Science Metafiction Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Universe Next Door

"The Universe Next Door" is one of the "Schroedinger's Cat" trilogy, by Robert Anton Wilson, and was first published in 1979.
The "Illuminatus!" trilogy was published both as three separate novels and in omnibus form in 1975.

Answer: His name is Brother

In a modern twist on traditional fairy tales, author John Connolly has the King trying to steal David's baby half brother's heart to prolong his own life. By saying "His name is Brother" and not "Georgie", David stops this from happening.
A similar plot device was used in the 1986 film "Labyrinth" starring David Bowie as the Goblin King.
"The Book of Lost Things" was first published in 2006.

Answer: The Man in the High Castle

"The Man in the High Castle", by Philip K. Dick, was first published in 1962, and won a Hugo Award in 1963.
Within the plot, "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy" is written by Hawthorne Abendsen, who uses the "I-Ching" to help him decide the various plot points. Dick also used the "I-Ching" to write "The Man in the High Castle".

Answer: Dragaera

The first book in the series, "The Phoenix Guards" was first published in 1991. For reasons known only to himself, Brust often gives his work nicknames when he is giving interviews or engaging in online discussion with fans; "Phoenix Soldiers" thus became "Kleenex Soldiers"!

Answer: Jack Spratt

The first book in the series, "The Big Over Easy" (2005) tells the story of Jack Spratt, detective, and his assistant Mary Mary, solving the mystery of what happened to Humpty Dumpty. "Did he fall, or was he pushed?" (Actually he - well, I won't spoil it for you if you haven't read the book, I couldn't be so cruel)
In the second book, "The Fourth Bear", (2006) Goldilocks turns up dead in mysterious circumstances and it is up to Jack and his team to find out the truth...
Some of the characters from the "Nursery Crimes" books cross over both ways with characters from Fforde's "Thursday Next" series too.

Answer: The Einstein Intersection

This book is somewhat unusual in that the protagonist, Lo Lobey, is an alien. His people live amongst ancient ruins and artifacts left behind by the humans who vanished many years before.
As well as the 1967 Nebula award, the novel was nominated for a Hugo in 1968, but did not win, losing out to "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny.

Answer: Illywhacker

"Illywhacker" missed out on the Booker Prize, losing to "The Bone People" by Keri Hulme, but it won the "Victorian Premier's Literary Award: Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction" in 1986 and "The Age Book of the Year Award", in 1985. It was also short-listed for the 1986 World Fantasy Award.

Answer: Vast Active Living Intelligence System

"VALIS" was first published in 1981, and followed by "The Divine Invasion" later that same year. What was to be the third book in the trilogy, "The Owl in Daylight", was unfinished when Dick died.
Dick wrote "VALIS" as a series of conversations and interactions between 'himself' in the form of a narrator called Phil, and a second narrator named Horselover Fat.

Answer: Breakfast of Champions

Kilgore Trout makes an appearance in several of Vonnegut's books, and is also the apparent author of "Venus on the Half-Shell" which was actually written by Philip Jose Farmer in 1975. In 1999, "Breakfast of Champions" was made into a film, and Trout was played by Albert Finney.

Answer: Michael Ende

The original German book by Ende was first published in 1979, and it was translated into English in 1983, by Ralph Manheim. The film "The NeverEnding Story", which has since been followed by several sequels, was first released in 1984.