Identify these two (possibly terrible) fantasy/sci fi stories.
September 20, 2016 12:47 PM Subscribe
At some point in the early to mid-90s, I read two novels (or possibly short stories) that occasionally bubble up from my subconscious, aggravating me for a few days while I try to identify them. Given what I was reading at the time, the odds are good that they were terrible schlock.
Story #1 featured a set of young gods in possession of forbidden knowledge in sealed books...reading the books would both empower and corrupt them. Some of them had already read theirs, and others were considering it. I think they all had separate worlds/planets that they were responsible for, and I want to say that their father figure/progenitor god was missing/potentially the source of a creeping corruption that threatened the worlds, driving some of them to consider reading their books.
Story #2 featured a time traveller from roughly our era being transported into the far distant future, and his interactions with the near-omnipotent post-human remnants of humanity (and possibly other time travellers). The future people (or some of them) were debauched thrill-seekers, always looking for anything new or interesting. I think the main character was shocked/disgusted by it, and was mostly treated as a curiosity. The one detail I remember is one of the future people/time travellers singing the main character a 'traditional' 20th century song that was sort of a railway song with an out of place cocaine reference in it. I'm pretty sure the singer had a train of his own and maybe an obsession with trains.
Do those ring any bells for anyone?
Story #1 featured a set of young gods in possession of forbidden knowledge in sealed books...reading the books would both empower and corrupt them. Some of them had already read theirs, and others were considering it. I think they all had separate worlds/planets that they were responsible for, and I want to say that their father figure/progenitor god was missing/potentially the source of a creeping corruption that threatened the worlds, driving some of them to consider reading their books.
Story #2 featured a time traveller from roughly our era being transported into the far distant future, and his interactions with the near-omnipotent post-human remnants of humanity (and possibly other time travellers). The future people (or some of them) were debauched thrill-seekers, always looking for anything new or interesting. I think the main character was shocked/disgusted by it, and was mostly treated as a curiosity. The one detail I remember is one of the future people/time travellers singing the main character a 'traditional' 20th century song that was sort of a railway song with an out of place cocaine reference in it. I'm pretty sure the singer had a train of his own and maybe an obsession with trains.
Do those ring any bells for anyone?
Best answer: Could the second one be Dancers at the End of Time?
posted by OurOwnMrK at 1:17 PM on September 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by OurOwnMrK at 1:17 PM on September 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
Story 1 reminds me vaguely of World of Tiers, which was a key influence on the Chronicles of Amber, so maybe one of those…?
posted by adamrice at 1:28 PM on September 20, 2016
posted by adamrice at 1:28 PM on September 20, 2016
And Story 2 reminds me vaguely of Vintage Season.
posted by adamrice at 1:30 PM on September 20, 2016
posted by adamrice at 1:30 PM on September 20, 2016
Response by poster: Story 2 is definitely Dancers at the End of Time. Man, that one's been killing me for years.
posted by Kreiger at 1:33 PM on September 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Kreiger at 1:33 PM on September 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Story 1 isn't World of Tiers or Chronicles of Amber...no present day visitors or involvement with Earth, I'm pretty sure.
posted by Kreiger at 2:00 PM on September 20, 2016
posted by Kreiger at 2:00 PM on September 20, 2016
The 1st reminds me for som reason of a story from Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series of stories.
posted by Chrischris at 5:12 PM on September 20, 2016
posted by Chrischris at 5:12 PM on September 20, 2016
The first one sounds a bit like Myst, which had tie-in novels I'm pretty sure.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:28 PM on September 20, 2016
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 6:28 PM on September 20, 2016
For the record, Dancers at the End of Time is not terrible.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:03 PM on September 20, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 9:03 PM on September 20, 2016 [4 favorites]
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