Help me remember the name of this short story about a draft dodger in Vietnam. [more inside]
posted on May 15, 2008 - 7 answers

Help me find this quotation. The gist of it is something like this: in current times, fantastical metaphors are the only way of describing the convoluted reality of experience. [more inside]
posted on May 12, 2008 - 6 answers

Trying to make a list of fictional drinks. For instance: Clementine mixxes up a couple of "blue ruins" in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the Silver Jews' song Buckingham Rabbit makes reference to "shattered dogs on the rocks." What other fictional drinks can you think of? [more inside]
posted on May 4, 2008 - 51 answers

Question about obscure science fiction short story, "Allegory," by William T. Powers, which was reprinted in Groff Conklin's 13 GREAT STORIES OF SCIENCE FICTION. The question is: what is this story an allegory of? To put it another way, is there some real-world or historical event that this story is a comment on? [more inside]
posted on Apr 29, 2008 - 8 answers

trying to remember a book about an urban teenager with acting/dramatic talent who moves to rural Oregon. He invents a gangster past history for himself to impress the local kids, who then take it upon themselves to become 'gangsta'. The title is something like 'And The Shadows Overtook Him', but Google does nothing. [more inside]
posted on Apr 28, 2008 - 2 answers

Yet another what-is-this-book/story question (sci-fi, possibly young adult, writen pre-1983) [more inside]
posted on Apr 22, 2008 - 15 answers

A novel about a computer that attempts to create art? Help me identify this sci-fi book. [more inside]
posted on Apr 22, 2008 - 5 answers

Looking for examples of fiction where: a.) someone uncovers an unsettling/surprising/shocking truth about a major "historical" (for that setting) figure or event, b.) the story itself is in the form of a journal or diary that gives the unsettling/surprising/shocking perspective. [more inside]
posted on Apr 22, 2008 - 27 answers

looking for a book, its about a geneticly altered boy (his whole colony was altered thus) he is really big and strong, they raise dangerous animals as pets. Anyway he is the first of his colony to go off to a sort of galactic school, where he ends up fighting all sorts of creatures, near the end he fights a huge mutant bear and wins by smashingits head with a camera. I aplogize if this is not the proper place to post but i could not find what i need
posted on Apr 8, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm writing a story in which a character dies, and I need to know what happens after that with respect to police involvement, morgues, funeral homes, the actual funeral, etc. [more inside]
posted on Apr 8, 2008 - 6 answers

Book-Filter: I'm fascinated by very bad priests in fiction. Help me find some more. [more inside]
posted on Apr 5, 2008 - 30 answers

I remember reading this young adult scifi novel as a kid. The basic plot is a girl goes to some special "institute" or something after school. I don't recall all the details of what happened there, something special. But, in addition to that, she got Baked Alaska, which was her favorite dessert. I think the Baked Alaska is the key to this mystery. Please help me find this novel!
posted on Apr 1, 2008 - 18 answers

A long time ago I read a fantasy book which featured several American college students entering a fantasy realm whilst playing Dungeons and Dragons (or some role playing game of similar ilk). I remember one of the main characters was a wheelchair bound guy whose fantasy character is a dwarf warrior... Can anyone help me track down the title or series of this book?
posted on Apr 1, 2008 - 5 answers

I'm looking for fictional intragenerational incest narratives -- books, film, television, etc. -- in which the relationship is presented as a tragic love, doomed to failure. I'm not interested in the probably more common (and more realistic) pure trauma narratives. The relationship need not necessarily be physically consummated. [more inside]
posted on Mar 25, 2008 - 49 answers

Please recommend some books set in Singapore. [more inside]
posted on Mar 22, 2008 - 15 answers

I am working on a book plot that relies on some members of a family developing depression and erratic behavior. I need ideas for an environmental cause of such behavior inside their home. [more inside]
posted on Mar 16, 2008 - 27 answers

I'm writing a story about medieval , and I need historically-accurate backdrops/minor plot elements that relate to conspiracies, intrigues, and crackpot theories from Europe in the 900s-1400s A.D. [more inside]
posted on Mar 14, 2008 - 38 answers

How do you make up stories ? My kids love me making up stories (and then repeating them ad-infinitum !) but doing so has set me thinking about the process of creating fiction. [more inside]
posted on Mar 8, 2008 - 9 answers

I'm looking for some funny and smart fiction books, along the lines of "A Confederacy of Dunces" and "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal." [more inside]
posted on Mar 6, 2008 - 60 answers

Looking for fictional deaths which might be described as 'sublime'. [more inside]
posted on Mar 5, 2008 - 51 answers

Short-story filter: contemporary American story with a scene of a baby boy whose father cruelly dangles a pocketwatch just out of reach so as to get the boy used to disappointment. [more inside]
posted on Mar 5, 2008 - 3 answers

Seeking quality Spanish language young adult or youth fiction, in its original language, way cool if it has one or more of science fiction/fantasy, coming of age, teen angst, or subjects parents usually have difficulty discussing with their offspring. [more inside]
posted on Mar 2, 2008 - 11 answers

Recommendations/sources for good erotic writing? [more inside]
posted on Mar 1, 2008 - 16 answers

I am trying to find a SciFi book that I read the first couple of chapters of. It involved two companies racing to come up with some kind of genetic cure and in the process creating a monster or something. [more inside]
posted on Feb 23, 2008 - 6 answers

I want to design a boat. A big boat. Help me learn the basics of interior boat structures. [more inside]
posted on Feb 21, 2008 - 7 answers

ShortStoryFilter: A bachelor gradually finds out he has a wife? It's hard to explain it in one sentence. [more inside]
posted on Feb 21, 2008 - 8 answers

When I was in elementary school, I read this young adult book about a band of children who carry an American flag all the way to Washington, D.C. (along a highway, maybe?) for some reason. Anyone know the book? [more inside]
posted on Feb 19, 2008 - 2 answers

Do You Want To Save The World? [more inside]
posted on Feb 17, 2008 - 24 answers

What would a person have to do in order to get a one year jail sentence in the California penal system. [more inside]
posted on Feb 15, 2008 - 18 answers

Solve the pattern: Patrick O'Brian, Alan Furst, Neal Stephenson... who comes next? [more inside]
posted on Feb 13, 2008 - 36 answers

Looking for a Science Fiction book about an alien/cyborg surgically altered to appear human that is sent to New York City to make sure a planned visit by his people goes ok, because they're sick and tired of all the NASA probes. To help him blend in, his crampt spaceship is disguised to look like a rooftop building air conditioner and his superiors have already got him a job as an assistant science editor for Time Magazine. [more inside]
posted on Feb 7, 2008 - 7 answers

I'm looking for an online story about modern warfare and lovecraftian monsters. Can you help me find it again? [more inside]
posted on Feb 6, 2008 - 10 answers

Help me identify these four short horror stories, based on descriptions of their plots and endings. SPOILERS AHEAD! [more inside]
posted on Jan 29, 2008 - 3 answers

How can I write better short stories (science fiction) [more inside]
posted on Jan 25, 2008 - 20 answers

What are some good books on gangs, gang activities, internal organization and structure? [more inside]
posted on Jan 21, 2008 - 23 answers

I was told of a book of Daemon's, where the protagonist is a C coder who gets transported to a magical world where his code can do magic. [more inside]
posted on Jan 17, 2008 - 12 answers

Help me identify this short story! It is a story told from the perspective of an infant as he is free-falling through the garbage chute of a multi-level housing complex after being discarded by his teenage mother. The story is divided into nine parts, with each part signifying the baby's arrival at each floor until he finally reaches the trash compactor at the ground level. [more inside]
posted on Jan 16, 2008 - 4 answers

If you please—I urgently require a few good recommendations of novels that have India as a backdrop. [more inside]
posted on Jan 13, 2008 - 55 answers

I'm looking for a series of hardback science fiction anthologies I dimly remember from childhood (sometime in the mid 80s). I think it had a one word title with a number, and the series went up to at least number five. I remember two stories in particular... [more inside]
posted on Jan 13, 2008 - 11 answers

Stories about healthy, "normal" marriages? [more inside]
posted on Jan 11, 2008 - 41 answers

I'm trying to find a vaguely remembered short story. The story was about a woman whose baby was in the NICU and then passes away. What I distinctly remember is that peppered throughout the story were phrases such as "A pride of lions. A gaggle of geese. A flock of doves." Lists of names for collectives of animals started and ended the piece, I think. In between was a very sad story about a baby, including the line "unplug my baby like he's a toaster?" or something very similar. Sound familiar to anyone?
posted on Jan 10, 2008 - 5 answers

After reading Y: The Last Man I'm finding myself haunted by the questions posed by the series. Where might one go (preferably online) to find statistics or evidence of how many women currently excel in various industries? [more inside]
posted on Jan 7, 2008 - 39 answers

What is the name of this short story that I am thinking of? [more inside]
posted on Jan 6, 2008 - 6 answers

I'll phrase this as succinctly as I can - I'm looking for fictional US cities featured in comic books. Can you help? [more inside]
posted on Dec 28, 2007 - 41 answers

Korean Book Gift Filter: What Korean books (meaning books written in Hangul) should I get for my parents? [more inside]
posted on Dec 20, 2007 - 5 answers

Looking for some good, loooong novels. [more inside]
posted on Dec 17, 2007 - 102 answers

Who's written fiction within the last 5-10 years, that deals realistically with the experience of American people under 40? [more inside]
posted on Dec 14, 2007 - 26 answers

Broken Promises: Looking for stories of the damage that broken promises can cause an individual. Can be personal (maybe childhood stories), read somewhere(biographies?), recommendations where to find them, etc. Preferably something that can be easily told within a couple of minutes...Any help is appreciated!
posted on Dec 14, 2007 - 9 answers

Short Story Filter: I'm trying to track down a wonderful short story I read maybe 15 years ago. It focuses on a couple struggling with a dysfunctional marital and/or sexual relationship. The story is set somewhere in a snowy/icy climate, and the central conceit of the story is that the husband needs to free their car which is stuck in the snow. As the story unfolds, the author describes the back-and-forth rocking of the car as he slams it from "drive" into "reverse" and back again, and it becomes clear that the movement of the car is a powerful sexual metaphor. Finally the car rolls free and the dramatic release seems to provide hope for the relationship. Does this sound familiar to anybody? I thought the title of the story was "Unstuck," but Googling has led me nowhere.
posted on Dec 11, 2007 - 5 answers

Is there any time travel fiction based on the idea of only sending signals/information into the past? [more inside]
posted on Dec 9, 2007 - 40 answers