Looking for title/author of obscure SF novel.

[captainkerker]

Ive read so many sci-fi novels over the years that I often can't remember the names. One such novel I read in high school (at least 15 years ago). I can remember some rather odd specific details and hopefully one of you will recognize it.

The novel takes place in earth's extreme distant future where entropy has caused all of the stars in the sky to "fuse" into one massive bright light that spans the horizon. Modern technology as we know it has been extinguished for millions of years. A young tribal man goes on some kind of quest and encounters, among other things: giant mosquitos which nest in cyst-like pods in the ground, a giant walking skeleton which carries its internal organs in sacks suspended from its rib cage, an ancient intelligent war tank with laser cannon, and at one point looks down into a long abandoned skylight to see what can only be described as santa claus sitting in front of a fireplace (As I recall the author never explains this in depth which I found frustrating). At the end the young man and his girlfriend (somehow) find a way to escape the entropy death back through time into our pre-history and begin the human cycle anew.

If you know this book please tell me!

 

[iansales]

It's a Shaggy God story?

 

[captainkerker]

Kind of. This only happens at the very end and doesn't say exactly (as far as I can remember) when the protagonists end up. *Edit* Most of the story takes place at the "end of time" where the earth will soon be swallowed up by a collapsing universe, which is why it still stands out in my memory *Edit*

 

[captainkerker]

After an exhausting google search I finally stumbled on the right search string. The book I was looking for is Dark is the Sun by Philip Jose Farmer. I also discovered he has a large body of published SF work, so my reading list has exponentially expanded!

*edit* Apparently he also authored the Riverworld series which was made into a cable movie IIRC.

 

[j d worthington]

"A large body" is an understatement. The man's written an enormous amount in the field, and not always under his own name....

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

Well I haven't read all of his work, JD but I enjoyed his "Dayworld" trilogy if you're looking for a start.
Basic premise is that the world is so overpopulated that each citizen is only allowed to "live" 1 day a week. For the other 6 days he goes into suspended animation. Interesting take on the sociological changes which would be needed to make such a system work

 

[j d worthington]

Never quite got around to Dayworld, I'm afraid. Had a rather large selection of Farmer at one time, but it vanished during a move before I'd made much headway into it... and since then I've had the dickens of a time finding most of 'em again! But I do like most of what I've read by Farmer -- thought-provoking, quirky, and often quite well written. And I like the way he plays with our myths and legends....