Another help mefind this sci-fi story thread
August 4, 2011 11:06 AM Subscribe
old Sci-fi book longshot. Had to do with ESP, and there was a band involved, the main character was not psychic but the rest of the band was so he played and they followed, knowing in advance what he (and each other) was going to play. I "think" this was a side-plot, but have no idea what the main plot was. Read this back in early or mid 70's. Any ideas what this might be?
The Platypus of Doom and Other Nihilists by Arthur Byron Cover?
There are four sub-books, the last of which is The Clam of Catastrophe, in which Sherlock Holmes(-sh) jams (on fiddle) in a bar with a four-piece rock and roll band.
posted by Herodios at 11:14 AM on August 4, 2011
There are four sub-books, the last of which is The Clam of Catastrophe, in which Sherlock Holmes(-sh) jams (on fiddle) in a bar with a four-piece rock and roll band.
posted by Herodios at 11:14 AM on August 4, 2011
Response by poster: Not Twisting the rope ... The Clam of Catastrophe has the right timeline (Pub 1976) ... but i can't find more information on it ... still looking .... thanks for the posts!
posted by batikrose at 11:38 AM on August 4, 2011
posted by batikrose at 11:38 AM on August 4, 2011
Best answer: I remember the story you're talking about, but I am not sure about the name.
A strange nuclear weapon went off over a little town in Iowa. Everyone with a pretty long range of there (50 miles or something) who survived it, their kids all became espers of various kinds.
They became shunned by normals, for whatever reasons, and all kinds of legal barriers were erected against them. The hero of the story was a lawyer who was called in to represent a woman who had been arrested for using her esper power to commit fraud. She's the one you remember who participated in that jazz group.
She really was an esper, but she wasn't telepathic. Her power was the ability to make others see illusions under her control, and she used it in a bank to make a $5 bill look like a $50, when she got change for it.
The lawyer himself is actually secretly an esper, a telekinetic. His parents had been in a commercial jet near the blast when it happened, and the records weren't that complete. Had it been known, he wouldn't have been accepted into the Bar, so he was keeping it a secret.
Does that sound familiar?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:48 AM on August 4, 2011
A strange nuclear weapon went off over a little town in Iowa. Everyone with a pretty long range of there (50 miles or something) who survived it, their kids all became espers of various kinds.
They became shunned by normals, for whatever reasons, and all kinds of legal barriers were erected against them. The hero of the story was a lawyer who was called in to represent a woman who had been arrested for using her esper power to commit fraud. She's the one you remember who participated in that jazz group.
She really was an esper, but she wasn't telepathic. Her power was the ability to make others see illusions under her control, and she used it in a bank to make a $5 bill look like a $50, when she got change for it.
The lawyer himself is actually secretly an esper, a telekinetic. His parents had been in a commercial jet near the blast when it happened, and the records weren't that complete. Had it been known, he wouldn't have been accepted into the Bar, so he was keeping it a secret.
Does that sound familiar?
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:48 AM on August 4, 2011
Response by poster: Chocolate Pickle has it!! Yes ... I am pretty sure that is the story ... I recall more of it now .... different people had different powers ... and I recall the hero being a lawyer. Now, if someone can tell us the name and author ... . I have been wanting to share this story with Mr. Batik for YEARS ...
posted by batikrose at 12:09 PM on August 4, 2011
posted by batikrose at 12:09 PM on August 4, 2011
Response by poster: Please ... still looking for the name/author of this story/novel! Chocolate Pickle described it well ... does anyone know what book we are looking for??
posted by batikrose at 8:05 PM on August 4, 2011
posted by batikrose at 8:05 PM on August 4, 2011
Dang, I can't remember the name of it either.
I read it in a collection of short stories, another of the stories was about a Jewish-father-in-law coming to grips with his daughter marrying a martian, of the green vegetable-looking type.
I'll wrack my brain and see if I can remember any of the features of any of the other stories in the collection.
The jazz band was able to play a very good improv jam session, because all the telepaths knew what every other player was going to play next. I think they mentioned something about Dixie, and said the style was Psi-xie. Not googleable though. :P
posted by Elysum at 1:24 AM on August 5, 2011
I read it in a collection of short stories, another of the stories was about a Jewish-father-in-law coming to grips with his daughter marrying a martian, of the green vegetable-looking type.
I'll wrack my brain and see if I can remember any of the features of any of the other stories in the collection.
The jazz band was able to play a very good improv jam session, because all the telepaths knew what every other player was going to play next. I think they mentioned something about Dixie, and said the style was Psi-xie. Not googleable though. :P
posted by Elysum at 1:24 AM on August 5, 2011
You may want to look at this mega-list of sci-fi books from the 70s. It's pretty interesting, also comes with commentary and notes inventions of the day that may have shaped the books written.
Anyway, now that you have the plot and all down, maybe the title will be more recognizable.
posted by this one is danny at 9:53 AM on August 5, 2011
Anyway, now that you have the plot and all down, maybe the title will be more recognizable.
posted by this one is danny at 9:53 AM on August 5, 2011
This wasn't a novel. It was a short story in a collection.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:32 AM on August 5, 2011
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 10:32 AM on August 5, 2011
Best answer: Ok, I was entirely wrong about the martian story being in the same book of stories - that was some other book (and nuts if I can figure out where THAT one is), BUT -
I have found the story!
It's sitting in front of me, and I'm half way through re-reading it.
It is 'Modus Vivendi' by Walter Bupp, contained within "14 Great Tales of ESP" Edited by Idella Purnell Stone, copyright 1969, published 1970.
It's a gumshoe lawyer type story.
The main character is a lawyer, Maragon. People with psi, aka the 'Logan Stigma' are kept out of the bar, and other professions. They are children of people caught just outside the lethal zone of a neutron bomb, with powers such as TP Telepathy, TK Telekinesis, CV (Clairivoyance?). The character in the band is a blond girl Mary Hall, who has HC - a previously unknown power for hallucinations, and who swapped a $5 bill for a $100 at a bank, she's getting caught up in a political drama, and a Judge Passarelli has been 'encouraging' Maragon to represent her - with the potential detriment of him ever getting any Normal clients if he's known for representing Stigmas. The big reveal at the end is that the lawyer, Maragon, has Telekinesis himself - the judge had investigated him as a young lawyer, and found that his parents were on a plane flying within the Logan ring, and then kept it secret. Maragon tricks several other PSI's including Mary Hall, into believing he is a representative of a secret PSI organisation, protecting it's members and keeping them in line - and the judge encourages him to turn this into reality.
posted by Elysum at 10:47 PM on August 6, 2011
I have found the story!
It's sitting in front of me, and I'm half way through re-reading it.
It is 'Modus Vivendi' by Walter Bupp, contained within "14 Great Tales of ESP" Edited by Idella Purnell Stone, copyright 1969, published 1970.
It's a gumshoe lawyer type story.
The main character is a lawyer, Maragon. People with psi, aka the 'Logan Stigma' are kept out of the bar, and other professions. They are children of people caught just outside the lethal zone of a neutron bomb, with powers such as TP Telepathy, TK Telekinesis, CV (Clairivoyance?). The character in the band is a blond girl Mary Hall, who has HC - a previously unknown power for hallucinations, and who swapped a $5 bill for a $100 at a bank, she's getting caught up in a political drama, and a Judge Passarelli has been 'encouraging' Maragon to represent her - with the potential detriment of him ever getting any Normal clients if he's known for representing Stigmas. The big reveal at the end is that the lawyer, Maragon, has Telekinesis himself - the judge had investigated him as a young lawyer, and found that his parents were on a plane flying within the Logan ring, and then kept it secret. Maragon tricks several other PSI's including Mary Hall, into believing he is a representative of a secret PSI organisation, protecting it's members and keeping them in line - and the judge encourages him to turn this into reality.
posted by Elysum at 10:47 PM on August 6, 2011
Response by poster: Thank you Elysum!! Now I just gotta get a copy! I SO APPRECIATE all the responses, and finally nailing this down. Thank you Thank you!!!
posted by batikrose at 10:38 AM on August 7, 2011
posted by batikrose at 10:38 AM on August 7, 2011
I didn't search it online after finding the hardcopy of the story, so you've presumably noticed there's a Project Gutenberg copy of this, and the authors other stories - http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search.html/?default_prefix=author_id&query=33947
posted by Elysum at 8:57 PM on August 7, 2011
posted by Elysum at 8:57 PM on August 7, 2011
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posted by likeso at 11:12 AM on August 4, 2011