobb. Or Hobbson.

It's not Robin Hobb, and searching for 'assasin' doesn't get you anywhere on google except for videogame references and more Robin Hobb.

I appreciate any assistance

[Elvish Pillager]

Pratchett's Pyramids features a similar assassin test, but it doesn't match the description.

[lanicita]

Agh, I have one of those. It was a short story that my teacher read to me in elementary school. There was a little town with a mall, and a store opened in the mall that had really delicious fudge in all different flavors, and it was all free. At the same time, a stand opened outside the mall where you could get an injection that would make you instantly lose 5 pounds for $5. So everyone in the town would gorge themselves on free chocolate, then get the injection so they didn't gain any weight from it. That's all I really remember.

I am still looking for this one! Any ideas?

[vector]

A quick Google tells me that it's Carol Farley's "Lose Now, Pay Later." Read it in middle school--it's a marvelous story, huh?

[PAstrychef]

The story was about an assasin-in-training on his final test to 'graduate'. To pass, he had to kill one of his instructors, the poison master, who was by all accounts a real arse when it came his turn to 'proctor' these exams. They end up in a cathedral, where the student takes a pot-shot at the area above where he spied a pair of boots, giving away his position. The boots were a decoy, and he catches on just in time to save himself.
The style of writing was kinda dry humor. Time-setting was medieval-ish.
I appreciate any assistance

Well, The Assassins of Tamurin by SD Powers came to my mind.And you need all of the Ses when goggling or it won't work right.

[SpaceShipRat]

This was a book about a girl who is the last of her bloodline, and goes to work as a palace servant for the tyrant who has taken over her country, and tries to kill him. It's a bit like the beginning of Dragonquest, but it has nothing to do with it. The tyrant is a thin cunning thing like Lord Vetinari, and the girl has some kind of mentor helping from the outside, who helps her stage a scene from the prophecy, about an angel coming to announce the true heir's return.

It's one of the books I borrowed for summer reading when I was at school. I've been tracking them down one by one ever since.

[lanicita]

A quick Google tells me that it's Carol Farley's "Lose Now, Pay Later." Read it in middle school--it's a marvelous story, huh?

Wow, I've spent AGES Googling that and never found it. Thank you so much!

[vector]

A quick Google tells me that it's Carol Farley's "Lose Now, Pay Later." Read it in middle school--it's a marvelous story, huh?

Wow, I've spent AGES Googling that and never found it. Thank you so much!

Heh, I think I looked for ice cream, weight loss, bracelet, and short story together. That pretty much did it.

Glad to help!

[Manticorehunter]

As a kid, I read a short story about a boy named Spit, who entered a go-cart race and ended up crashing his go-cart and dying. I'm pretty sure the boy was a street urchin.

On a less vague note, I also read a book about three siblings, the youngest of whom had a large number of cats. The kids are left alone with a babysitter because their nurse won a cooking contest. The youngest one uses voodoo to make it so the babysitter stays in her bed all day, leaving the kids to take care of themselves and they celebrate Christmas. I'm pretty sure it's a sequel to another book, but I didn't read the first one. One other thing I remember is that the youngest kid was called Toad, he was six, and all his cats had both a first name and a middle name.

[Elvish Pillager]

A story I read long ago: First person narration by a girl whose parents were both lost at sea, but she is completely convinced that they will come back eventually. The backstory is that her father was out boating when a storm hit, and her mother went out after to find him, and neither returned - and part of the story is about the narrator realizing how much her parents loved each other, to be willing to risk their lives for each other. IIRC, they actually survived, and they return at the end of the story. During the story, she carelessly gets herself hurt a few times - not intentional self-harm, just being more interested in other stuff and not paying attention to the fact that she was hurting herself - and there's some tension between her and the people who are taking care of her over that issue.