I've been meaning to ask about one of these, and this thread got me to thinking and I remembered the end of another book. I'll start with that one.
There is some kind of monster that comes through land or mirrors - I can't remember. I just remember that at the end, the main characters - a couple - sleep handcuffed together, he wears a beard because there are no mirrors in their home, and they live in Florida, where the water table is very close to the surface. Those are preventative measures to protect them from whatever the monsters were. The thread about the Doctor Who "Blink" episode reminded me of this one.
The other book begins with a college student. He's supported by some kind of trust fund that ends when he graduates, so he keeps changing his major. The dean (or some college official) isn't pleased that the main character is manipulating the system like that, so he forces the issue and creates a new major that is satisfied by classes this student has already taken, thus throwing him out of college and off the trust. This leads to some kind of adventures that I have no recollection of, but at the end, after the adventures, (I think) he gets the chance to go back to college. This is not "Glory Road," which does have a similar theme.
So, how about it fellow Jatraqueros? Does anyone remember either of these books? I used to be looking for another book, but figured it out - and was able to read it online - around the time I finally was going to post about it. These two have me stumped, though.
Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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The second one sounds like Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny. The only other thing I remember about it is him climbing all over rooftops instead of walking on the street.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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The part I remember about Doorways in the Sand, other than the perpetual student thing, was the part where he got turned mirror-image.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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The first one sounds like The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag, by Robert Heinlein. Does "Sons of the Bird" ring a bell?
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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The first one sounds like the aforementioned Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag. The second is actually a common trope, but I've read it most recently in Pratchett's Moving Pictures.Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Thanks to you all. Doorways and Hoag are correct. I checked Wikipedia with the book titles and my memory is refreshed. Go Hatrack! Posts: 2034 | Registered: Apr 2004
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The second one reminded me of a book called Manhattan Loverboy by Arthur Nersesian. It sounds like you already figured out your book but I recommend mine anyways. Fair warning, it's rather gritty.
Posts: 1572 | Registered: Jan 2004
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