Looking for the NAME of a book...

[Schteveo]

I don't remember much about it, but here's some of what I do remember.

The main character was a P.I. or college prof, OR BOTH.

His 'best friend' was a ghost who couldn't remember who he'd been when alive.

It seems to me, that for some reason, 'mythological' or supernatural creatures are, for some reason, alive in this place. But it wasn't always like that. I do remember that the term 'speed demon' is actually something that is on the highway and must be watched for.

Near the end of the book, William Shakespeare is in with the main characters, and when he starts talking, the 'ghost' realizes that he IS Shakespeare's ghost.

Let me say a couple things.

I read this, maybe, 35 to 40 years ago.

I did do drugs then, but this isn't a hallucination, I remember the book, semi-well.

And I keep thinking this is a Clifford Simak book.

Last but not least, I think the old comic strip character Alley Oop was a minor character in the book.

Hey, I told you I used to get buzzed! But I swear I remember this as I've written it.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

The Goblin Reservation, Clifford Simak. A fun read.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[The Judge]

I don't know the book myself, but it looks like psychotick has nailed it for you. In any event, I'll move this across to Book Search, in case other denizens of that secret cavern can corroborate and/or give their own thoughts.

 

[JunkMonkey]

I second the Goblin Reservation

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I have a copy of the book. Alley Oop was a neanderthal brought into the present by the College of Time and one who had then gone on to gain a PhD and was intent on proving that neanderthal's were actually as smart as if not smarter than cro mags.

The ghost was Will Shakespears ghost, but the College of Time had gone to war (of words mostly) with the College of Literature, and brought the bard back to the present promising to help him with his teeth. But Bill was causing a ruckus by confessing that he wasn't the bard at all only a humble butcher mislabelled by history.

Little people, goblins had been brought back from the past as well - apparently they were around about the same time as neanderthals and Alley Oop remembered them as nuisances and plagues.

But the story all revolved about the artifact as I recall, which had been brought back from the past and which no one knew anything about. It was in fact an egg, and somehow - I forget how - our hero managed to start it hatching, so that the last dragon ever born would be born on Earth.

The baddies were a race of hive like insects that wandered around in synthetic wheeled bodies, and which had once been the servants of the ancients. They wanted the egg because after they had left Earth long before to set up their own empire among the stars, they still hadn't got over the stigma of having been servants.And the dragons were the pets of the ancients. They wanted to claim it as some sort of statement that they were no longer servants but masters.

Say what you will Simak wrote some damned good books with some wonderful ideas.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Schteveo]

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

The only thing that sucks, is that the 'cheapest' copy I can find is used, for over $3.00!!!

And there is NO Kindle version.