Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!sri-unix!Caro.PA@XEROX.ARPA From: Caro.PA@XEROX.ARPA Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Here's The Plot, What's The Title # 23 Message-ID: <13137@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Tue, 4-Sep-84 14:39:03 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.13137 Posted: Tue Sep 4 14:39:03 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 14-Sep-84 07:57:34 EDT Lines: 37 I personally have not read this book, but my aunt did, so this description is second hand: The story takes place in the future, where resources are scarce. My aunt recalls a description of taking a shower, with a five minute hot water allotment. On an asteroid, some (machine, device, computer) directs adventurous individuals on a random expedition. These expeditions are exploratory. If a valuable astronomical body is found (like a double star), then the adventurers can claim overwhelming rewards. More often that not, however, the adventurers never return alive. The story has a humorous tone. The hero is a bumbler. It turns out that the crew that he gets shipped out with does indeed find a double star, but they have trouble escaping from it's gravitational pull. To get away, they decide to jettison one of the pods of their two pod ship. They put all the heavy unnecessary stuff in one pod, and they climbed into the other ... all but the hero that is. By his clumsiness, he and his girlfriend were stuck in the pod about to be jettisoned. Somehow, by deciding to sacrifice himself and stay in the bad pod, he manages to get his girlfriend over into the good pod. But something happens and the HERO gets saved, and the other pod, with the rest of his crew, gets shot into the middle of the double star. In the end, he feels regret, for he knows that although years have passed for him (he's wealthy now for the discovery), because of the near light acceleration of the other pod, his crewmates are still suffering and have not yet died! Doubtless this description is HIGHLY distorted, having come second hand, ACROSS A LANGUAGE BARRIER (my aunt is German and she can't remember if she read the story in German or English). But if anyone recognizes it, the author and title would be greatly appreciated by Perry