What Book is This???

[hunter]

Years ago I read a story, might have been a novel or short story about a civilization that has to survive through a recurring cataclysm that forces them to retreat underground every few hundred years while the surface freezes over, including the atmosphere.

Each time they manage to keep a little more of their knowledge and have slowly developed a tech level equal to about 1940's Earth. In this story one side (nation) hatches a plan to awaken during the middle of the freeze period and go forth to plant an atomic weapon in their enemy's sanctuary thereby destroying them before the thaw.

I may have a few plots points slightly off, but that's basically what I remember, other than I think it was a race of avians (no longer capable of flight). The story itself centers on one character and his actions and experiences leading up to and through the freeze.

Does anyone have a clue what I read???

 

[Dragoner]

I don't know, but sounds very similar to the adventure of going to find the Nepalese Royal Family...

 

[far-trader]

The plot sounds very familiar to me too, but I'm not recalling any helpful info. Sorry.

I don't know, but sounds very similar to the adventure of going to find the Nepalese Royal Family...

Was that the adventure in the CT Aliens: Solomani book?

 

[hunter]

The plot sounds very familiar to me too, but I'm not recalling any helpful info. Sorry.

I'm thinking it was a short story in an anthology but I am just not sure.

I distinctly remember one scene where the protagonist is driving a car, meets and helps an old women being hassled by a group of local thugs, his car is later confiscated by the military...

I can remember little bits and pieces but not enough to find it via Google.

This is frustrating!

 

[far-trader]

I distinctly remember one scene where the protagonist is driving a car, meets and helps an old women being hassled by a group of local thugs, his car is later confiscated by the military...

OK, well that scene sounds just like one in the Med Ship shorts anthology I read a few months back. No avians that I recall, at least not in that one. And some of the other plot points might fit other stories in the collection. Could it be you're conflating a couple or more stories from the same book? I can check later and get you the link to the free e-book and the specific story.

This is frustrating!

Sympathize, been there.

 

[hunter]

OK, well that scene sounds just like one in the Med Ship shorts anthology I read a few months back. No avians that I recall, at least not in that one. And some of the other plot points might fit other stories in the collection. Could it be you're conflating a couple or more stories from the same book? I can check later and get you the link to the free e-book and the specific story.

Hmm. I've definitely read some of the Med Ship stuff, but I don't recall this being part of it. But I could well be wrong. Please post the link when you get a chance. I wouldn't mind re-reading those again anyway!

 

[Starviking]

Sounds very much like Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky, in it the native's sun goes through a regular cooling cycle forcing the natives to hibernate underground.

Not a short story though, a hefty tome.

 

[hunter]

Sounds very much like Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky, in it the native's sun goes through a regular cooling cycle forcing the natives to hibernate underground.

Not a short story though, a hefty tome.

Bingo! Thank you very much!

Ok so it was arachnid rather than avian, but that's definitely it. I knew it as soon as I saw the title.

Now to go get it on my Kindle account...

 

[far-trader]

Mystery solved!

I'd been hunting down and re-reading some classics when I found Med Ship a while back in the Baen Books Free Library:

http://www.baen.com/library/books.asp

 

[hunter]

Mystery solved!

I'd been hunting down and re-reading some classics when I found Med Ship a while back in the Baen Books Free Library:

http://www.baen.com/library/books.asp

OOh I'd forgotten about the Baen free library. Thanks for the reminder! The Med Ship books are good stuff. I've finally decided to go digital with my reading via my smart phone. I like having my books available to read at any time no matter where I am

I'm reading the Piers Anthony Bio of a Space Tyrant series again right now. Haven't read them since I was a kid.

 

[aramis]

Don't forget the Baen CD is hosted online at http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/ and has much of the Baen back catalog up for free.

I know it's legit because I found the link originally in Jim Baen's blog on baen.com.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Bubble series by John Ringo off the Cryoburn CD. (I do support Baen... i bought the ARC epub of Cryoburn, plus MIGE and Gripping Hand. Plus some other stuff.)

 

[Peter Schutze]

You guys are nasty .... tell me about a interesting story, link to the baen free library so I get hooked on the series then wonder why Im too busy running to the bookstore grabbing the rest of the series to work on my ultimate traveller campaign for a couple of weeks
:devil:

 

[Blue Ghost]

A series that's somewhat similar are the Helliconia books. I haven't read them in ages.

 

[saundby]

When I read the OP I was thinking maybe a Hal Clement novel. He's got one or two with long climate cycles in them. Then when I saw the Vinge title, it was forehead-slapping time.

Love the Baen Free Library. I'm still buying Baen stuff, but I'm replacing much of what's on my shelves from the 80s and 90s with the free ebooks. Makes me feel even better about my old Baen book subscriptions. Between Baen and PD SF I've already buried two 8GB memory cards, with a third for Traveller.