Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels (like Simak)

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In article <2235422d-8139-4843-9af2-6f718afb9116n@googlegroups.com>, artyw2@yahoo.com <artyw2@yahoo.com> wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which
the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange >circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels
(like Simak)

(Hal Heydt)
I can't speak to the Simak-like aspect, but that's not a bad
start to describing Dorothy's "The Interior Life" (originally
published under the pseudonym Catherine Blake).

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On Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 12:15:22 PM UTC-4, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

In article <2235422d-8139-4843...@googlegroups.com>,
art...@yahoo.com <art...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which
the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange >circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels
(like Simak)

(Hal Heydt)
I can't speak to the Simak-like aspect, but that's not a bad
start to describing Dorothy's "The Interior Life" (originally
published under the pseudonym Catherine Blake).

That looks interesting, but perhaps I needed to be more specific about "Current authors". That book was published in 1990. I am looking for books that are likely to be found in the library or local bookstores and have been published in the last decade or
so.

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On 6/1/2023 8:13 AM, artyw2@yahoo.com wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels (like Simak)

"We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse)" by Dennis E. Taylor (published
in 2017)
https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680587/

"Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward
to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies
to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing
the street."

"These Broken Stars" by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner (published in 2014)
https://www.amazon.com/These-Broken-Stars-Amie-Kaufman/dp/1423171217/

"It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe
strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and
plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen are
the only survivors."

"All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (The Murderbot Diaries, 1)" by
Martha Wells (published in 2019, novella)
https://www.amazon.com/All-Systems-Red-Murderbot-Diaries/dp/1250214718/

"All Systems Red tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics.
The main character is a deadly security droid that has bucked its
restrictive programming and is balanced between contemplative
self-discovery and an idle instinct to kill all humans."

Go ahead and buy the first four Murderbot books, you won't be sorry.

https://www.amazon.com/Murderbot-Diaries-Artificial-Condition-Protocol/dp/1250784271/

Lynn

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On 6/1/2023 3:03 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

In article <29377891-161e-4c60-a27c-d35a320b2fedn@googlegroups.com>, artyw2@yahoo.com <artyw2@yahoo.com> wrote:

On Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 12:15:22 PM UTC-4, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

In article <2235422d-8139-4843...@googlegroups.com>,
art...@yahoo.com <art...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which
the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange >>>> circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels
(like Simak)

(Hal Heydt)
I can't speak to the Simak-like aspect, but that's not a bad
start to describing Dorothy's "The Interior Life" (originally
published under the pseudonym Catherine Blake).

That looks interesting, but perhaps I needed to be more specific about
"Current authors". That book was published in 1990. I am looking for
books that are likely to be found in the library or local bookstores and
have been published in the last decade or so.

(Hal Heydt)
It's downloadable from her web site, so availability isn't an
issue.

And Dorothy's website is ?

Lynn

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In article <29377891-161e-4c60-a27c-d35a320b2fedn@googlegroups.com>, artyw2@yahoo.com <artyw2@yahoo.com> wrote:

On Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 12:15:22 PM UTC-4, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

In article <2235422d-8139-4843...@googlegroups.com>,
art...@yahoo.com <art...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which
the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange
circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels
(like Simak)

(Hal Heydt)
I can't speak to the Simak-like aspect, but that's not a bad
start to describing Dorothy's "The Interior Life" (originally
published under the pseudonym Catherine Blake).

That looks interesting, but perhaps I needed to be more specific about >"Current authors". That book was published in 1990. I am looking for
books that are likely to be found in the library or local bookstores and
have been published in the last decade or so.

(Hal Heydt)
It's downloadable from her web site, so availability isn't an
issue.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 6/1/2023 8:13 AM, artyw2@yahoo.com wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels (like Simak)

"Kaiju Preservation Society" by John Scalzi

https://www.amazon.com/Kaiju-Preservation-Society-John-Scalzi/dp/1250878535

"When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a
dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a
delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls “an
animal rights organization.” Tom’s team needs a last-minute grunt to
handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on."

Also, there is Dan's summer 2023 reading list of which this book is #1:
https://best-sci-fi-books.com/summer-2023-science-fiction-reading-list/

Lynn

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In article <u5b198$2t1j9$1@dont-email.me>,
Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

On 6/1/2023 3:03 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

In article <29377891-161e-4c60-a27c-d35a320b2fedn@googlegroups.com>,
artyw2@yahoo.com <artyw2@yahoo.com> wrote:

On Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 12:15:22 PM UTC-4, Dorothy J Heydt wrote: >>>> In article <2235422d-8139-4843...@googlegroups.com>,

art...@yahoo.com <art...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which >>>>> the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in strange >>>>> circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short novels
(like Simak)

(Hal Heydt)
I can't speak to the Simak-like aspect, but that's not a bad
start to describing Dorothy's "The Interior Life" (originally
published under the pseudonym Catherine Blake).

That looks interesting, but perhaps I needed to be more specific about
"Current authors". That book was published in 1990. I am looking for
books that are likely to be found in the library or local bookstores and >>> have been published in the last decade or so.

(Hal Heydt)
It's downloadable from her web site, so availability isn't an
issue.

And Dorothy's website is ?

(Hal Heydt)
www.kithrup.com/~djheydt

Also findable in the Wikipedia entry on her, which is the first
item to come up in a Google search.

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On 2/06/23 01:13, artyw2@yahoo.com wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a current author like Simak in which
the protagonist is a more or less ordinary person caught up in
strange circumstances? Can be fantasy or sci fi. I also prefer short
novels (like Simak)

On Fantastic Fiction, Simak recommends The Three Deaths of Jeremy Case
by Gene DeWeese which appears to meet your criteria.

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