THE BORE

General => The Superdeep Borehole => Topic started by: Rman on April 16, 2009, 02:11:20 PM

Title: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Rman on April 16, 2009, 02:11:20 PM: The story has a male protagonist, who works as a pilot. He finds that he has a stowaway on his spaceship, a young girl. His fuel calculations only allow for one person on the ship for a safe landing to his destination. He unfortunately has to confront the young girl about this and she decides to sacrifice herself.
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: OptimoPeach on April 16, 2009, 02:27:08 PM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cold_Equations
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Rman on April 16, 2009, 02:30:21 PM: Thanks, Yola.
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on April 16, 2009, 03:11:44 PM: dang it I was gonna ID this now my SF cred is busted

well I will settle for repeating the infamous bad joke about the story

you see, it turns out there is a way for the pilot to save the girl

spoiler (click to show/hide)
it's just gonna cost her an arm and a leg
[close]
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on April 16, 2009, 03:14:34 PM: also, if you have enjoyed the description of this story, why not read it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Wonder-Evolution-Hard-SF/dp/0312855095/">The Ascent of Wonder</a> available at fine used booksellers everywhere
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: recursivelyenumerable on April 16, 2009, 03:23:34 PM: iirc there was a Blake's 7 episode version of this
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: TVC15 on April 16, 2009, 03:25:10 PM: Quote from: Synthesizer Patel on April 16, 2009, 03:14:34 PM
also, if you have enjoyed the description of this story, why not read it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Wonder-Evolution-Hard-SF/dp/0312855095/">The Ascent of Wonder</a> available at fine used booksellers everywhere

Or you can avoid fatcat booksellers and read it for free here:

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/13-TheBestofJimBaensUniverseCD/TheBestofJimBaensUniverseCD/The%20World%20Turned%20Upside%20Down/0743498747__19.htm
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Rman on April 16, 2009, 03:27:41 PM: Quote from: Synthesizer Patel on April 16, 2009, 03:11:44 PM
dang it I was gonna ID this now my SF cred is busted

well I will settle for repeating the infamous bad joke about the story

you see, it turns out there is a way for the pilot to save the girl

spoiler (click to show/hide)
it's just gonna cost her an arm and a leg
[close]
Sounds good. I love sci-fi short stories. Well, I love the short story medium immensely, moreso than novels these days.

*Stares at stacks of unread New Yorker magazines :-\
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Howard Alan Treesong on April 16, 2009, 03:33:15 PM: Quote from: TVC 15 on April 16, 2009, 03:25:10 PM
Quote from: Synthesizer Patel on April 16, 2009, 03:14:34 PM
also, if you have enjoyed the description of this story, why not read it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Wonder-Evolution-Hard-SF/dp/0312855095/">The Ascent of Wonder</a> available at fine used booksellers everywhere

Or you can avoid fatcat booksellers and read it for free here:

http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/13-TheBestofJimBaensUniverseCD/TheBestofJimBaensUniverseCD/The%20World%20Turned%20Upside%20Down/0743498747__19.htm

sounds socialist to me
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Eric P on April 16, 2009, 03:48:57 PM: Quote from: Synthesizer Patel on April 16, 2009, 03:14:34 PM
also, if you have enjoyed the description of this story, why not read it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ascent-Wonder-Evolution-Hard-SF/dp/0312855095/">The Ascent of Wonder</a> available at fine used booksellers everywhere

i own this book.

and ever since i bought it, i have been succeeding with women and in my career
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Great Rumbler on April 16, 2009, 04:04:46 PM: I read a scifi story similar [kind of] to the story mentioned in the OP. It's called Rocket Jockey and it's about a huge race through the solar system. The story has a lot of technical stuff like fuel conservation/usage/weight, using the sun to sling-shot, bouncing through the upper atmosphere of Jupiter, and rotating the ship to avoid being cooked by the sun. Pretty good stuff.
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: chronovore on April 17, 2009, 07:05:56 AM: Just figured out that Stanza on iPhone/iPod Touch can access Baen's site and download items from their free book library in Stanza format. WOOOOOT.
Title: Re: Need help identifiying a sci fi short story.
Post by: Cormacaroni on April 17, 2009, 09:54:22 AM: Quote from: chronovore on April 17, 2009, 07:05:56 AM
Just figured out that Stanza on iPhone/iPod Touch can access Baen's site and download items from their free book library in Stanza format. WOOOOOT.

Of course it can. The iPhone can do anything.

:bow iPhone :bow2