robert sheckley

I am looking for the Title and Author of a beloved SF novel that my wife accidentally disposed of and wish to find again. The novel is about a person who wins an intergalactic Prize. The Prize is a sentient thing that grants “wishes” by moving you to alternate realities. The Prize is an...

I'm looking for an SF short story from the 1980's; plotline involves a group of young aliens going through a rite of adulthood that involves hunting down a human and bringing back its skin. At one point they either imitate or use a captured human woman to call for help to draw in their human...

I recall reading a short story back in the early to mid 80's in a school text book for a fiction class. The premise was there was a ship, I believe it was sentient or at least parts of it were and it somehow had a boy aboard it. They called him the new "pusher" signifying he was an engine of...

This futuristic short story (which may have been in a dusty pre (or much older) 1990s sci fi collection/anthology (Hardback)) is about a man who has a manservant android that is said to resemble the actor Leslie Howard. They have a brief talk and the man meets his (new?) mate or girlfriend whom...

Hello, this was read in a collection of similar stories, the main character is wealthy/connected and having a discussion with another man about either deformities or a law change where those that don't appear fully human (?) will be affected. They seem to weigh the pros and cons. The shock...

New member here. Looking for the title of a short story, perhaps by Silverberg, but not sure, and I can't locate it in my collection. Back in the 1970s I read a short story in an anthology about a spaceship crewed by many different alien species, including a single human. When that human...

I'm trying to remember the name and author of a short story I read back in the late 1970s. Two men land on a planet. With the exception of one small island, the planet is covered completely by a shallow ocean only a few feet deep. They have a robotic boat they plan use on the planet. But when...

Short story, 1960's probably in SF&F. A pair of explorers are dropped on a windy planet. The locals are built like sails, they sail about happily on the land. The explorers have a rough time, even in their reinforced dome- boulders are flying around, very windy! They're just barely hanging on...

Mindswap Robert Scheckley Orb, Jun 2006, $14.95 ISBN: 0765315602 In Stanhope, New York Marvin Flynn dreams of seeing the universe, but to go off planet costs money so either you are wealthy, you settle on MINDSWAP with a like minded person or you stay home. When he read the ad to swap bodies...

I love Sheckley's laconic style, which makes the absolutely amazing seem simply matter-of-fact. Although I'm a great fan of his novels, I personally think Sheckley's true genius shines more brightly in his short stories. My all-time favourite is "Specialist", which I read MANY years ago as a...

I am desperately searching for info on two stories I read as a teen in the mid 1960s. I believe they were in an anthology of sf stories, but I cannot recall the name of the book(s) nor the author nor the titles. I do, however, remember two plots as clearly as 50 years ago. If anyone can help...

The story is about a ship crashing on a planet. The passengers are made up of several different aliens. They all have in common telepathy. Each species with more or less telepathy strength. At the end of the story, its revealed that they are on good old earth. I have been searching this book...

Hi guys, registered here after searching online with no luck. Trying to remember two short stories I read years ago. The first is todl from the point of view of an alien, their species are toroid and their circulation uses gravity, so they never stop moving. if I remember correctly, he finds a...

Any help in solving this mystery will be much appreciated. I am trying to find the title, author and possibly the actual book. My dad borrowed a yellow hard back from our library in Blackburn in the very late 70's. It was a collection of short stories all under one title, The People Planet, I...

Alright, so I have another. This one involves the main character in a, somewhat, futuristic world where people can voluntarily place themselves in suicide "machines" if they chose to do so, and said machines are displayed publicly, since they are nothing more than small kiosks in which the user...

Read this some 10-15 years ago, it was presumably written by an American author in late 60s or thereabouts. The plot followed a man affected by virulently transmitted schizophrenia and/or multiple personality disorder, whose various personalities had been split off and given their own...

I used to own a used book store, and spent my slow times reading Science Fiction, most of which then found its way onto the shelves. Unfortunately . . . I would now like to re-read some of those books, but can't recall the authors/titles. There are two I'd like to find: First, a novel about a...

Greetings I am searching for the title and author of a sci fi book about armegheddon and making building robots to fight the devil's minions, the robots win, and God returns and takes all the robots to heaven. I read it years and years ago but can't remember the name or author for the life of...

Hello. I'm looking for the title and/or author of a short story I read back in the 60's. In the story a ship was recovering from a collision with a metorite. The ship was "alive". The hull and walls had stiffened and moved to brace for the impact. After the impact, the walls with the help of...

Looking into the subject of humor in sci fi from another thread, I found this article on Scifi.com http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue352/interview.html aside from humor, he's got some very interesting thoughts on life...