Science Fiction Trivia

[phkb]

Tripods from John Christopher’s Tripod trilogy.

[Disembodied]

The Overlords from Childhood's End makes 2, and the Race from the Worldwar series makes 3. The Nietzscheans were genetically engineered humans, rather than aliens, but the Taelons would definitely count, making 4. So phkb sweeps the pot with John Christopher's Tripods!

<Hah, you really had the time to think this over - or was it a curse that might've hit the forum ?>

I actually have a feeling that I had thought of another question, but I can't remember it now!

phkb is up next …

[phkb]

Oh well, keeping with the John Christopher theme... One of his books, "The Death of Grass" is the story of a mutated virus that destroys all grass (wheat, barley, etc), plunging the world into chaos/anarchy. So, lets have 5 other books/movies/etc where all or part of the story revolves around a global catastrophe that isn't related to warfare (ie, not bombs or WMD's). Pandemics are in, alien invasions are out. Also out are threats from space (eg rogue asteroids, solar disturbances), so "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact" are out.

[Cody]

Fallen Angels by Niven, Pournelle, and Flynn?

[phkb]

Fallen Angels by Niven, Pournelle, and Flynn?

New Ice Age? Yeah, I think that counts. That's one.

[ffutures]

Does Aldiss's Greybeard count? An epidemic of sterility and an aging population, initially triggered by peacetime bomb tests?

Also J.G. Ballard's The Wind from Nowhere, earth devastated by a global storm with incredibly violent winds.

[spud42]

World War Z
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Z_(film)

[Commander_X]

The Whilte Plague by Frank Herbert?
The Day After Tomorrow -- movie?

[phkb]

Does Aldiss's Greybeard count?

I'll allow that one. It was triggered by a bomb, but not during a war. So that's two.

The Wind from Nowhere

That's three.

World War Z

Triggered by a virus, so that's in. Four.

The Whilte Plague by Frank Herbert?

I'm not sure this one counts, as the virus only hits 3 countries, although the threat of it spreading is a major factor.

The Day After Tomorrow -- movie?

But as this one definitely counts, that's five! Over to you, Commander_X.

[Commander_X]

Ok, let's try to follow on the five example route: 5 sci-fi works where stars are an intelligent species.

[Cody]

Do the Calebans count?

[Commander_X]

Do the Calebans count?

#1
Of course they do! The Whipping Star series by Frank Herbert is one of the three examples I already thought of

[ffutures]

Starchild and Rogue Star by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson

Sirius by Diana Wynne Jones? Not sure if it counts as SF, fantasy, or magic realism of sorts.

There's a sentient white hole in Diane Duane's So You Want To be a Wizard, but that's more fantasy than SF. Ditto the fallen star in Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

Now if you'd said planets I could have given you at least two that are definitely SF no problemo...

[Commander_X]

Starchild and Rogue Star by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson

Sirius by Diana Wynne Jones? Not sure if it counts as SF, fantasy, or magic realism of sorts.

There's a sentient white hole in Diane Duane's So You Want To be a Wizard, but that's more fantasy than SF. Ditto the fallen star in Neil Gaiman's Stardust.

Now if you'd said planets I could have given you at least two that are definitely SF no problemo...

I'll take Starchild and Rogue Star by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson, together as #2 (they belong to a "Starchild" trilogy, although not very tight related). Cody's Calebans also belong to at least 2 books of their series.

Sirius by Diana Wynne Jones (I guess it's Dogsbody, actually) sounds good as #3.

Unfortunately, both So You Want To be a Wizard, and Stardust are too much fantasy to qualify.

Waiting for two more ...

[ffutures]

Sorry, Dogsbody it is - the perils of answering from memory!

Star Maker by Stapledon qualifies, I think.