(Partly Found) Decades long search; Can you Help with two books?

[Talos]

I became an avid sci-fi reader my sophomore year in high school. My school library had a fair collection but since I was not buying books back then I was a bit lax in recalling book names and their authors. That came later. Anyway, I returned to my old high school almost 20 years later in order to maybe find these books and I discovered that they redesigned the library and many books were gone. There are two books that elude me to this day and I'm hoping someone will be able to help me, or at least enable me to find them.


These two books were written prior to 1982. It's possible maybe even in that year, but I doubt it. They were both Hardback.


Book #1: Author's last name starts with a W I believe and maybe ends with -ski. The book was about Mars and a lost/abandoned civilization. I can't recall all the finer points of the plot but the original inhabitants of Mars went exploring the universe and basically mothballed their planet for their eventual return. While they were gone they came across a paranoid race that later turned up in our solar system and was secretly manipulating Earth. I want to say the main character's name was Jim, but I could be wrong on that. Anyway the book ends by Jim traveling with the returned Martians to earth to help prevent some sort of catastrophe and Earth responds to them with a space fleet to defend Earth. The Martians pull some type of trick (created a holographic space armada) and the Earth force retreats. Jim was initially ashamed at his planet's response but the Martians assure him that they were quite brave.


Book #2: Mankind has gone out into space and has met many new races among the stars. At some point a alien space intelligence becomes a threat to Earth or something and in order to possibly communicate with this alien intelligence a single man is chosen to visit 3 known alien races for physical and mental modifications that take the man further from his humanity. The story is about how he changes and how people treat him as he makes this sacrifice in order to save mankind. The book ends with him making contact with this alien intelligence and of course it's a she and he manages to avert the disaster.


If anyone can help me determine either the author's name of either two books or titles, I can then find the book and see if it's the one(s) from my high school days.


I posted this on Askme.com prior to 2009 and nobody and I mean nobody was able to help me. I hope someone here can help me on this. I have a couple other stories I’d like to get identified, but for now these two are the ones that have bothered me for decades.


Thanks....

Talos

 

[Talos]

After reading 260 other posts trying to help other people, I came across someone else who was looking for my first book. Turns out it is The Secret of the Martian Moons by Donald A. Wollheim.

 

[otistdog]

I want to say that I've seen a reference to another post somewhere not so very long ago, in which someone was looking for your #2. Can you remember anything at all (even tiny or irrelevant-seeming details can make the difference) that would help to track it down? For example:

• What kind of modifications were made to the protagonist?
  
• Did each race make a different modification?
• What were the alien races names, physical description, general character, or location?
• In what manner was the protagonist chosen as the representative?
• In what ways does the treatment of the protagonist change over the story?
• What was the nature of the alien intelligence? Another species, a hive mind, robotic, energy beings, etc.?
• What kind of disaster was expected that was averted?
• Can you recall any snippets of key conversations?
• Can you recall any key events in the plot?
• Can you recall any names or characteristics of the names of any of the aliens or their species?
• Can you recall any distinctive technological elements or names of those elements in the story?

 

[Talos]

My book #1 has been identified. As for Book #2, each of the 3 alien races made modifications. I think the first one was to his body. I think it allowed him to use solar or cosmic radiation as a fuel source and not rely on food. Maybe also allowed him to survive in space. I think the second alien race changed his mind so he could be telepathic and maybe the 3rd changed his perception of the world/universe. The man had to go to each alien race on their planet to get modified. I think one of the races were stone like creatures.

I recall once scene where after his first body modification he was eating with the crew of a ship while being transported to the next alien race and he felt/sensed(?) that his fellow human beings were now distancing him and treating him as an alien. As he progressed along the journey of being modified, he became more disconnected from the human race.

 

[Parson]

The Secret of the Martian Moons by Donald A. Wollheim .... Ah! I remember this book and loved it well when in Jr. High, early 60's.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Closest thing I can think of for book 2 is "Man Plus" by Frederick Pohl. A man gets turned into a cyborg to survive on Mars. It's only when he gets there that his adaptations start to make sense to him.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Talos]

Unfortunately, It's not "Man Plus". I used to own that book. I do recall in that book when the guy had his, um, manhood removed. I just wished I could recall part of the title, but it was before I became a heavy duty sci fi fan.

 

[Danny McG]

My first guess at this ..
Threshold by David Palmer?

 

[Talos]

Alas, it's not Threshold. I did vastly enjoy his book Emergence but both were written after I graduated from High School. The book I'm looking for was written prior to 1982 (At Least), most likely way before that in order for it to find its way to a High School Library.

Just had another memory. I think the author's name came after Heinlein. The book was maybe two more shelves down the alphabet.

 

[northernexposure]

An unlikely guess, since it seems to fit with a little bit of #2: Robert Silverberg, The Man in the Maze.

 

[Talos]

It certainly does have some of the elements and it was written in 1969, but once again, no luck. I do appreciate the help in figuring it out. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[Danny McG]

It reminds me faintly of a Mike Resnick story (title lost to memory!) But I think mine was written way too late

 

[Talos]

It reminds me faintly of a Mike Resnick story (title lost to memory!) But I think mine was written way too late

Thanks for not giving up yet, but you're right, Mike Resnick started too late to be my book.

 

[Danny McG]

The Reassembled Man?
Herbert Kastle (I think)

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

I've got a copy of the Reassembled Man somewhere. He didn't go out into space. He was an alien abductee - turned into a superman with no memories of his abduction - and a recorder of the human condition. It's a porno of a sort.

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Danny McG]

Ok Greg, I just stumbled across a mention of it on another site, couldn't find much info online so took a punt on it.
Could have got lucky, it's happened before in Book Search

Thanks
Dsnny

 

[Talos]

At this point, I think I'm going to need quite a bit of Luck.

 

[Ravensquawk]

It reminds me faintly of a Mike Resnick story (title lost to memory!) But I think mine was written way too late

It reminds you of a Mike Resnick story because it reminded me of a Mike Resnick story -- because there is one, "The Homecoming" by Mike Resnick, whom someone besides me nicknamed "the master tearjerker".
RIP Mike. We miss you.

I mean, it flashed into my mind within 90 milliseconds. And that's probably a too-long estimate.

But it doesn't match the details in the question, the three trips, a trip on which one gradually becomes less human and is distanced, usw..

It does have an elderly father visited by his adult son, who has already been transformed into a tall, fully-human-sized lifeform for, I think, colonizing rather than simply exploring, an exoplanet. The son is on a brief visit before going back. He has faceted insect-like eyes, a proboscis, insect-like limbs, and blue or silver skin.

The entire story takes place inside the parents' home where the son grew up.

They discuss the father's resentment of the son leaving in a much more final way than simply growing up and moving to another continent. ("I have no son.")

His mother has failing health and dementia, and his father is her only caretaker. They both go into her room and talk with her for a while, and the father somewhat makes some small degree of peace with the situation.

It isn't a match for the question details, but it is the kind of story that will linger in your memory in bits and snatches, and cause you to write to boards asking, "What story is this....?", and you will perforce instantly memory-flash on it whenever a similar description arises.

 

[TomMazanec]

Talos, i am so sorry. I read that book a long time ago and did not note the title or author. I think that the race that altered him physically had no sense of pain and was offended when he was hesitant. But his companions explained to the race that he would have to be prepared, and they reminded the race of the high effort required. Even then he was just barely able to survive the transformation.