Not a week goes by that I don't get an email asking me to help find a story the person read long ago, and would like to find again. I used to be good at that. However, my memory doesn't seem to work that well anymore, along with a few other body parts. I often remember the storyline, but can't quite come up with the title. If you can help with any of the questions below, use the link provided to send me an email with your answer. I will publish all helpful answers.

If you need help finding a book or movie yourself, then use this link to contact me, and I will post your question.
email:



Hi, There is a book of science fiction short stories that I've been looking for for years. Finding it has become a personal mission of mine, actually. A teacher gave it to me when I was in the third grade, and I loved it, but it was lost over the years and I've been trying to find it ever since. I don't know who wrote it, I don't know who published it, I don't even know what the cover looks like. Here's what I do know:

There is a story in it about the end of the world. The sun has grown and is slowly engulfing the planet. Most of the population has left for a colony on another plante. The story focuses on two families who have stayed behind. There are two kids, who are the same age,one from each family. It's gotten too hot to stay outside, and everyone who is left lives in protective metal houses. The girl video calls the boy and he goes over to her house, where they eat cake and watch old cartoons from the library. That night, one of the fathers suddenly wakes up, and touches the wall of his house. It's extremely hot, and he realizes that this is the end. A final gust of hot wind blows across the planet, wiping everyhting out.

Another story focuses on two astronauts (maybe 3) who crash land on an alien planet. The air there is breathable and there is a strange race of animals, lead by a two headed giraffe like creature with red eyes that lives on the planet. The astronauts learn that they can eat these berries that grow on this planet, and survive off them until they repair their ship. When one of the astronauts disappears and the other(s) go looking for him, they find that he has been captured by the giraffe creature and is held in a cage surrounded by the animals. Somehow, they free him and escape to their newly repaired ship. As they reach the door, one of them realizes that they no longer have to bend down in order to get inside. The berries they had been living on had caused them to shrink! Finally, the realization sets in that they are too small to pilot the ship, and the animals, along with the giraffe, slowly emerge from the forest.

Ok, for the sake of saving you time. I'll keep this next one short. Mars as been colonised, because humans destroyed the Earth. Unfortunately, they've ad the same effect on Mars and are being forced to leave. As the last ship is about to take off, a boy escapes, because he can't leave his home. as the day goes on, he wanders through the empty city. Finally, he climbs to the top of the tallest hill and watches the dying city from above. As the last of the oxygen leaves the atmosphere, he looks at the stars and falls asleep.

( OK that last one might be from something else entirely, but I'm 100% sure about the first two)

Any help at all would mean the world to me. I've been looking for so long. I think there was something that looked like a small flying saucer on the spine, by the way.

Thank's for taking the time to read.

-Sam s.truman@shimer.edu

Can anyone help?
email:



Hello, while I was in the navy station in Dixon, California in 1971, I found a sci-fi paperback book that I cannot remember the title or the author. It takes place on a planet where the government won't allow the people to leave the dome city saying that the air is not breathable. One female character has a name of Teal. They don't wear clothes but wear a thin spray on plastic coating to keep them warm. They have a transport system called the Mattel booth. You dial the number you want and you are transported to that location. There are some chimp type creatures that run around in the computer and keep it in repair. The Husband of Teal tries several times to climb up the mountain above the dome but is caught.

The government takes his brain and put it in a jar and attaches cameras for eyes. This was the only way to stop him from letting the people know that the outside air was ok and that they were being held captive by their Government.

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Please let me know.
Bob D.

Can anyone help?
email:



from Rich
I am hoping you might be able to tell me the name of a 1960's sci fi movie. I just remember it being about a flying saucer in a field. The "captain" of the ship was bald with eyes made up to look slanted like chinese. He also had long red finger nails. The aliens on the ship were abducting females and bringing them back to the ship. I remember them putting the females on some type of conveyor belt and they would disappear into a hole in the wall. Sorry if I sound crazy. I remember the movie when I was a little kid. I've been trying to find out what the movie is for awhile. Thanks for your time. Rich

Can anyone help?
email:



from Rich
Hi,
I am amazed at your incredible collection of pulps! Wow! I bought this two-CD item from you years ago, and the first one of the CDs has gotten a scratch and now it doesn't work, and I was trying to find a particular cover which shows a man outside the hull of a spaceship without a suit, but surrounded by a force field "bubble" instead. Yeah, I know it's geeky. I guess I'll have to buy a new set... or can someone tell me the magazine and date of issue.
Best Regards,

Can anyone help?
email:



from Janice
Hello
I am searching for a “juvenile” vintage science fiction novel published by (I think, but am not certain) Junior Scholastic books during the 1950s – mid 1960s. It was a paperback book and my first science fiction novel. I kept the book for years, until my husband disposed of the book without my knowledge when we were moving 20 years ago. I often think about the book and ironically, my sister recently asked if she could borrow it!
I can't remember the author or the title, but I think the author may have been Asimov or Heinlein.
The illustration on the cover depicted a lanky, blonde youth, I believe in a loincloth, and perhaps carrying a walking stick. He was striding along a dirt road with a mountain range in the distant background.
The plot of the novel centered on a "post-nuclear" holocaust with the human survivors living in the mountains. The elders taught their offspring that the areas beyond the mountains were "forbidden". Despite the warning of his elders, the main character of the novel finds the courage to leave the mountains and explore the "forbidden area". During his exploration, he finds crumbling urban areas and a library. His people had also declared that the written word was "forbidden".
Does this novel sound familiar to you? I am sorry that I am so vague about the title and author! I would be forever grateful if you could help me find this novel.
Thank you, Janice S

Can anyone help?
email:

Hello, Janice-- The book you describe sounds like Andre Norton's early novel Star Man's Son, also published by Ace Books as Daybreak: 2250 A. D., where I first read it, also back in the late 50's-early sixties. Book distribution was spotty back then, and I found it at a used bookstore. The Ace edition had a memorable Ed Emsh cover showing the silver-hired mutant hero poling a raft through the ruins of a city, if memory serves. I did some research and found that the book was indeed published by the Scholastic Book Club back then. If this is the book you're thinking of, it should be easy to find a used copy, since it's been printed in numerous editions over the years. In fact, it may still be in print. Check with Baen Books, who have been putting out omnibus editions of much of Andre's work.