Questions tagged [books]
Use this tag on [story-identification] questions when the work is a book series or when the written media is unclear but use a more specific tag where appropriate e.g. [novel], [novella], [short-stories], [anthology-book], etc. Use this tag to indicate the question is about the book version or adaptation of a work. For differences between the book and other versions, such as a movie, use [adaptation-comparison].
446
questions
17
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1
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Trying to remember a book about a human male travelling to alien planet
I listened to this on audiobook and it was great.
The premise was a human ends up travelling to an alien planet. The aliens have a perimeter to their 'base' that is under constant attack from the ...
- 173
13
votes
1
answer
720
views
YA series with a housekeeper or protector robot and set on a planet with a harsh sun
I read a series of books written in English (possibly a trilogy) in the early 1980s and was hoping to find them again for my children. The details I remember are:
It was set on a planet and spanned ...
- 133
5
votes
1
answer
795
views
Two spacecraft pilots travel at light speed, meet back on Earth in different era due to time dilation
I've been looking for the name of a sci-fi romance book about space travel but haven't been successful so far. I came across it a few years ago, read the plot on its back cover but didn't read the ...
- 67
12
votes
1
answer
619
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Sci-fi book, blue critters than only some people can see, kids fight the critters as they feed off energy and are a threat
I can't really remember how long ago it was, but I think the book was marketed towards children/teens. All I remember is the basic premise of the story.
Some story about these unusual little blue ...
- 325
28
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Identify a book with a social engineering theme
I originally read this book in the mid- to late '70s.
The premise was a bureaucracy whose job it was to manipulate events in human history by making the smallest possible change that would effect ...
- 399
16
votes
1
answer
2k
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Book About Survival Test on Another Planet
I remember picking up a book a while ago (4-5 years ago?), managed to read the first few chapters.
It seems similar to "Tunnel in the Sky" but the details don't match up. I remember the main ...
- 163
13
votes
1
answer
1k
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People can transfer physical and/or mental abilities to another person through magic
I read a fantasy novel years back. I honestly don't remember much of the plot (it was SEVERAL years back) but I remember the magic system that was used.
It was possible for an individual to grant ...
- 133
6
votes
1
answer
514
views
Book about a group of escaped prisoners with tattooed faces
I recall that it might have been the second book of a series. It takes place in the future - not sure if in our universe - and there are robots who kill for the government (I think).
Story of a group ...
- 179
23
votes
1
answer
4k
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Sci-fi book about a male entering a competition that he wins and gets recruited by millitary
Sci-fi book in the future about a city that had 2 levels.
The top level was for the rich people. A game center with a space flight game is added. The main character (male) plays with friends and ...
user70441
15
votes
1
answer
1k
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Looking for old book, SF, artificial world, different zones for different species that visitors "inhabit"
I read this book at least ten years ago. Any help identifying it would be appreciated.
Characters are teleported to an artificial world where each take over the mind of a different species. I ...
- 163
10
votes
2
answers
2k
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Book where wizards learn magic by bonding with crystals that imbue them with powers
I read this book a long time ago, but I'm guessing it was written sometime in either the 80's or early 90's. It was a rather long/large book.
Plot summary: Set in a fantasy land of wizards and magic, ...
- 211
13
votes
1
answer
939
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A story where technology is forbidden, but used by priests
I am looking for a story I remember reading in the mid-90s. I can't remember if it was a trilogy or just a three part book, but I know it was in paperback book form. I also know it was found in the ...
- 133
7
votes
1
answer
581
views
Book about mages who can harvest magical energy from the environment
I have a vague recollection of a book I devoured while in college; it was from the late 80's or early 90's. I remember that there were two 'classes' of mages, the ones who could harvest magical energy ...
- 73
25
votes
3
answers
5k
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Identify a fantasy series with ancient wizard who was training a young hero to fight a sleeping evil god
I remember reading a book series around 2008 - 2009 — probably as an ebook but maybe a hard copy — which for the life of me I cannot recall. My google-fu skills have failed me too. So here are the ...
- 442
22
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Trying to Remember a Book that explored evolution of Dinosaurs to intelligence and then encountering humans
Many, many years ago, I read a book where dinosaurs were assumed to have suvived the K-T event (or it never happened), and they evolved to intelligent species that used not only language (which ...
- 493
14
votes
2
answers
971
views
Anthology series with suspended animation and a galaxy-wide empire?
The stories within the anthology consist of different time periods and perspectives from within the "empire". I'm pretty sure the empire is built based on a technology that allows suspended animation, ...
- 143
10
votes
1
answer
1k
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Book series about time travel from future to distant past, psychic powers?
Please help me identify this book series:
In the future, humanity has started to develop psychic powers by encouraging breeding of genetic traits. Humans find a way to travel back to a specific time ...
- 103
18
votes
1
answer
3k
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Looking for a book series about a girl and her friends captured and sold as slaves
I'm trying to find the name of a book series I read about 10 years ago. It might be a children/young-adult series since I was fairly young. There is also a small chance it was written by a french ...
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13
votes
1
answer
2k
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Identify a story about a teen boy who learns to use magic with his lizard companion
Can you help me identify a book I read? It was intended for teenagers. I believe I read it in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
The main character is a teenage human boy from earth, who is learning to ...
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10
votes
1
answer
582
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Great Theorem - Help name the Sci-fi book read long ago
I'm trying to find a book I read long back. This book may have won a Hugo/Nebula (Trust me I've googled to death this one!).
Don't remember much of the story (that's why I want to re-read it). What I ...
- 405
9
votes
1
answer
917
views
What was that Sci-fi book mixing classic art and book excerpts to build a timeline of the universe?
I was 12 years old in 1988 and, that year, I spent most of my savings on a large format hardcover book where the authors attempted to tell the story of mankind's expansion in the universe.
They did ...
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9
votes
1
answer
2k
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Book wherein humans were most dangerous/aggressive of numerous species [duplicate]
I recall there were two warring alien empires, one of which was led by a race that could telepathically inflict pain on others, but when they tried to do it to humans, it would backfire. something ...
- 93
6
votes
1
answer
313
views
Characters taken back in time and into other bodies. Made revolvers to help. "Heroes" in title?
I read the first book in the 90s. The characters are taken back in time and into other bodies. There is a man, woman and a dwarf at least. They use their modern knowledge to help rule. They make ...
- 103
5
votes
1
answer
330
views
Teen fantasy book series about a world where people who showed creativity could learn magic, and were killed for it
The first book starts where the main character shows creativity, and is sent presumably to his death. He then ends up in a secluded area run by a caretaker where they learn to use their creativity and ...
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23
votes
1
answer
3k
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Book about a famous wizard before he was famous
I read at least two books in this series, within the last 10 years.
A scribe finds the famous wizard in an inn somewhere living in hiding and can't believe his luck in finding the famous wizard. He ...
- 233
20
votes
1
answer
1k
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A girl who transcends time
I remember quite a bit, but can't seem to find the title or (female) author.
A girl accompanies her father as he captains a mission to travel at near-light speed in order to experience the effects of ...
- 307
20
votes
1
answer
3k
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Can anyone identify this 90s teen-fantasy series, gems in backbone, big magic, evil king?
I've been trying to find this darn series of books for ages, I read them back in early 2001-02 and can't really remember much of them. I think there were 10-ish books, it was an easy read but a long ...
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13
votes
2
answers
2k
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Sci-fi book series about a society of human descendants on an alien world, who are contacted many years later by a newly-arrived ship from Earth
The series is older and written by a woman. It's about a planet of people who crash land and interbreed with the planet's inhabitants. The people develop psychic talents which are highly sought after. ...
- 133
12
votes
2
answers
1k
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1970s space cadet training novel for young adults [duplicate]
I would love to identify a sci-fi novel I read in the late 60s or 70s. It followed a group of young space cadets through their training in the Space Academy. The training culminated in small groups ...
- 131
11
votes
2
answers
2k
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Book based on a waterworld with a monstrous overlord
I read a book a while ago ( read many years, maybe a decade ago, it was at least 20 years old then) about a watery planet ruled over by a monstrous overlord sea monster thing.
The hero rallies some ...
- 113
8
votes
1
answer
1k
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Fantasy book where a young prince becomes a mage
When I was younger (11-12 years old, so the early 2000s) I once read a story where a young boy, who may have been either a young prince or a squire of some sort, is recruited by a wizard and taken to ...
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7
votes
1
answer
2k
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Series about proxy space battles via implanted computers in kids
The premise of the story is that there are 2-3 main coalitions on Earth and they fight over resources in the edges of the solar system with spaceships that are controlled from Earth by kids with ...
- 32.5k
5
votes
2
answers
467
views
70s/80s book: Cold-war Psychic superweapons
I read this quite a while back, part of my parents library (they're in their 50s now)
I think the book was probably published in the 70s or 80s, my copy was paperback. I don't recall the cover art, ...
- 1,940
4
votes
1
answer
219
views
A story about a whole crew of aliens who visit Earth, befriend a child
It was a book I read when I was a kid, so I am assuming it was a book aimed at kids/young adults. A whole crew of aliens of different species meet an Earth kid. He befriends them. One of the aliens ...
- 143
123
votes
9
answers
191k
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What's the recommended reading order of the Ender Wiggin books?
The series that starts with Ender's Game has a parallel series that starts with Ender's Shadow. The graph of the timeline is... well... complicated.
Does it make more sense if you read them in the ...
- 19.8k
44
votes
3
answers
6k
views
What did Aragorn do with his sword between the battles of Pelennor Fields and Morannon?
After the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, Aragorn draws his sword Andúril and says:
"You shall not be sheathed again until the last battle is fought."
The Lord of the Rings, The Return of ...
- 69.4k
36
votes
1
answer
4k
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Book featuring a child learning from a crowdsourced AI book
The book features multiple parallel story lines:
a poor child accidentally ends up possessing an AI driven book; the voice for the AI is crowdsourced to a woman, who gradually figures out that she's ...
- 5,052
34
votes
2
answers
8k
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A book about travelling to hell and cutting worlds with a knife
I am looking for the title of a book, actually a series (probably a trilogy).
I just have a few memories - I read it 20+ years ago but the book is contemporary. The few things I remember:
the two ...
- 831
29
votes
2
answers
5k
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Benevolent aliens who (initially) refuse to show themselves
This is a sci-fi book where aliens arrive on Earth and push Earth towards world peace, but refuse to reveal themselves physically. When the aliens finally do show themselves, we find that they
I ...
- 1,654
26
votes
2
answers
4k
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Series of books featuring dragons, enchanted forests, magic swords, etc
When I was younger I read a series of 3 or 4 books involving largely traditional mages/dragons/enchanted forests. I'd like to buy it for some of my younger extended family members but I can't ...
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26
votes
2
answers
3k
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80's sci fi book, players picked random game elements to compete
I'm looking for the title of a book I read that always stuck with me. Some kind of sci fi society in which people competed in games. Each competitor picked random elements like "Cold", "...
- 657
23
votes
6
answers
4k
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Looking for two stories about a telekinetic boy
I have been trying to find a book I read quite a few years ago. Well, there are 2, one being the sequel.
Now I'm sure my memory has been kind enough to mix parts of the 2 books, but I will do my best ...
- 478
16
votes
1
answer
968
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What young adult SF book is about a boy saved by aliens and domed colonies?
When I was younger (lets go with probably about 20 years ago), I read a f/sf book that I've been looking for ever since, but I can't for the life of me rediscover it. It centers around a boy who is ...
- 263
13
votes
2
answers
1k
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A story about Earth in far future with a civilization centered around a huge tree
I'd like to ask you to help me identify a sci-fi/fantasy book that I read probably sometime in the 90s though I don't know when it was written. Here are the plot points that I remember:
the story ...
- 1,741
12
votes
1
answer
506
views
Trying to remember a book that had people (I think they turned white?) segregated into a compound
I think the main character was a prince or high born person, who one day wakes up and looks in the mirror and his hair is turning white, I think his skin bleaches out too... His servants notice and ...
- 3,736
11
votes
1
answer
1k
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A sci-fi novel about augmented mental power
I read a sci-fi novel 14 years ago (April/May 2003) that haven't been able to find since then. It was in a shared book locker in a reception battalion barracks at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. The book was ...
- 213
10
votes
1
answer
494
views
Novelette where human race divided into those with skin symbiote and those without
I'm looking for the title of sci-fi novelette about where a symbiote has infected a lot of people on the planet, and the infected are persecuted. It turns out that the symbiote is beneficial.
The ...
- 175
10
votes
2
answers
963
views
Earth occupation/invasion book I read in the 90s
I remember a TON of details, but I can't for the life of me find the title of this book.
The story takes place during Earth's occupation by a race of red-skinned, black-eyed, three-fingered aliens, ...
- 103
9
votes
1
answer
570
views
Book about a family who can contact each-other with playing cards
This book was written in the 80's possibly. The book opened with the male antagonist having amnesia and a broken leg. The family can travel upon the "road" and it changes. They can contact each-other ...
- 91
8
votes
1
answer
345
views
Book about AI called "Angels" who look after a child left alone on a spaceship
I'm trying to find a story about one or more AI called "Angels" who look after a child left alone on a spaceship.
I think they ended up landing on Earth, and it turned out it was set in the ...
- 183