Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ukma.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ukma!red From: red@ukma.UUCP (Red Varth) Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers Subject: Here's another book that needs identification: Message-ID: <776@ukma.UUCP> Date: Tue, 12-Feb-85 16:14:00 EST Article-I.D.: ukma.776 Posted: Tue Feb 12 16:14:00 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Feb-85 01:22:27 EST References: <578@topaz.ARPA> Organization: Univ. of KY Mathematical Sciences Lines: 37 This book starts out about a professor whose wife has left him. He gets depressed one night, and tries to commit suicide. He's saved by his hat. His wife is a nurse, I think. Anyway, his sister comes to visit him (she's had a falling-out with her boss), and ends up living with him for a while. Then she gets kidnapped. The prof just about bankrupts himself trying to track her down, and finally pinpoints her location. Then he gets caught by the same guy who kidnapped her. At this point, the story shift to another person. This guy officially doesn't exist -- he doesn't have the equivalent of a SS number. He's a burglar by profession (and a good one, too). Then he breaks into this apartment, and discovers that the tenant (a woman about 24-26) is trying to commit suicide. [Note: This society has something very similar to the "tasp" from Ringworld, except that anyone can buy one. They call it "wire-heading" in this book] The woman had plugged herself into the wire, and was starving herself to death. The guy unplugs her, and saves her life (she breaks his nose in the process). He performs a little rough psychology on her, and gets her unaddicted to wire-heading. Then she decides that she wants to "get back" at the companies that make the wires. She wants him to help her, and he declines. His reasoning is that a man who doesn't officially exist would be worth a lot of money to those companies. He could do dirty work for them, and no one would every know. Or words to that effect. To make a long story short, he discovers a good bit of his past, and yes, he's the professor. Then he goes on a rampage to rescue his sister. End of story. I don't remember anything about how he did (or didn't) succeed. ***** Any ideas? It's annoying to recall so much of the plot, but not the title or author. Someone suggested "The Steel Rat" (or something like that). I haven't read that, but it doesn't sound familiar. Thanx, Red