Science Fiction Trivia

[Disembodied]

I don't know if this counts, but maybe Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward?

[RockDoctor]

OK - quick one - let's have five SF works which explicitly mention a direction (not UP or DOWN) in the title. Usual rules - no two by the same creator or from the same fictional universe etc. And only one answer per post.

If I remember Heinlein's ... Was it "Number of The Beast"? Fairly early on there is a scene where the square-jawed hero, John Carter not-of-Mars re-jigs the SatNav on his car to use 4-dimensional geometry and turns it into a time machine. In that scene he makes up several words for directions orthogonal to "up", "down", "sideways" and "incestuous libertarian gun-nut fantasy" to manage his own 5-dimeansional compass. I forget the dimension names though - it didn't seem to be a dominating feature in the story as Heinlein saw it.

[ffutures]

I don't know if this counts, but maybe Iain M. Banks, Look to Windward?

I'll accept that since it would be a direction if the wind was blowing - plus it's one of the titles I thought of when I set the question, so have a meaningless bonus point.

If I remember Heinlein's ... Was it "Number of The Beast"? Fairly early on there is a scene where the square-jawed hero, John Carter not-of-Mars re-jigs the SatNav on his car to use 4-dimensional geometry and turns it into a time machine. In that scene he makes up several words for directions orthogonal to "up", "down", "sideways" and "incestuous libertarian gun-nut fantasy" to manage his own 5-dimeansional compass. I forget the dimension names though - it didn't seem to be a dominating feature in the story as Heinlein saw it.

Unfortunately there don't appear to be any directions IN THE TITLE, which is what I was asking for, so I'm afraid not.

Four to go.

[Disembodied]

While there's low-hanging fruit, I'll chuck in Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness.

[RockDoctor]

Unfortunately there don't appear to be any directions IN THE TITLE, which is what I was asking for, so I'm afraid not.

I went and checked - my memory was flawed. It was To Sail Beyond the Sunset I was thinking of, where he was exercising his Oedipus-Jocasta complex. Though in the same universe there's also a cat who walks in the direction of the wall, and doesn't stop.

[ffutures]

I went and checked - my memory was flawed. It was To Sail Beyond the Sunset I was thinking of, where he was exercising his Oedipus-Jocasta complex. Though in the same universe there's also a cat who walks in the direction of the wall, and doesn't stop.

To Sail Beyond the Sunset - hmm, I suppose it's a direction. OK, that's two down, three to go.

[ffutures]

While there's low-hanging fruit, I'll chuck in Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness.

Sorry, I somehow missed this yesterday. That's a direction, so it counts - have a meaningless bonus point for the delay! Three to go.

[Commander_X]

Hmm, as long as "The Left Hand" was let into (i.e. "not UP or DOWN"), I'll try with "Forward the Foundation" by Isaac Asimov (second of his late prequels to the Foundation series).

[JD]

And there's the even lower-hanging fruit of Back to the Future.

[spud42]

i think you have your 5 but as a backup... David Webber West of Honor from the Honor Harrington series.

[ffutures]

Hmm, as long as "The Left Hand" was let into (i.e. "not UP or DOWN"), I'll try with "Forward the Foundation" by Isaac Asimov (second of his late prequels to the Foundation series).

Yep

And there's the even lower-hanging fruit of Back to the Future.

Yep - and that's five!

i think you have your 5 but as a backup... David Webber West of Honor from the Honor Harrington series.

You're right, but have a meaningless bonus point!

Really surprised nobody mentioned North-West Smith or West of Eden...

OK, the poisoned ball is in JD's court - over to you!

[JD]

OK, let's see whether this works. I'll add clues if necessary, but I imagine the combined knowledge of the regulars here will make short work of it.

6 related questions. They can be answered in any order (or in some cases not at all), but the winner will be whoever answers question 4, if questions 1/6 have already been answered, or whoever answers questions 1/6, if question 4 has already been answered.

1. ...flows seamlessly into the sentence that starts the novel.
2. The writer of the above wrote at least two novels with a number in the title. I'm looking for one of those titles in particular.
3. A pop group that shares that number with the title from question 2.
4. The book/film from which the group obtained their name.
5. In the film, in close proximity to that group's name, there also appeared the name of a monster from Greek mythology. However, I'm looking for a monster's name from Old English / Danish mythology.
6. A novel in which the final sentence of the book...

Usual rules regarding one answer per post etc. MBPs for questions 2, 3 & 5.

[JD]

Hmm, the deafening silence doesn't seem too promising. I'll give it another 24 hours and then I'll provide a clue or two.

[RockDoctor]

5. In the film, in close proximity to that group's name, there also appeared the name of a monster from Greek mythology. However, I'm looking for a monster's name from Old English / Danish mythology.

If that's not Grendel, it's his Mommy ... whose name escapes me. Actually, is she ever actually given a name?

Grendel's mother, who is never given a name in the text,

Thought not.

I go for Grendel.

[ffutures]

Would "to wound the autumnal city" be an acceptable answer for no. 1? Or would you prefer the book title?