15

This book has popped into my head and I'm desperately trying to remember what it is.

This book must be from the 80s or early 90s - about a games developer who is pretty average and makes 'ok' games. He meets a stranger who has a computer with 'a megabyte' of memory (which for the time is super-advanced and expensive, considered not mass market), who shows him a really awesome game developed on the system.

I'm fuzzy on the details, but it transpires this stranger is somehow the guy's future self. I can't remember how it ends, I want to say the guy has a dream about his future - he meets a girl? But also somehow it's post-apocalyptic and there's been a nuclear war (or something) that the guy may or may not be responsible for somehow.

Edit: I've just remembered that the guy has some kind of problematic or terminal disease. A heart condition? Something that makes him being alive in the future also very unlikely.

Sorry, that's the best I've got. Help!

5
  • Your description reminds me of a perfect mashup of 2 books I read in youth. Lost in Cyberspace by Richard Peck, the story of a kid whose friend uses his super advanced computer rig to hack back in time que the badass dual keyboard typing sequence, and Boltzmon! by William Sleator, about a genie like being that sends a kid into a society that he created in a video game. I don't think either are what you are looking for, but check out Richard Peck and William Sleator and you might hit yahtzee. Commented Jan 4, 2016 at 16:20
  • 1
    Hacking time initiated!
    – Broklynite
    Commented Jan 7, 2016 at 22:26
  • I think we are looking for the same book. One that I’ve been looking for a long time. A bit of what I think I remember was that he meets this couple who he’s unaware are his future self and wife. Both are nice to him and he develops feelings for the girl which his future self notices and understands seeing as he’s married to her in the future. I think there was part about a war game between countries where any move results in a loss as everyone just ends up nuking each other. Where the right move is to not play at all. I know this is pretty much the premise of the book “The War Games” [...]
    – Emil G.
    Commented Mar 30, 2018 at 8:35
  • [...] but I could have sworn it’s part of this book. I did not finish the book so I don’t know a lot of the details. I’ve been looking for this book for so long and all I know is that this book was published before 2003. I hope you find it because I’m really looking forward to finishing it.
    – Emil G.
    Commented Mar 30, 2018 at 8:35
  • @emil-g Yes! That sounds like the same book, but sadly I'm not closer to finding it :( Commented Mar 30, 2018 at 11:43

2 Answers 2

7

Are you looking for the book See You Later by Christopher Pike?

I just remembered the author and I was looking for the same book.

See You Later, by Christopher Pike, published 1990. (Link goes to a review)

There are some elements that match (Future selves, advanced game [see below])

Video game reference:

Finally, there's a dialogue in the book between Mark and another character who designed a sophisticated and unusual video game. Mark says to this person: "Listen, this is a science fiction game. You can't bring in supernatural creatures. You'll annoy the purists, and they're your biggest market"

I think we are looking for the same book. One that I’ve been looking for a long time.

A bit of what I think I remember was that he meets this couple who he’s unaware are his future self and wife. Both are nice to him and he develops feelings for the girl which his future self notices and understands seeing as he’s married to her in the future.

I think there was part about a war game between countries where any move results in a loss as everyone just ends up nuking each other. Where the right move is to not play at all. I know this is pretty much the premise of the book “The War Games” but I could have sworn it’s part of this book.

I did not finish the book so I don’t know a lot of the details.

I’ve been looking for this book for so long and all I know is that this book was published before 2003.

I hope you find it because I’m really looking forward to finishing it.

2
  • Thanks for editing! Now that this is does provide an answer to the question, I've happily undeleted it. However, your answer would be even better if you also edited in a link to some description of the book See You Later, especially the points that match the description given in the question above.
    – Rand al'Thor
    Commented Mar 30, 2018 at 19:53
  • THIS IS THE BOOK! Just ordered it on Amazon, THANKS! :D Two years later! Commented Apr 1, 2018 at 20:55
4
+50

It could be Harry Turtledove's short story "Twenty-One, Counting Up", which is a companion to "Forty, Counting Down", told form the younger version of the protagonist.

From the description of the later story, as found in Harry Turtledove Wiki:

In this story set in the near future, 40 year old computer genius Justin Kloster invents a time-machine based on string theory and virtual reality. Using this device, he travels back in time to visit himself when he was 21. It was at this age that he began dating his future wife who later divorced him. As Justin never recuperated from this loss, he decides that this time-machine is his chance to redo his relationship with her with more success. As such, he convinces his younger self to lay low while his older self (who happens to have aged very well) courts his girlfriend. Unfortunately for Justin's plan, he finds that his older self is even less successful than his younger one, and his girlfriend leaves him, much sooner than she did in the original timeline. The older Justin decides to return to his own time in the future, leaving behind a large sum of money. When he awakes in his original time, he discovers that he has successfully founded his own string-theory company, and is happily married to someone else and has several children. He attributes this to his original relationship not becoming as serious, as well as inspiring his younger self and providing him with seed-money to start his own business.

3
  • Thanks for this answer, however whilst this sounds like a really interesting read it's definitely not the book I'm looking for :( Commented Jan 13, 2016 at 16:56
  • @monkeymatrix: If you're still around, is there any chance you can tell us how this answer doesn't match so as to help us help you improve your question? :)
    – FuzzyBoots
    Commented Mar 2, 2017 at 16:46
  • 1
    @FuzzyBoots Not really - the suggested answer is not a match and I've provided all the detail I can remember. Commented Mar 3, 2017 at 15:24

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.