Oolite Bulletins

El Viejo wrote:

I'm not going to read the Book of Job, or even one section of it, but it must be something to do with Leviathan or Behemoth?

The novella is something to do with that sort of thing, yes. In a science-fictiony sort of way. If it helps, the title is 10 words long ...

Another clue: the title novella is set on a very Golden Age version of Venus (i.e. one which bears little resemblance to what we know the surface of Venus is actually like).

It couldn't be That Hideous Strength - A Modern Fairy-Tale for Grown-Ups, could it?

El Viejo wrote:

It couldn't be That Hideous Strength - A Modern Fairy-Tale for Grown-Ups, could it?

Nope. The author is very much one of the SF pantheon, having won both the Hugo and Nebula awards several times. Probably best known for a series of fantasy novels (with SF overtones/rationale) set in a multiverse.

"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" by Roger Zelazny?

Gimbal Locke wrote:

"The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" by Roger Zelazny?

He shoots, he scores! One of the great book titles of all time, I think. Over to you!

I have not read this book, Disembodied, but your hints (not just the last one) were screaming "Zelazny!!"

I will definitely read it. In my opinion, about 90% of Roger Zelasny's books are trash, but the other 10% are incredibly beautiful pearls.

--

New question:

I'm looking for a book for kids.

The story starts on February 30th.

New hint: the protagonist, a boy, has lost his memory. He is advised to keep a diary to help him regain his memory (in fact: the diary has to help him if he would lose his memory again, but this is not being told to him) and also to hide that he has no memory, because the population at large dislikes people without memory and the authorities might even lock him away if they find out.

The author of the book claims that she did not write the book: she said that she received the diary and just did some editing and censoring ( more about that in a later hint, if nobody guesses the title and the author by then) of the text.

The book was published in the early 1970s. It was translated into English, Spanish, Danish and (like most of her books) German. She has also written three books set in "a very Golden Age version of Venus" (as defined by Disembodied a couple of posts up) and many other books for a young audience.

The boy meets several people who try to help him to find out who he is and where he comes from.

One of them is an old man, who is the caretaker of two strange towers (which in no way resemble the architecture of the surrounding villages and which are avoided by the locals) and who also has troubles with his memory.

The boy is also helped by a man, who has a dog and a daughter. Strangely enough, the girl and the dog share the same name and they are never being seen together.

Half-way through the book, the boy discovers that he, the old man and the two strange towers originate from a parallel universe (our universe). On leap years, it is possible to travel between both universes.

The censorship I mentioned before, is that the author/editor removed the exact procedure to travel between both universes from the diary. She did this to prevent accidents (such as with the two towers), but also to respect the wish of the inhabitants of the other side to not get visitors from our universe.

Anybody has a guess about the title of this book, or the name of its Dutch author?

Wim Gijsen?

(feels weird to type Dutch in the Oolite forum... )

Rxke wrote:

Wim Gijsen?

No, it's not Wim Gijsen, I'm looking for a living female writer of children's books.

Rxke wrote:

(feels weird to type Dutch in the Oolite forum... )

Mijn welgemeende verontschuldigingen hiervoor.

Gimbal Locke wrote:

Mijn welgemeende verontschuldigingen hiervoor.

Heehee! :d

Living female... children books...

Queen Fabiola???

(Okay, that was waaaaay silly of me)

Rxke wrote:

Living female... children books...

Queen Fabiola???

(Okay, that was waaaaay silly of me)

Lol, no.