Help to find a book.

[bwayne64]

I'm trying to find a book I read back in the early 80s. It was a sci fi book, a collection of short stories by various authors. The story I remember was about people living in a virtual world. The main character started to notice glitches in the
" matrix ". Just little things would be off. The color of the sky, static in places he would look. He started to think that the world was not real. To make a short story, shorter, he eventually finds out how to escape the pod or whatever he was in. He climbs oulot through a hatch and sees he's in the middle of a frozen tundra. That's all I can remember. I tend to think that the guys who wrote the matrix movies, might have read this at some point. It has that vibe to it. I really want to read it again. Cause I seem to remember there were other good stories in the book as well. I searched the web for it but no joy. I just know as far as timeline. It was published before 1985. I believe I read it when in the Army. Which was 84 to 87. Its certainly not later than 1990. Hope someone remembers this for me wholesale, ; )

 

[division 6]

I remember there used to be collections of sci fi books, several of them.
I read a few of them when I took sci fi lit in college.
Can't remember the name though.

 

[bwayne64]

I remember there used to be collections of sci fi books, several of them.
I read a few of them when I took sci fi lit in college.
Can't remember the name though.

Yea that's my problem. I can almost see the cover. Hopefully someone will remember it.

 

[Wakeem]

I had a similar book or books in High School with sci-fi short stories by various popular authors. That story sounds kind of familiar but I don't remember that ending.

Was the book hardcover or paperback? The books I remember were all paperback.

By the way, check out the anime Megazone 23 if you haven't seen it. I only saw it fairly recently and the setup and especially stuff around the opening of Part 2 is The Matrix.

 

[bwayne64]

I had a similar book or books in High School with sci-fi short stories by various popular authors. That story sounds kind of familiar but I don't remember that ending.

Was the book hardcover or paperback? The books I remember were all paperback.

By the way, check out the anime Megazone 23 what if you haven't seen it. I only saw it fairly recently and the setup and especially stuff around the opening of Part 2 is The Matrix.

The version I had was a paperback. I don't think I bought a hard cover until the Heir of the Empire. I only bought the hard cover then, because it was there, ; ) I'm not sure but the anthology may have been a collection of Hugo award winners. I don't know what happened to it. I never throw away books. It may have gotten lost in moving.

 

[division 6]

I saw Magazone 23 back in the early 80's.
In Japanese, no subtitles.

 

[Sym-Cha]

Have you tried www.picclick.com with the search for 'Sci-Fi short stories' ... perhaps you recognize the cover from all the books available on ebay

Chaïm

 

[Serenity]

Is it Mirrorshades, a collection of cyberpunk short stories edited by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson? It was published in 1986, and has a story called Simulacra by Rudy Rucker.

 

[bwayne64]

Is it Mirrorshades, a collection of cyberpunk short stories edited by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson? It was published in 1986, and has a story called Simulacra by Rudy Rucker.

Not sure. I'd have to read the story again to see if it's the one. Found the book, But it's pricey. If it has that cover I definitely don't remember it, lol.

Found the online version. I scanned through it, but the story wasn't there. Seems like a few good stories in there, I'll ck it out later.

Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology

 

[Wakeem]

The version I had was a paperback. I don't think I bought a hard cover until the Heir of the Empire. I only bought the hard cover then, because it was there, ; ) I'm not sure but the anthology may have been a collection of Hugo award winners. I don't know what happened to it. I never throw away books. It may have gotten lost in moving.

Let us know if you find it. All of my old books are in storage. But I did recently find a few paperbacks. One of which is titled "50 Short Science Fiction Tales" by Collier Books.

And on a side note, I remember getting that Star Wars hardcover and thinking that it was official just because it was a hardcover. Like that meant more.

I saw Magazone 23 back in the early 80's.
In Japanese, no subtitles.

Old school. I only remember seeing a few like that back in the day. I don't know how I missed Megazone seeing as they tried to pass it off as I think Robotech the Movie. Or some kind of origin Robotech story. They got lucky with Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada working so well. At least to me.

I wish I wasn't late on Megazone because it's difficult finding good posters of Eve. I only found one from the DVD release. I would like to get a good Eve poster from all three parts.

 

[publiusr]

Rucker’s INFINITY AND THE MIND is good non fiction.

I also remember an anthology…a rip-off of Logan’s Run (An evening at Lothar’s?)

 

[CB2001]

Well I know we can rule out Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye. It was published in the 1960s and is not a collection of short stories. Kinda hard to know what other books fall into the description given.

 

[bwayne64]

Well I know we can rule out Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye. It was published in the 1960s and is not a collection of short stories. Kinda hard to know what other books fall into the description given.

Yea, I wish I could remember. I keep getting a " file not found " error, from my old hard drive, when I try to remember ,
; )

 

[Riceball]

Old school. I only remember seeing a few like that back in the day. I don't know how I missed Megazone seeing as they tried to pass it off as I think Robotech the Movie. Or some kind of origin Robotech story. They got lucky with Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada working so well. At least to me.

I wish I wasn't late on Megazone because it's difficult finding good posters of Eve. I only found one from the DVD release. I would like to get a good Eve poster from all three parts.

It wasn't so much being passed off as Robotech the Movie but formed the basis, with bits of Southern Cross for good measure, of Robotech the Movie.

As far as Megazone proper goes, Animeigo was or has remastered the series for release on Blu-Ray. So you might want to do a search for Animeigo Megazone and if you're lucky, it hasn't been released yet and they're still taking orders or it's not been out so long that copies are hard to find and ridiculously expensive.

 

[The Terminator]

ChatGPT also came up with Mirrorshades.

"Based on your description of a collection of short stories where one of them features a virtual world with glitches, it's possible that the book you're looking for is "Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology," edited by Bruce Sterling. This anthology, published in 1986, is a collection of cyberpunk short stories by various authors, and it includes some seminal works in the cyberpunk genre.

One of the stories in "Mirrorshades" is "Burning Chrome" by William Gibson, which is set in a virtual world and features elements similar to what you described. While this may not be the exact story you remember, it's a possibility that you are thinking of a story from this anthology. You can check the book to see if any of the stories match the one you have in mind."


Summary:
"Burning Chrome" is a science fiction short story by William Gibson, first published in 1982 and later included in his collection "Burning Chrome." The story is set in a dystopian future and follows the lives of two computer hackers, Case and Molly, as they navigate the world of cyberspace and cybercriminal activities.

The narrative revolves around Case and his former partner, McCoy, who specialize in hacking into computer systems and stealing information for profit. The story explores themes of technology, cybernetics, and the blurred line between humans and machines. Molly, a character with cybernetic enhancements, assists them in their high-stakes hacking operations.

As the story unfolds, the protagonists become embroiled in a dangerous job involving the theft of a powerful and valuable hacking program known as "Chrome." This program has the potential to unlock immense power and wealth for its possessor, but it also exposes the characters to significant risks, including double-crosses and threats to their own identities.

"Burning Chrome" is renowned for its vivid portrayal of the cyberpunk subculture, its exploration of human-machine interfaces, and the gritty, neon-lit world in which the characters operate. It is a precursor to Gibson's famous novel "Neuromancer" and is considered a classic in the cyberpunk genre for its pioneering depiction of a future where technology and humanity intersect in complex and morally ambiguous ways.

 

[Joseph C. Brown]

If you are willing to sign up with (and read and follow their rules, duh) the Hot Questions - Stack Exchange is scary good about tracking down obscure data. They helped me find the title of an old Bertram Chandler short story awhile back; it may be worth a try.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

"The golden age of science fiction" ??
That has a story called The tunnel under the world, which is something similar to what you describe?

The Tunnel under the World - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[bwayne64]

Thanks guys for all the replies. So far no joy. I'll probably be looking for this thing forever. I wish I had more details. I know that most of the story reads like a soap opera. People just going about their daily lives. Going to work, having cook outs, just everyday life. There are no "cyber" or futuristic elements until the end. Everything seems like a normal suburban life, until the guy starts to notice the glitches. Like the black cat in the Matrix. I can't remember how the guy actually acceses the "real" world. He discovers he's in a pod, and breaks out to the outside world. It ends with him freezing to death in the frozen tundra, outside the facility that houses the pods. Kind of a bummer of a story. But I can't stand that I lost the book. I think there were a few stories that I liked, but can't remember one detail about them. Maybe I dreamed it, or maybe I'm in a pod...... Oh Crap !

 

[publiusr]

Children of Infinity is a nice anthology for young readers.

 

[Joseph C. Brown]

Well, there was a period in the Eighties where Harry Harrison and Martin Greenburg did a boatload of themed anthologies; they were limited run and never reprinted. Used bookstores, Abebooks, and Add All.com are my go-to for hunting these kinda things; I'll keep an eye out!