(Found) Trying again: Detective chases kidnapper in spaceship

[otistdog]

FYI for anyone coming across this thread: This question was reposted in 2016 at Trying again: Detective chases kidnapper in spaceship, and the new post has additional discussion.

 

[otistdog]

A bit of a long shot, and I haven't read it, but on another site a story called "The Cabinet of Oliver Naylor" came up that seems to have some elements in common. Per ISFDB, it did appear in some "best of" collections in the time frame that you mentioned (The World's Best SF. 4 in 1980 and Wollheim's World's Best SF: Series Six in 1982).

The specific elements that made me recall your question are the sense of a Victorian society, pursuit of a criminal through space, and the protagonist being stranded in a dissolving universe at the story's end.

Please do let us know if this is it or not.

 

[otistdog]

FYI for anyone coming across this thread: This question was reposted in 2016 at Trying again: Detective chases kidnapper in spaceship, and the new post has additional discussion.

 

[otistdog]

FYI for anyone coming across this thread: This question was reposted in 2016 at Trying again: Detective chases kidnapper in spaceship, and the new post has additional discussion.

 

[otistdog]

FYI for anyone coming across this thread: This question was reposted in 2016 at Trying again: Detective chases kidnapper in spaceship, and the new post has additional discussion.

 

[otistdog]

FYI for anyone coming across this thread: This question was reposted in 2016 at Trying again: Detective chases kidnapper in spaceship, and the new post has additional discussion.

 

[otistdog]

P.S. I think I found all five of your previous posts about this story and have linked them to this one. You've been looking for a long time! If there are any other posts about it that I've missed, may I suggest that you link them to here, as well? Also, since this post seems to have the most details about it, you may consider just updating this thread with new information instead of reposting it as another question in the future.

 

[northernexposure]

I logged in today for the first time in months and found that you have - at last! - identified the story:"The Cabinet of Oliver Naylor." I reviewed it on a site and had mis-remembered a bunch, but what the hell, I can now sit down and read it slowly again. Thank you!

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I follow the Book Search posts hoping to help (rarely can I), but that was amazing work, otistdog! Awesome job. I hope you have a great time reading your story, northernexposure.

 

[Danny McG]

Well done otistdog
Kudos!

 

[Parson]

That's dedication! Well done @otistdog!

 

[otistdog]

More luck than skill, I'm afraid, as far as "finding" it goes. Like I said, it came up at another site, and I only had to remember that someone here was looking for a story that sounded similar.

So glad that it was the right story, though! It's always a pleasure to know that someone is a little bit happier because of something that one has done.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

It's too modern and the plot doesn't quite match, but could this be the start of the Gap series by Stephen Donaldson?

Cheers, Greg.

 

[dask]

By Barrington J. Bayley. No wonder it stirred up so much activity.

 

[Dave]

I have merged together all of these threads to prevent people continuing to look for a book that has now been found.

Anyone reading this who thinking that re-posting the same query will get it more exposure, then I think you can see that replying to the existing thread brings the best results as you build upon the information already supplied and stop the same wrong guesses being made.

Anyone interested in reading the book, then there is a free PDF download here: The Cabinet of Oliver Naylor - PDF Free Download