This has been a long-standing question for me. Twenty three years ago,
I read a book in the school library with a protagonist named "Stark",
which, the book explained, is German for "strong". The writing style
is filled with puns. For example, one scene occurs near a
"pome-grenade" tree, which has exploding fruits. When I later read
Piers Anthony's Xanth series, I thought maybe I had found the book,
but alas, no.
Since bobbie7 did such a superb job with "The Haunting", I thought I'd
give this place a crack. I've set the price at $20 because I know it's
obscure. I've asked a number of children's librarians, bookstores
(including Other Change of Hobbit in Berkeley and Powell's in
Portland), and in a relevant forum on Slashdot, all with no success.
If you guys find it, I will be impressed! |
Request for Question Clarification by
leli-ga
on
30 Oct 2002 03:22 PST
Hi
I've found one possibility although no information on puns or
exploding fruit - but the main character is Larry Stark.
Here are some comments that should help decide if I've got your book:
"a work of nonstop excitement, courage, and conscience that takes us
from the perils of deep space to terror on a jungle planet of
dinosaurs--and revolution..."
"Larry Stark's life is the Patrol--until he's ordered to smash the
freedom fighters on colony world Alpha C IV, as his own shipmates
desert to join the rebellion..... Alone on an alien world, Stark must
choose sides...or be marked for death--"
Does this sound like your book? If not, can you help us out with any
more details about the type of book? Fantasy? (You mentioned Piers
Anthony) Age group that would enjoy it? Storyline?
If it is, please let me know and I'll be happy to write up a full
answer for you.
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Clarification of Question by
raphlevien-ga
on
30 Oct 2002 11:39 PST
Ok, I'll try to fill in as much detail as I remember. It's definitely
not the Larry Stark one.
As I recall, it's an adventure quest for kids. I'm pretty sure that
the protagonist is taken in by his uncle from a young age, possibly
because some disaster befalls his parents. I think "fantasy" would be
the most likely category - I don't remember any overtly
science-fictional aspects.
Another scene I half-remember occurs in a train car, where the
protagonist is very embarrased and unsure of himself in the presence
of a girl (as remembered, a couple of years older than him). He is
mortified that she might see his underwear.
I believe I checked the book out of the library of Highland High
School in Monterey, Virginia. As I said, I expect it was in 1979.
I wonder if maybe Neal Stephenson read the same book and was inspired,
either consciously or unconsciously. I've met Neal (he was at a
cypherpunks gathering while working on Cryptonomicon), so maybe could
try asking him if he remembers any such thing.
I'm sorry I don't remember any more of the details, particularly the
storyline. Thanks for your effort so far. Happy hunting!
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
30 Oct 2002 19:43 PST
I've located this description of a book that sounds similar to your
book:
"The book tells the story of a young boy and his uncle(?) and the
strange, Alice-in-Wonderland type adventures they have, including
meeting a female equivalent of Tarzan in a jungle populated by
landwhales. For some reason, the fact that they were fond of drinking
raspberry vinegar has stuck with me."
Does any of this sound familiar?
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Clarification of Question by
raphlevien-ga
on
31 Oct 2002 15:29 PST
It's entirely possible this is the book, as is the case with "How to
Become King" (or, perhaps, they're one and the same). But my memory is
so vague, the only way to know for sure is to read the book.
In any case, I'm satisfied with the thoroughness of the search, so
please go ahead and post it as an Answer. Thanks!
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
31 Oct 2002 18:49 PST
Hi.
The book that I'm referring to is "The 35th of May" by Erich Kastner.
It's apparently a wacky fantasy story featuring a boy and his uncle. I
haven't been able to verify the inclusion of the name "Stork" in the
story, though. However, the book was translated into English from
German, so it seems possible that it could include the part that you
remember about an explanation that "Stork" is German for "strong."
At this point, though, I don't have enough confidence that it's the
right book to post it as an official answer. I'd rather leave the
question open to give other researchers the opportunity to answer the
question if Kastner's book is not the right one. In the meantime, I'll
try to see if I can find out more information about "The 35th of May."
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Request for Question Clarification by
juggler-ga
on
31 Oct 2002 19:15 PST
I meant to say "Stark" rather than "Stork." Sorry about that.
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