Science Fiction Trivia

[Disembodied]

OK, another list of five to find:

Name five different novels (no short stories, and no TV, film, or comics, unless they're adaptations of a novel - the book has to come first), from five different authors, featuring five different Ends Of The World As We Know It. Give Author, title, and Awful Thing That is Happening/has Happened for each book.

For clarification: megadeaths are mandatory. A book like e.g. Childhood's End features an EOTWAWKI, I grant you, but it's not sufficiently catastrophic to qualify. And five different catastrophes are required!

[Smivs]

Lucifer's Hammer - Pornelle and Niven - Comet strike.
Plague from Space - Harrison - Space plague.
When Worlds Collide - Wylie and Balmer - Earth ripped apart by another planet.
Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy - Adams - Earth destroyed by Vogons.
On the Beach - Shute - Radiation melts/kills/destroys everything.

[spud42]

1) Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ; Douglas Adams ; Vogons destroy the Earth

2) War of the Worlds ; H.G.Wells ; Martians try to kill all the people... ( different to destroying the entire earth)

3) I am Legend ; Richard Matheson ; Disease wipes out most of earth.... made into several movies Vincent price 1964, Charlton Heston 1971, Will Smith 2007

cant think of two more , its midnight here and past my bedtime...lol

and gazumped by a pumpkin.... see you cant trust pumpkins after midnight.... Cinderella....

[Disembodied]

Smivs takes the prize! And kudos for including not just one but two titles where the entire planet is physically destroyed. I would say it helps to put 2016 in perspective but there's still 11 days to go …

[Smivs]

This one should be quite easy.
What connects a group of weird kids, millions of spiders and a sea monster?

[Disembodied]

Umm … I'm tempted to say "John Wyndham novels": The Midwich Cuckoos and The Chrysalids for weird kids; Web for millions of spiders; and The Kraken Wakes for the sea monster (although it's more alien sea monsters plural). I suspect I may be over-thinking this though!

[Cody]

I had The Kraken Wakes in my list for the previous question - great novel.

[Smivs]

<Smivs gathers up a selection of fishy, coconutty, smoky, waxy things, wraps them up with some Evil Juice, and hands them to Big D>
John Wyndham it is - no over-thinking required

[Disembodied]

Right … name five SF works (books or film/TV) where alien races have influenced human evolution and/or are humanity's progenitors.

[Cody]

Book-wise, that's a tad tougher - only got three, so far.

[Disembodied]

Films and TV are allowed for this one, but if you want to make it more of a challenge I'll add a whole enchilada to the prize package if you get five written works …

[Cody]

I know. Thing is, I ain't up on films and TV - haven't been for decades. I'll stick to books - if I get five, I'll be surprised.

[DredgerMan]

I got five books.

Triplanetary, First Lensman, Galactic Patrol, Gray Lensman and finally Second Stage Lensmen.
All written by E E Smith, where the Arisians (IIRC) bred and supported humans as a weapon against their enemies, which I can't remember the name of. There is a sixth one but I never got around to get it.

I will accept any decision by big D as to whether 5 each other following works actually count as the required five works.

[Cody]

Sneaky! I have the Lensman series in my list. <chortles>

[DredgerMan]

Why, thank you for your kind words.

I assume you have Chocky on your list too?