Science Fiction Trivia

[DaddyHoggy]

Dives in with: Babylon 5 orbited Epsilon 3 (I think) - the system was definitely Epsilon Eradani (sp?)

[Fatleaf]

Could that be Epsilon III?

[Fatleaf]

AAArrrgh! Ninja'd By DH

[Mauiby de Fug]

And the early bird catches the worm! 'Twas the Epsilon Eridani system, and yes, the planet was Epsilon III.

[DaddyHoggy]

Sorry Fatleaf...

Question to follow this evening - my obscure Sci-Fi book shelf seemed to have generated a good quality question last time!

[Fatleaf]

Sorry Fatleaf...

Question to follow this evening - my obscure Sci-Fi book shelf seemed to have generated a good quality question last time!

Don't be sorry, I am happy you knew it. I had to Google it and that took the two minutes that let you sneak in.

I look forward to your next question.

[DaddyHoggy]

Sorry everybody. I forgot!



OK. Here we go.

The lead character of this novel joins a future equivalent of the Foreign Legion (in one aspect at least). A time machine gives him the opportunity to prevent himself from joining.

Tolstoy features heavily, but not in a conventional way.

Name the book (1st of two), author and name of the lead character please.

[DaddyHoggy]

Too vague?

Clue tomorrow if the guesses don't start coming in.

[DaddyHoggy]

Clue time I guess.

OK, in the second and concluding book staring the main protagonist of the first book, he becomes the Titular character and the Tolstoy link becomes more obvious.

[Selezen]

Nope. Still stumped. And my Google-fu has failed.

The only thing I can think of is something to do with ANna Karenina (no idea why) or maybe the "other Tolstoy" - Aleksey Tolstoy's "The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin" maybe...

More clues, Lord Vader.

[DaddyHoggy]

OK - more clues:

- The time machine the main character accidentally discovers is in a public toilet.

- Geoffrey Alexander MacCormack

[Selezen]

Ah, I see. Very clever. Google has provided.

Book: Who Goes Here
Author: Bob Shaw
Character: Warren Peace

By rights, Google should set the next question.

[Mauiby de Fug]

- The time machine the main character accidentally discovers is in a public toilet.

Sounds like something I watched on BBC iPlayer a few years ago! Can't remember much of it, though...

[DaddyHoggy]

Ah, I see. Very clever. Google has provided.

Book: Who Goes Here
Author: Bob Shaw
Character: Warren Peace

By rights, Google should set the next question.

Well done to the Google-fu...

Of course, theoretically Google could set the next question. Pick two or three Sci-Fi related words and hit "I feel lucky"...

BTW, Who Goes Here is a very good book and Bob Shaw has an interesting take on faster than light travel. Basically, in his universe they have discovered an effect that allows near instantaneous transmission of matter (Faster than light could travel the same distance) from one location to another and a means to do so. However, the effect can only work for a few 10s of metres, and only between a matched pair of transmitters/receivers. Which means no real use as you need to get your matched receiver to the location you're trying to get to first even if the transmittable distance was longer (which it isn't). Then some bright spark (in the book) came up with the idea of putting the transmitter and receiver at either end of a standard ISO container. The transmitter then beams itself and the container to the receiver, which then becomes the transmitter and so you have an ISO container winging its way through space end over end in tiny, but near instantaneous 100ft steps... (which leads to incredibly dull space travel!) It made me smile (and the recent LHC FTL neutrino issue made me think of it again).

[Selezen]

Yay. A hollow victory indeed. It does sound like a good story though, so I might have a look for it!

I found this whilst researching something for my own fiction. I've never read it, but it does sound like a good read. So in a way, Google has indeed set the next question!

A young man is bequeathed a time travel device and by travelling through time discovers quantum theory. On his journey he interacts with many different versions of himself in many different ways...

The novel's title and author please.