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Scifi and Fantasy Forum: Books and Book Reviews: SciFi short storys
SciFi short storys
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When I was younger I had this book. It was a collection of scifi short stories and some where along the way I lost it. I dont know the name and I dont know any of the authors. All I know are the summarys of two of the storys in the book. If either of these ring a bell let me know as Ive been trying to find this book again for a long time.
Short story 1.
A military man in the is going on vacation (maybe moving?) on another planet. The method they will use to get there is a teleporter where they must be put to sleep (unconcious/sedated). As they are loaded on the "transport" with other travelers he relieves the history of this technology with his insider knowledge due to his military career. The short version of this is that if you go through the transport concious you mind goes through complete sensory deprivation for a spit second, in that split second you mind is unable to define time because it has no input with wich to gage by. The result is complete madness due to a percieved eternity without any sensory input. The story ends with them traveling through and the mans son having held his breath rather than being sedated and he comes out the other end raving mad.
Short story 2
an old man is watching TV. He is a genius, because of this he has had a device implanted in his mind (ear?) to make noises that will disrupt his thoughts, effectively preventing him from being "genius". He watches a ballet dance recital on TV, he knows the most beautiful dancers by the fact that they are wearing the ugliest masks, the best dancers have weaights on thier arms and legs and the best musicians have mufflers of some sort on thier instruments. This is all part of the countries attempt to keep every one "equal". Midway through the recital a man bursts in, he is covered with chains and weights (wears a mask?). He breaks the weights and chains off as well as the mask and the old man recognises him as his son who was imprisoned for being a revolutionary against the govt. The young man convinces the dancers to remove thier masks and the musicians to remove the mufflers and be as wonderfull as thier talents will allow. As the music begins to play he dances with the most beautifull dancer. Midjump in the air the door bursts open again and a women shoots them both (the young man and dancer) dead in mid air and the video feed is cut. As the old man begins crying his wife walks in and asks what is wrong, before he can answer the device in his head goes off and he has know idea why he is crying....
This is all I know, ,any ideas? If you guys have leads, Story titles, authors book titles, whatever you got.
Posted By:  Bmat Mar 03, 2005 - 04:09 pm |       | These are interesting stories, and I am sure that I would have remembered reading them if I had. I am sorry that I can't help. Maybe somebody else can.
The second one is "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut.
You can find it at http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html
| Posted By: Magus Mar 03, 2005 - 05:19 pm | | I read that second one. It was in the "Related Readings" section of Animal Farm which we read last year. Very good one.
That is it on the nose. After a little googleing I havnt found the collection yet though as it seems Kurt V was quite the auther and released several of his own collections which is all I can find. Keep ideas coming though. This is one step closer.
| Posted By: Magus Mar 05, 2005 - 02:20 pm | | Yeah, I recognised the story at your description of it. But I disremembered the name of it along with the auhor. It's been about a year, afterall.
Wish I could help you with the others. Sadly I can't.
I liked "Harrison Bergeron" a lot. That's my kind of story.
| Posted By: Magus Mar 11, 2005 - 08:28 pm | | I read that last year. It was in the back of my copy of Animal farm.
Animal Farm is my kind of story, too. 
| Posted By: Magus Mar 14, 2005 - 03:09 pm | | Yeah. It and Dune were the best things I read for that class that year.
You were assigned Dune for a class? 
| Posted By: Magus Mar 14, 2005 - 06:40 pm | | We got to chose a book. I chose Dune, which my sister chose three years prior when she had the class. She recomended it and, as she always has been, was correct in assuming that my tastes were like hers.
For my current quarter I could choose between Jane Eyre, The Vicar of Wakefield, and Ivanhoe. Not that I minded; I love the classics--well, most of them.
Incidentally, I chose Jane Eyre. It's pretty good, if overblown in some areas. It could also use some cutting in certain places.
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