Looking for the title of a sci-fi novel from the early 70s (or late 60s)
February 3, 2021 6:50 AM Subscribe
I was a teen at the time and a neighbor lent me his paperback copy of the novel. I loved it, gave him back the book and eventually quit thinking about it – until now. I have scant, scant, scant detail to share but hoping it’s enough for someone to recall the book I’m hoping to find. Embarrassingly, here’s all I can share…
The main character is missing (or lost) his legs. Perhaps his arms too but I’m unsure. To get around, his trunk has been fitted to a concave mechanical disk, and that disk allows him to transport, hover, etc. (In my memory, this disk was in the form of a large red blood corpuscle.)
I think that somewhere near the end of the novel, something goes wrong with the character’s fitting to the disk and I vaguely remember damage, pain, perhaps leaking fluid.
That’s it for a physical description. Now a little about the character’s psyche and the mood of the book.
This main character seemed to be alone, a loner. He interacted with others, but I don’t think he had any personal relationships; if he did, they were few and not deep. I think he was alone because society had made him such. I think he was ostracized. I may recall that he had some kind of supernatural power that wasn’t broadly accepted.
The mood of the book – again, as I recall – was bleak and moody and I don’t think it had a happy ending.
Seriously, that’s all I have. No title, no author, no recalled cover illustration.
Anyone?
The main character is missing (or lost) his legs. Perhaps his arms too but I’m unsure. To get around, his trunk has been fitted to a concave mechanical disk, and that disk allows him to transport, hover, etc. (In my memory, this disk was in the form of a large red blood corpuscle.)
I think that somewhere near the end of the novel, something goes wrong with the character’s fitting to the disk and I vaguely remember damage, pain, perhaps leaking fluid.
That’s it for a physical description. Now a little about the character’s psyche and the mood of the book.
This main character seemed to be alone, a loner. He interacted with others, but I don’t think he had any personal relationships; if he did, they were few and not deep. I think he was alone because society had made him such. I think he was ostracized. I may recall that he had some kind of supernatural power that wasn’t broadly accepted.
The mood of the book – again, as I recall – was bleak and moody and I don’t think it had a happy ending.
Seriously, that’s all I have. No title, no author, no recalled cover illustration.
Anyone?
Kinda has echoes (at a bit of a distance) of Waldo. Perhaps it was inspired by that story?
posted by aramaic at 7:54 AM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by aramaic at 7:54 AM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Some of this makes me think of Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Not likely the novel you read, but the movie came out in 1971.
posted by XtineHutch at 8:48 AM on February 3, 2021
posted by XtineHutch at 8:48 AM on February 3, 2021
Sounds like something Piers Anthony would write.
posted by Beholder at 10:07 AM on February 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Beholder at 10:07 AM on February 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
The only book this sounds even vaguely like is T. J. Bass's The Godwhale. It only matches your description in that the hero has been cut in half and fitted to a mechanical system. Also the mood of the book is bleak, but the hero manages to get a good ending.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 12:36 PM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by AugustusCrunch at 12:36 PM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mhoye at 7:47 AM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]