|
Well World
The Well World series is a series of science fiction novels by Jack L. Chalker. It involves a planet-sized supercomputer known as the Well of Souls that builds our reality on top of an underlying one of greater complexity but smaller size. The computer was built by a now-extinct race, the Markovians, who developed the Well of Souls with the goal of creating a new species that would transcend their own. The Well World is the planet that houses the Well of Souls, and it exists within the original Markovian reality. Its surface was used as an experimental site where the Markovians tested their species designs before sending the successful ones into the new universe to populate planets. Humans are one of many such designed species who now live in the "real" world. During the time period of the novels, the Well World has been abandoned and left on its own for an unknown length of time. The books mainly follow a mysterious character known as Nathan Brazil, who has an (initially) unkno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack L Chalker
Jack Laurence Chalker (December 17, 1944 – February 11, 2005) was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring during 1978 to write full-time. He also was a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Career and family life Chalker was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake; he attended high school at the Baltimore City College. Chalker earned a BA degree in English from Towson University in Towson, Maryland, where he was a theater critic for the school newspaper, The Towerlight. During 2003, Towson University named Chalker their Liberal Arts Alumnus of the Year. He received a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Chalker intended to become a lawyer, but financial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yeti
The Yeti ()"Yeti" ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. is an ape-like creature purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. In western popular culture, the creature is commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman. Many dubious articles have been offered in an attempt to prove the existence of the Yeti, including Anecdotal evidence, anecdotal visual sightings, disputed video recordings, photographs, and plaster casts of large footprints. Some of these are speculated or known to be hoaxes. Folklore studies, Folklorists trace the origin of the Yeti to a combination of factors including Sherpa people, Sherpa folklore and misidentified fauna such as Himalayan brown bear, bear or yak. The Yeti is commonly compared to Bigfoot of North America, as the two subjects often have similar physical descriptions. ...
|
Fiction About Shapeshifting
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditional narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose often referring specifically to novels, novellas, and short stories. More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games. Definition Typically, the fictionality of a work is publicly marketed and so the audience expects the work to deviate in some ways from the real world rather than presenting, for instance, only factually accurate portrayals or characters who are actual people. Because fiction is generally understood to not fully adhere to the real world, the themes and context of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Artificial Life In Fiction
Artificiality (the state of being artificial or manmade) is the state of being the product of intentional human manufacture, rather than occurring naturally through processes not involving or requiring human activity. Connotations Artificiality often carries with it the implication of being false, counterfeit, or deceptive. The philosopher Aristotle wrote in his ''Rhetoric'': However, artificiality does not necessarily have a negative connotation, as it may also reflect the ability of humans to replicate forms or functions arising in nature, as with an artificial heart or artificial intelligence. Political scientist and artificial intelligence expert Herbert A. Simon observes that "some artificial things are imitations of things in nature, and the imitation may use either the same basic materials as those in the natural object or quite different materials.Herbert A. Simon, ''The Sciences of the Artificial'' (1996), p. 4. Simon distinguishes between the artificial and the synthe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers
''Twentieth-Century Science-Fiction Writers'' is a book by Curtis C. Smith published in October 1981 on science fiction authors in the 20th century. It is the third in the St. Martin's Press's ''Twentieth-Century Writers of the English Language'' series with the others being ''Twentieth-Century Crime and Mystery Writers'' and ''Twentieth-Century Children's Writers''. Background Curtis C. Smith (Associate Professor of Humanities at University of Houston–Clear Lake in Clear Lake City) worked on the book for more than three years assisted by 20 advisers and 146 contributors. All living authors were sent a questionnaire for biographical information and that information was cross-checked. Content In the first edition, there are 540 entries for Anglo-American writers, 35 additional foreign language writers, and five "major fantasy writers." Anglo-American writer entries contain a biographical sketch besides including the address of the author or sometimes their literary agent. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greenwood Publishing Group
Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. (GPG), also known as ABC-Clio/Greenwood (stylized ABC-CLIO/Greenwood), is an educational and academic publisher (middle school through university level) which is today part of ABC-Clio. Established in 1967 as Greenwood Press, Inc. and based in Westport, Connecticut, GPG publishes reference works under its Greenwood Press imprint, and scholarly, professional, and general interest books under its related imprint, Praeger Publishers (). Also part of GPG is Libraries Unlimited, which publishes professional works for librarians and teachers. History 1967–1999 The company was founded as Greenwood Press, Inc. in 1967 by Harold Mason, a librarian and antiquarian bookseller, and Harold Schwartz who had a background in trade publishing. Based in Greenwood, New York, the company initially focused on reprinting out-of-print works, particularly titles listed in the American Library Association's first edition of ''Books for College Libraries'' (1967), unde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost Of The Well Of Souls
''Ghost of the Well of Souls'' is the tenth and final novel in the Well of Souls series by American author Jack L. Chalker Jack Laurence Chalker (December 17, 1944 – February 11, 2005) was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring during 1978 to write full-time. He also was a m .... It concludes the narrative begun in '' The Sea is Full of Stars''. External links * Ghost of the Well of Soulsat Worlds Without End 2000 American novels 2000 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Novels by Jack L. Chalker Del Rey books {{2000s-sf-novel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twilight At The Well Of Souls
''Twilight at the Well of Souls'' is the fifth novel in the Well of Souls series by American author Jack L. Chalker. It is a science fiction novel. ''Twilight at the Well of Souls'' concludes the narrative begun in the fourth book, ''The Return of Nathan Brazil''. Plot summary The plot of ''Twilight at the Well of Souls'' is a direct continuation of the plot of ''The Return of Nathan Brazil''. As that novel concludes, guards at the South Zone of the Well World have killed Nathan Brazil. Or have they? As ''Twilight at the Well of Souls'' opens, it turns out that Brazil is not killed so easily. Yet another being carrying Brazil's appearance is shot down by the guards, and the leader of Zone, Serge Ortega, is informed that the latest victim is the 27th of the current day. Ortega reveals that he has deduced that Brazil had actually entered several weeks before, even arriving prior to his companions Mavra Chang, Marquoz, and Yua (all of whom had been led to believe that Brazil had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Return Of Nathan Brazil
''The Return of Nathan Brazil'' is the fourth book in the Well of Souls series by American author Jack L. Chalker. Plot summary A viral species named the Dreel, originating from outside the Milky Way galaxy, invades human territory. The central human government, known as the Com, attempts to fight back, but finds that their resources are inadequate to repel the invaders. In desperation, the records of the work of Gilgram Zinder (who had discovered the superimposed Markovian reality and built the sentient supercomputer Obie to manipulate it) are unsealed and his work is reproduced. Lacking the time to develop the technology fully, the Com builds ships called Zinder Nullifiers, which simply erase the contents of the space that they are pointed at. When they make the final stand against the Dreel invasion fleet, the Nullifiers are switched on and left on, obliterating the Dreel fleet. However, something unexpected then occurs, as the void in space begins to grow, erasing ever ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quest For The Well Of Souls
''Quest for the Well of Souls'' is the third book in the Well of Souls series by the American author Jack L. Chalker, and completes the Wars of the Well World duology begun with ''Exiles at the Well of Souls''. A foreword by Chalker indicates that Quest and Exiles were originally conceived as a single book, but due to the decision to split them, Quest was written to be readable as a standalone novel. Plot summary In ''Exiles at the Well of Souls'', Mavra Chang was captured by the Olborn, who use magical stones to convert beings into beasts of burden. The Olborn were interrupted partway through transforming Chang, leaving her partially transformed. Eleven years later, Chang remains an involuntary guest in the native hex of the human equivalents on the Well, Glathriel. After multiple attempts to escape, she has been reconditioned to accept her existence, and a maimed Glathrielite, Joshi, has undergone a similar partial transformation in Olborn to serve as a companion for Mavra. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exiles At The Well Of Souls
''Exiles at the Well of Souls'' is the second book in the Well of Souls series by American author Jack L. Chalker. Originally intended to be one book, the story was split into ''Exiles'' and ''Quest for the Well of Souls ''Quest for the Well of Souls'' is the third book in the Well of Souls series by the American author Jack L. Chalker, and completes the Wars of the Well World duology begun with ''Exiles at the Well of Souls''. A foreword by Chalker indicates tha ...'' forming a duology. Plot summary Scientist Gilgram Zinder has finally decoded the ancient Markovian physics that controls our universe. Corrupt politician and drug dealer Antor Trelig is aware of Zinder's work through the efforts of Zinder's assistant, Ben Yulin. Trelig takes Zinder's daughter hostage and forces Zinder and Yulin to build a computer that can control the Markovian forces, like the dead Markovian computers that have been found on some planets. Zinder and Yulin construct "Obie", a sentient supercompu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
