Questions tagged [space]
For story-identification questions which are related to or might be set in space. Always use in conjunction with the [story-identification] tag.
538
questions
-1
votes
0
answers
35
views
How would spacetraveling alians have to look like under hard sci-fi constraints? [closed]
Unless there’s some technology or science we don’t know about yet, wouldn’t any alien species that can space travel necessarily need to be humanoid. Keeping in mind the square cubed law and all this ...
- 99
7
votes
0
answers
103
views
Book in which a father and daughter wake up on an abandoned spacecraft after spending hundreds of years in cryostasis
I read a book a while ago about a father and daughter who were cryogenically frozen until the cure for the daughter's disease was found. But it turns out they were frozen for hundreds of years and are ...
- 71
9
votes
1
answer
511
views
Novel in which a research team investigates a rip in the fabric of space
I read this sometime in the late 80s.
A science experiment causes a rip in the fabric of space. A being (person?) joins a research team that goes to investigate by creating a scion of themselves. They ...
- 193
19
votes
1
answer
1k
views
A very old young adult SF novel about interplanetary travel within the solar system
This story was my very first contact with SF. It was at least 61 years ago. I remember reading it in my parents' "old" apartment and we moved out of it in December 1962.
It was a novel, in a ...
- 11.7k
22
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Murder mystery, probably by Asimov, but SF plays a crucial role
I read this short story at least 50 years ago. It was probably in a collection, probably by Asimov, but also probably in a collection of murder mysteries rather than SF stories. He wrote so many ...
- 11.7k
6
votes
1
answer
141
views
Book where the protagonists are transported from the past into a futuristic spaceship
I am looking for a book I read on kindle a number of years ago (not an account I have access to now).
The concept was that 2 midshipmen (I think that was their rank) are transported forwards in time ...
- 63
4
votes
0
answers
59
views
YA SF story : Antéor is the guide to the world of the electron
Well, this one is a long shot.
I read this YA short fiction (novelette size, I think) when I was ...YA, in the mid-sixties. It was in French and certainly the original. Whether it was ever translated ...
- 11.7k
3
votes
1
answer
90
views
Boy from Earth who later finds out he can teleport accused for the murder of the leader of another planet
A boy is arrested for the murder of some important leader of a planet. He is transported to space using multi-dimensional teleportation or something.
I think he might be kidnapped at some point by ...
10
votes
0
answers
190
views
People in a train realise their planet is attacked by powerful and vicious aliens
This short fiction (short novella ? long novelette ?) is clearly SF : it happens on a sparsely settled planet far from the main human settled worlds, during a fierce attack by cruel aliens.
I read it ...
- 11.7k
5
votes
3
answers
230
views
An old novel about a sentient planetary organism, but not an ocean, so not Solaris [duplicate]
Recently I asked a question to identify a novel which turned out to be Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem. That reminded me of another novel, clearly different, but with some analogies.
I also read it long ago,...
- 11.7k
10
votes
0
answers
124
views
Sci-fi book series about the ragtag crew of a spaceship who rescue a superhuman, female scientist imprisoned on an icy planet by a gang of pirates
I'm pretty sure that the cover of one of the books shows a giant lizard that is standing on two feet and has some kind of cyborg parts on his noggin. He's facing outwards, looking at another gigantic ...
- 101
3
votes
0
answers
216
views
Very old novel about a planet with a living ocean [duplicate]
I read this novel more than 40 years ago, but I believe that it is much older than that, it was already a classic.
I don't remember much. There is a scientific station there, to study an ocean that ...
- 11.7k
6
votes
1
answer
122
views
70-80’s scifi space machine aliens [duplicate]
Robot invaders that start off as rock/eggs and then use tentacles to build bodies out of parts and maybe humans parts too and the “egg is head” with green visor eye. I remember a dude and a girl using ...
- 63
17
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Short story about a spaceship that takes a featureless orb on board
I'm asking this for a friend of my daughter's and I don't have a lot of information.
Basically, a spaceship is in a battle with another ship. They are about to defeat their enemy. Before they are able ...
- 181
20
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Sci-fi short story about two beings stranded in a spacepod with limited resources who play a word game to determine who'll survive
I am trying to re-find a short story I have but distant memories of. I probably read it 8-10 years ago, and I don't remember much about the age but it seemed a bit old. Not sure if I read it ...
- 211
5
votes
1
answer
115
views
Science fiction book about a seven foot tall teen who is forced to fight and inducted into an interplanetary martial arts guild
This book has been on my mind for years and have done searches for at a long time but nothing ever come up so figured I'd try here.
I read this book in the late 90's early 2000's no later than 2001-...
- 53
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Identify a novel of interstellar piracy with "spreighforming"
I would like to get a copy of a novel I read decades ago. I'm certain it was a paperback, not a hardback. I couldn't remember the author or title so I Googled for words I remembered from it.
I've ...
- 2,076
5
votes
0
answers
122
views
Novel in which an alien federation initially opposes humanity's advance towards interstellar space, then hires them to help them fight a war
Humanity in the not too distant future has successfully colonized its solar system, and is now on verge of developing faster-than-light drives. A peaceful alien federation spanning the galaxy and ...
10
votes
0
answers
128
views
SF book about one or more mysterious, pyramid-shaped artefacts that appear at the edge of Earth's solar system
I've been looking for this book for decades. :) I read it in the mid 90s which makes me think it was probably written around that time or in the 80s. It could be part of a series or a standalone book.
...
- 101
10
votes
1
answer
148
views
1980's novel in which an old, out-of-shape Earth detective transforms into some kind of athletic space hero [duplicate]
I read this paperback novel in the early 80’s.
I clearly remember the start where an older, unfit detective (I think) is transported from Earth to another world.
On this world, as well as other people,...
- 103
9
votes
1
answer
151
views
Book about humans stuck in a wormhole where reality is shaped by alien fungus; queer woman main character
A small group of humans has settled on a world where reality is shaped by thoughts, via a strange alien fungus that responds to the thoughts of the life forms around it.
The humans are stranded and it'...
- 91
13
votes
1
answer
555
views
80s? Novel Men and women taken by aliens to fight in war in space
English novel, probably published in USA.
The book starts off with a man, the protagonist, (aka Hero) leaves his village/tribe(?) and journeys to a remote area where he meets up with a woman who has ...
- 11.3k
11
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Obscure sci-fi illustration book showing speculative alien life forms on other worlds
This book has to have been published in the early '90s or before.
It was an illustration book showing speculative alien life forms on other worlds. I checked it out from the library at school every ...
- 119
7
votes
1
answer
144
views
Anime series with live-action segments, time travel, dinosaurs and spaceships
I am looking for a series. I saw it somewhere online in recent years, but from the style I would guess it was made in the 90s.
I saw it in Japanese language, without subtitles, so my understanding of ...
- 251
3
votes
0
answers
183
views
An 80s or early 90s (1990) animated sci-fi series that took place in space on a space ship
The cartoon came in either the 80s or early 90s (probably 1990). The cartoon took place in space on a spaceship. The crew of the spaceship was human. The leader was a man and there was one female ...
- 31
5
votes
0
answers
158
views
SF book about a spaceship captain and female officer who survive a crash landing on a jungle planet and are hunted by an invisible alien predator
I am looking for the title of a SF book about a male and female space officer who survived a spaceship crash on an alien planet where everyone of their crew is dead and an invisible alien tries to ...
user167906
10
votes
1
answer
927
views
Science fiction film that begins on a spaceship with Earth and alien crew that crashes
Trying to find the name of a science fiction film that featured a mixed crew of apparently Earth people and an alien race that looked like Asians. The aliens were treated as slaves or at least second-...
- 119
7
votes
1
answer
178
views
Book about a medicine woman from a horse culture whose star magic is technology interacting with satellites
So the book focuses on a 'medicine woman' of a tribe of people living on the plains whose culture is based around horses, and the women are always the owners and dealers of the horses.
She gets her &...
- 71
9
votes
0
answers
124
views
Children's novel where destroying computer's paper backup changes what planet humanity settled on
Can you help me identify a children's novel, probably "juvenile" reading level.
The main character is a boy. Long after losing earth, humanity lives on a colony planet that is barely ...
- 1,398
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Science fiction book about a war veteran who was resurrected and goes on to meet a crab alien brain that gets installed onto his ship
The book was about a war veteran who was resurrected from a crystal thingy. He goes on to meet a crab alien brain that gets installed onto his ship. I am pretty sure the brain's name was Flute. ...
- 109
6
votes
2
answers
248
views
Where did the idea of "surrogates for astronauts" appear for the first time?
I have watched the latest season 6 of Netflix's Black Mirror and I have a question about its third episode, Beyond the Sea. This episode is about two astronauts, David and Cliff, who are on a six-year ...
- 819
10
votes
0
answers
136
views
Sci-fi novel about a highly self-destructive race
I read a novel ~10-20 years ago, but it could be written many decades earlier. Since it was so long, I don't remember if it was a standalone book or a novel in a collection. I read a non-English ...
- 201
10
votes
1
answer
179
views
A SF novel with a woman who likes to sit on the floor
I read this SF novel at least 20 years ago and probably it is even much older.
I remember almost nothing. I vaguely believe that I remember it is one novel in a series, but I am not sure.
It is ...
- 11.7k
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Episode of a sci-fi show in which the main character is stuck in space; he combines alien DNA with his own and starts asexually copying himself
I saw this back in the 90's. I thought it might be from the newer The Outer Limits TV show, but can't find the episode.
From what I recall, a guy was stuck on Mars (or somewhere) and was going to die. ...
- 111
4
votes
0
answers
96
views
Book involving spaceships with engines that used crystals and a pirate space navy
I'm trying to find a book I read in the early 80's or maybe the late 70's.
It had spaceships with engines that used crystals. There was a pirate space navy. They had some kind of tattoos on their ...
- 41
7
votes
1
answer
298
views
Manga about about a soldier fighting large scale space battles
This is a black and white manga that I read in English recently, but on the internet. The original language might not have been English. Mechs aren't a thing, but armored vehicles do exist. I only got ...
- 81
11
votes
3
answers
2k
views
TV series about humans living aboard a spacecraft
I'm looking for the name of a series, likely American, that was on cable TV in my country alongside Farscape (which would make it around the early 2000s).
The main story was on board a spacecraft with ...
- 129
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Space voyage movie, circa 1970, with a reverse sequence ending [duplicate]
I saw it when I was elementary school age, that's how I date it, but that's also why I'm unsure of the details, except some really weird ones.
The space ship may be segmented, somewhat like a train.
...
- 103
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Short 1980s TV sci-fi movie where a man and woman want to buy a planet
A man and a woman want to buy a planet. The woman opens a box and the salesman shouts: "Don't open it, it's a black hole!" and they all fall into it.
- 163
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Movie in which space travellers are tricked into living in a simulation
I'm looking for the name of a movie I watched around a decade ago. I believe it was in German and it must have been made after 2000.
In it, travellers board a spaceship they believe is headed to a ...
- 223
20
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Short story about two human space travelers who learn to transform into energy beings
I believe that I read this short story as part of a science fiction anthology many years ago now. I think it is from the 30's -50's era, however I cannot be sure.
It starts with two human travelers in ...
- 209
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Book about a man and woman stranded on a moon or asteroid, who have to rebuild or repair their crashed spacecraft
I remember a book I read in my teen years (the eighties).
A man and woman are stranded together on a moon or asteroid. They have to rebuild or repair their crashed spacecraft. They make all kinds of ...
- 97
28
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Short story in which a scout on a colony ship learns there are no habitable worlds
I'm trying to remember a short story I read ages ago.
In it, there is a colony ship that left Earth in search of a new home after the Earth was destroyed. There are scout ships that go out from the ...
- 283
4
votes
0
answers
148
views
Sci-fi book in which a scientist transfers his soul into a spaceship in order to restart humanity
I read this book a bit of a while ago. It's basically about a scientist who was warning everyone that Earth was gonna go kaboom, but when no one took him seriously, he found a material that lets them ...
18
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Movie involving a spaceship with upright sleep pods; a female crew member gets trapped inside one and can’t wake up
These are vague childhood memories (I hope I’m not combining two films here), so I’ll describe it in bullet points:
• The film starts with a kid getting a report from his teacher and he hacks the ...
- 313
0
votes
1
answer
239
views
A science fiction film that had a transgender person who went crazy or something and either killed or attempted to kill the crew
I don't know the title but some of the crew identify a drug that is used by transgender people, and that person is suspected of murder or something.
- 27
9
votes
1
answer
937
views
Book that is sci-fi explorer mixed with Arthurian legend
I read this book back in middle-school, so probably it's juvenile fiction. I vaguely recall that the cover was blue, maybe with a woman looking up towards the stars.
Three explorers crash onto a ...
- 91
3
votes
0
answers
102
views
First story having both the bad guys and the good guys avoiding using weapons in a space craft or space station that would puncture hull?
It seems like this comes up a lot: despite the bad guys having murderous intent, there is at least a tacit agreement not to use projectile weapons or anything else that would make a hole in the ship's ...
- 14.7k
1
vote
2
answers
154
views
Looking for a space travel film possibly with William Fichtner or someone who looks like him
While discussing "Apollo 13" recently, I remembered of another film I've seen but have mostly forgotten. I think it is also set in the era of the space race, and three astronauts are sent to....
- 253
6
votes
1
answer
691
views
Science fiction novel involving starfighters called 'Loki,' which could jam everything around them
I'm trying to track down a military science fiction novel where Earth is in a losing war with an alien race.
I distinctly remember the human faction using starfighters called 'Loki,' which could jam ...
