Trending questions
79,811 questions
3
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Looking for a book for teenagers involving heaven and hell
Likely a modern German book for teenagers.
It's been many years, so I might get details wrong.
Heaven and Hell run on a clear point system.
There is a protagonist (a girl, I think, who was a thief and ...
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8
votes
1
answer
234
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Movie in which a starship is hit by an asteroid and the small crew try to fix the ship to get home
I saw the movie in Germany, in the late 90s or early 2000s.
It is live action, not animation. Practical effects, no CGI as far as I recall.
A starship is on its way to Earth. It is some kind of ...
- 463
17
votes
6
answers
2k
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A "Great Classic", but also very confusing, SF novel about dreams within dreams within dreams (but very different from the movie “Inception”)
I read this SF novel more than 40 years ago. But when I read it, it was already considered a "Great Classic Novel"
I remember being confused when I read it, so you can imagine how confused I ...
- 31.8k
7
votes
0
answers
73
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What do we know about Dawn's role in Seasons 1-4?
Obviously, she doesn't have one because she doesn't exist until "Real Me". But as far as everyone's memories are concerned, she was around the entire time, from Buffy's arrival in Sunnydale ...
- 525
4
votes
1
answer
230
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What book in the Sookie Stackhouse series does Bubba first appear in?
I started reading Dead until Dark hoping to see Bubba the brain-damaged version of vampire Elvis, but I'm past page 200 and he hasn't shown up yet- does anyone know what book he's introduced?
- 31.5k
8
votes
1
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1k
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Why couldn't all assimilees be liberated from the Borg?
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Best of Both Worlds",
Seeing as they now knew how to free people from the Borg, why couldn't the same technique be used on anyone who was ...
- 7,678
9
votes
1
answer
90
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Sci-fi book where a small team in New England develops antigravity [duplicate]
A small team in New England develops antigravity.
The cover had a Piper aircraft with its propellers not moving.
My dad lent it to a friend 20 years ago and it's been driving him crazy since. ...
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17
votes
1
answer
929
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Fantasy story from F&SF Magazine about a djinn, and a sheik's descendants and nation becoming wealthy by water transforming into oil
I’m hoping someone here can help me identify a fantasy story I read sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s. I believe it appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (F&SF), though ...
- 561
20
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Generation ship overtaken by newer technology ship which reaches target planet first
Story about a generation space ship on a multi-millennial journey to possible but primitive home new home planet. Whilst on the journey technology on its original home planet proceeds and a new space ...
- 335
0
votes
0
answers
10
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Manhwa whose protagonist signs up for a game where the missions pay real money
Looking for a long manhwa/manhua — details I remember:
MC signs up for a realistic game/realm and is transported to different places for missions that pay real money.
The missions are life-threatening;...
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5
votes
0
answers
50
views
Fantasy book about a group of people picked from communities all over the kingdom to be trained as elite warriors against another kingdom
I'm looking for the title of a fantasy book I read almost a year ago. The book was based on magic and elements.
A group of people were picked from communities all over the kingdom to come and be ...
- 51
17
votes
1
answer
954
views
Seeking standalone fantasy novel: warrior whose weapons become magical in his hands; guided by a “Blue Woman”; monsters requiring silvered weapons
I read this novel in the 2000s, but it felt older, likely from the 1980s or 1990s, possibly a mass-market fantasy paperback. It was a standalone (not part of a series), with a serious, medieval-...
- 441
5
votes
1
answer
205
views
Why have this character impersonate a Klingon at all?
Certain home video versions of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country featured the character of Starfleet Colonel West, played by Rene Auberjonois, who would later go on to play Odo on Deep Space Nine....
- 21.8k
17
votes
5
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2k
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Which was the first sci-fi story to feature nanobots?
Several books and movies feature Nanobots, like G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009), Big Hero 6 (2014) , Transcendence (2014) , but it's hard (or impossible?) to find any movie or book mentioning the ...
- 6,663
7
votes
1
answer
1k
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What was different about Locutus and Seven compared to other Borg?
We've seen drones act mindlessly many times. Even Hugh, who ultimately did show individuality, started as a mindless drone. However, Locutus was able to speak with more agency, and Seven was nearly a ...
- 10.5k
15
votes
1
answer
959
views
A sci-fi novel about a group of space-borne habitats of varying types and a terror-type attack on one of them
I very vaguely remember this sci-fi book, but some of the details are that there are several space-borne habitats, but each one of the colonies or communities is different in its own way. Some are ...
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5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What does Wolverine mean by he's "the wrong guy" in Deadpool and Wolverine?
In Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), X23 informs Wolverine that they are going to Cassandra's
at sunrise, but he expresses that he doesn't want to get
involved. X23 insists they won't succeed without ...
- 2,859
7
votes
2
answers
440
views
What does the "Save the clock tower" lady want?
At the beginning of Back To The Future there is a lady who approaches Marty and Jennifer trying to raise funds to "Save The Clock Tower".
Mayor Wilson is sponsoring an initiative to replace ...
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votes
0
answers
78
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Has anyone calculated dates for Against the Fall of Night and the City and the Stars? [closed]
This morning (11-19-2025), waking from dreams, I thought about Arthur C. CLarke's novels Against the Fall of Night (1948, 1951, 1953) - not be confused with Lest Darkness Fall (1939, 1941) by L. ...
- 45.5k
10
votes
3
answers
245
views
Where did the drill tank's conical drill come from?
Drill vehicles in reality:
Source: Dallas City News
Look very different than in fiction:
Source: TurboSquid
Which work of fiction popularized this distinctive conical shape and spiral flange?
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1
vote
0
answers
45
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Children’s picture book (likely written for girls) that involves a magical treasure chest? [closed]
I read this book when I was 8 or 10, and I have only a few memories about it. It was a picture book with some text, but it had beautifully illustrations of a young girl who discovered a chest with ...
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11
votes
1
answer
136
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An SF story novel on an Earth invaded by aliens, humans build a spaceship based on nuclear propulsion to fight above the atmosphere [duplicate]
I read this novel at least 30 years ago, but it might have been even older.
After Earth was invaded and mostly controlled by aliens, humanity was stuck to the ground when the aliens completely ...
- 31.8k
15
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What's the oldest example of "dinosaurs from Earth went to space and then evolved to be humanoid"?
The Star Trek: Voyager episode "Distant Origin", aired 30 April 1997, has the Voth, dinosaurs that went into space and then evolved into a humanoid form.
What's the earliest example of that ...
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-5
votes
1
answer
66
views
Which timeline is meant when Paradox says the Time Ripper will start with "this one" in Deadpool & Wolverine?
In Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Paradox is describing the Time Ripper:
The Ripper is fed from a secure chamber below ground. It is powered by twin matter and anti-matter feeds converging inside ...
- 2,859
24
votes
1
answer
1k
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Telepathic plants lure space travellers to a feast
I read this short in the '90s, in either a general SF anthology or a collection of stories from the same author. I can remember a lot of details but none of them turn up in search, so it might not be ...
15
votes
0
answers
101
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Does anyone know the title of a book about a psychic alien living on a planet with very strong winds who is forced to travel around the world?
I read this book over a decade ago, quite possibly over two decades ago. The main character is a psychic/telepathic alien (possibly something otter-like; she at least had four legs and quite possibly ...
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-2
votes
1
answer
149
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What "keys" is Deadpool referring to?
Cassandra Nova goes through Mr. Paradox's face with her hands
while Deadpool and Wolverine are watching it:
Cassandra (says to Paradox): What's this? A Time Ripper? Naughty boy.
Deadpool: Oh, no. We'...
- 2,859
7
votes
1
answer
551
views
Book involving a scorpion-like alien which attaches itself to the main character's neck
I'm looking for a book I read in a school library about a scorpion-like alien. The aliens were kinda parasitic and attached themselves to the main character's neck. I remember he went to space and ...
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Woman from future describes dystopian society
What SF novel has this plot?
A small woman with amnesia appears in the present-day.
A man, who has a background in therapy and who becomes her lover, takes her in and tries to help her recover her ...
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3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What's the meaning of this hand gesture here?
Nicepool describes about Ladypool:
Nicepool: Oh, my goodness. Wait till you see Ladypool.
She is gorgeous. She just had a baby too. And...
(He's waving his hands as if his bottom half is gone)
...
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13
votes
1
answer
555
views
Fantasy trilogy published in the 1970s or 1980s. Female author - The 'Time Lord Trilogy'?
The books were published around the late 70s I think or the 80s? The author is female and I thought they were called the Time Lord Trilogy? It started off with a man washes up on the shore of I think ...
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votes
0
answers
57
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Is not "fear actually "confirmation" of an expected outcome? Since we don't know the future/result we fear the situation [closed]
Most readers would have experienced a fearful situation in their own life. How did you deal with it? Was "the litany" helpful, or would it have been?
16
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3
answers
1k
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Science fiction short story with duodecimal measurements in technical specification
I once read a short story of an alien stranded on Earth and has its craft examined by human scientists who then discovered that all measurements are in duodecimal (base 12). Or maybe it was an ...
- 1,745
6
votes
1
answer
2k
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What did Tom Riddle pursue after finishing school?
In Chamber of Secrets, we learned that the chamber was opened 50 years ago. At that time, Tom Riddle was still in school at Hogwarts.
From the perspective of Chamber of Secrets, Voldemort lost his ...
- 118k
10
votes
1
answer
182
views
Time travel story where a man goes to rob an Egyptian tomb, but meets his earlier self and kills him
I want to find this story in a classic comic. I read a reprint of it. The original might be from the 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s.
A man travels back in time to rob an Egyptian tomb before it gets buried by ...
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5
votes
0
answers
149
views
Comic that starts with Psylocke or Jean Grey fighting Sentinels in a training simulation and getting help from Beast or Cyclops
I had this comic, which was lost, so I have a very vague memory of it. It's maybe an X-Men (most likely) or Fantastic Four one where it starts with Psylocke or Jean Grey in a simulated training room ...
- 51
-6
votes
1
answer
92
views
What does Deadpool mean by "God-awful dismount" after the Deadpool Corps fight?
In Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Deadpool and Wolverine finish the long shot of killing multiple Deadpools from the Deadpool Corps:
Deadpool: Come on. Oh, I blew it. After all that, the only thing ...
- 2,859
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votes
0
answers
92
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Should not Frodo and Sam have expected spider(s)? [closed]
The hobbits live in a world in which there are all kinds of fell and supernatural beasts. They themselves have either been or witnessed trees trying to trap and consume them, ghosts, invisible ...
26
votes
1
answer
2k
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Story of an intelligent race of robots that evolved after millennia on an icy moon in our solar system
I remember reading this as a teenager in the 80s and it was a very fascinating book.
The story was that thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands of years ago an alien robotic probe consisting of ...
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-1
votes
1
answer
150
views
Why is there a contradiction in Zora's statement in this scene?
In Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), Zora describes the extreme difficulty of the mission—the fast, rocking boat and
the need to get face-to-face with the Mosasaur. Intimidated, Dr. Loomis immediately
...
- 2,859
7
votes
1
answer
669
views
Book in which a woman went through a mirror and found herself in a medieval castle back in time
Looking for the name of a time traveling book from the 90s/early 2000s.
I believe the cover of the book had a woman looking in a long mirror, and she saw a pack of wolves running in the snow. She ...
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17
votes
2
answers
2k
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What is the earliest work of SF to mention a concern about time travel causing unintended space travel
Answers to the off-topic question How does time travel take into account the rotation/revolution of the Earth? mention several stories in which this issue is discussed. Asimov's The End of Eternity ...
- 77.3k
9
votes
1
answer
1k
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What was Gen 1 Shockwave's alternate form?
The Decepticon Shockwave from the cartoon of the 80's- does anyone know/remember what kind of vehicle or device he transformed into?
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0
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74
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How did Turgon's engines of war sustain the rate of fire? [closed]
In The Fall of Gondolin, p. 79, it states:
Then the engines and catapults of the king poured darts and boulders and molten metals on these ruthless beasts
The "ruthless beasts" refer to ...
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6
votes
0
answers
44
views
70s or 80s story about astronauts versus insectoid tentacled robots bathed in light - magazine-sized graphic novel in color - dark and intense
Late 70s or early-to-mid 80s illustrated story with astronauts on a spaceship trying to escape or combat these bug-like and tentacled mechanical aliens (or spaceghosts) that are bathed in light or ...
- 61
10
votes
0
answers
99
views
Short story(?) about getting forbidden knowledge in a dream
A recent question about damage from dreams making its way to the waking world (duplicate of Classic short story about a recurring dream of approaching death) reminded me of a children's short story ...
- 1,776
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What's the meaning of "Sling Blade" movie reference?
In Void scene from Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Gambit speaks to Deadpool:
Gambit: The name's Remy LeBeau, Le Diable Blanc.
But you can call me the Gambit.
Deadpool: It's been a while since I've ...
- 2,859
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
1980-90s movie about Japan taking over the USA
I remember the following from watching TV in the 1990s. I don't know if it was a movie or an episode of a TV show.
It was about Japan taking over the USA (but I can't remember whether it was ...
- 283
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Landing at a ghost airfield where pilots of both sides greet you
There is a short story about a wartime pilot who flies into the clouds and sights a ghost airfield (although he doesn't realize it's a ghost airfield) where pilots of both sides have landed and are ...
- 409
7
votes
1
answer
162
views
Why was "Have You Ever Seen Rain" used in the SG-1 series finale?
The series finale of Stargate SG-1, "Unending", includes a montage set to the song "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" by Credence Clearwater Revival, depicting the passage of time on ...
- 525