Where is it from?

[Andy78]

The only SF writer I can think of with the awards you mentioned who died in the 1990s was Roger Zelazny and the only series of his I've even heard of is The Amber Chronicles - but I've never read any of them.

 

So I'd have to say it's from NIne Princes in Amber **crosses his fingers like mad since he's never read the book**

[Sympathia]

dang, I finally know one and somebody beats me to the punch

[Greg_A]

You have it right Andy - good guess! Looks like it's your turn to stump us again!

[Andy78]

"Parsee," said he to the guide, "you have been serviceable and devoted. I have paid for your service, but not for your devotion. Would you like to have this elephant? He is yours." Edited July 26, 2012 by andy021278

[Zombie]

*jumps up and down excitedly* It's another dead guy!! The ultimate holiday trip Around the World in 80 Days by Mr Verne. I think ... Isn't it?? *begins to have doubts *

[Frostina]

Zombie.

yes, yes it is!

[Zombie]

Heheheh, as a special treat for all you guys I've been blowing the cobwebs off my fusty musty dusty book pile. Which means ... it's by another dead guy

 

"He quickly rattled and clashed through the shingle and gained the sand, upon which, but for the groynes which had to be got over every few yards, the going was both good and quiet. One last look behind, to measure the distance he had made since leaving the ruined Templars' church, showed him a prospect of company on his walk, in the shape of a rather indistinct personage, who seemed to be making great efforts to catch up with him, but made little, if any, progress."

[Andy78]

First, I must say hello to Frosty **waves and big **

 

I know it's from a ghost story but I can't remember which one. I read a collection book earlier in the year and I'm sure this was from one of the stories, but I got the book from my local library it's not one of my own.

 

I'll have to pay a visit to the library tomorrow and see if I can find said musty, dusty, fusty tome

[Frostina]

**waves to Andy**

 

I read it as a collection of horror stories too, BUT it wasnt my book, and i have NO idea where i can find it now... *sigh*

 

**waits for the next quote**

[Andy78]

Frosty does not know the musty, dusty, fusty tome written by the dead guy

 

**goes off to reassess his view of the universe**

[Frostina]

lol. yeah... i'll meet you there, Andy

[Zombie]

OK, let's look at the passage again. All the story elements are there - the guy's walking along a desolate beach all by himself, he's come from the ruins of a church, and ... something ... is now following him. Maybe connected with what happened at the ruined church?

[Andy78]

I do recall the story, I know there was a whistle and Latin was involved somehow, but I is drawing a big blank.

[comicfan]

Okay the whistle now rings bells for me too. I have far too many books. Back to the shelves.

[Zombie]

The whistle rings a bell - hahah, love it

 

And you're both absolutely right - it's all about a whistle. Not one you'd ever want to own, and if you did own it, not one you'd ever, ever want to blow ...

[comicfan]

Thanks to you Zombie, I've been rereading some of my horror collections. Just as I was positive I had to have given the story away I found my box of tattered books that I had bought at the second hand store for quarters. And there it was. Like Frosty said it was in a collection of horror stories.

 

"Oh whistle, and I'll come to you, my lad." By MR James. It was a damn story not a novel. lol. It was also in the box of stuff I was donating so one more day and I wouldn't have had it. Dirty bugger. lol

[Palantir]

Go ahead Comic - we're all waiting for the next one.

[comicfan]

Just wanted to make sure it was correct. Anyway onwards and forwards.

 

 

The catalogue was from Rosen's, Ltd. It was the department store's annual Christmas Wishbook.

It was addressed to Annie.

[Andy78]

I know this one, but only because I read it for the first time over the weekend

 

So I'll let someone else guess.

[Greg_A]

I'm pretty sure that is Magic Kingdom for Sale, Sold! by Terry Brooks

[comicfan]

All yours Greg. One of my favorite stories.

[Greg_A]

Cool! It's been a long time since I read that book so I was hoping I was rembering correctly. Let's try this one:

 

Mass murders are usually all the more shocking because of the unexpected settings and the past charcter of the murderer. The Dalgonian Massacre is a case in point.

[comicfan]

Wow. Not even a blip on my memory. Going to need a clue so I can go hunting for or buying a book.

[Greg_A]

Clues? Already? Man! The author was a prolific sf/fantasy writer and had a tendency to write series. He passed away fairly recently - 2005. This book is from his most well known series, is the first book in the series, and was published in 1977. And as a bit of trivia, he had a passion for ferry boats, was married on one, had some of his ashes spread from one after he passed away, and included them in several of his books. And here are the next few lines of the book:

 

Dalgonia is a barren, rocky planet near a dying sun, bathed only in a ghostly, reddish light, whose beautiful rays create sinister shadows across the rocky crags. Little is left of the Dalgonian atmosphere to suggest that life could ever have happened here; the water is gone or, like the oxygen, now locked deep in the rock. The feeble sun, unable to give more than the deep reddish tint to the landscape, is of no help in illuminating the skyline, which was, despite a bluish haze from the inert elements still present in it, as dark as the shadows. This was a world of ghosts.

 

And it was haunted.

[podga]

An oldie but goody!

 

Midnight at the Well of Souls, by Jack Chalker.