Name That Book!

[Vraith]

Though to catch your drift I'm striving,
It is shady — it is shady;
I don't see at what you're driving,
Mystic man — mystic man. (words changed!)

NO! not G&S again!
hee.
My hidden clue there, short version, can be summarized as
"Too many words!"
The author has bloat that makes stephen king seem...concise. Or even sparse.

[note too self...when you have unexpected free time, vraith, you are more prone to blather and off-topic towing than your normal [excessive] tendencies.

[Iolanthe]

Ah, but what good words he uses. I like him.

[StevieG]

I'm with Iolanthe! David Copperfield is one of my favourite Dickens books, once I trained myself to read it for the enjoyment of the tangents he goes on. He was also a very good story teller in my opinion, rather than just a good writer.

Anyway, since Vraith is too full of his own clever verbosity to condescend to even name the book and author, I'll put you out of your misery (I hope I have guessed correctly or it will look really bad).

Barnaby Rudge by Dickens?

[Iolanthe]

Quite right, Stevie. Your turn.

[StevieG]

This book deals with addiction, specifically heroin, and achieved considerable acclaim. I personally prefer some of his other novels, but this one was still good.

[I'm Murrin]

Stab in the dark, since this was the first heroin-related thing to pop into my head: Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh?

[Shaun das Schaf]

I'm also taking a stab in the dark - pun which Murrin may or may not have intended fully intended - and going with Luke Davies, Candy.
No no, hang on, I've changed my mind. I'm going with Andrew McGahan and Praise.
No no, hang on, I've changed my mind again. I'm going to bed.

[StevieG]

At 6:30pm? you been into the vodka again Shaun?

It just goes to show that the first thing that pops into one's head can often reap rewards. Murrin is correct! I preferred a sequel called Glue, but anyway...

You're up, Murrin!

[Shaun das Schaf]

At 6:30pm? you been into the vodka again Shaun?

It just goes to show that the first thing that pops into one's head can often reap rewards. Murrin is correct! I preferred a sequel called Glue, but anyway...

You're up, Murrin!

You see, the first thing that popped into my head was, as you rightly surmised, vodka. And yet here I remain, at least in so far as this game is concerned, unrewarded!
If you'd been more literary and less mainstream, I would have received the positive feedback I so richly deserve. Alas, you are as predictable as ever.

So, back to you Muffin. <-- And that right there is my favorite auto correct of the day.

[I'm Murrin]

Please don't let that catch on.


Two men survive a fall from a plane crash, and find themselves changed: One of them now bears a halo, and the other has grown horns.

[Vraith]

Please don't let that catch on.


Two men survive a fall from a plane crash, and find themselves changed: One of them now bears a halo, and the other has grown horns.

that's easy. Rushdie, Satanic.


A post office employee becomes very powerful and disgusting.

[StevieG]

Wild guess time - is it Pratchett?

If not, another clue may be needed

[Vraith]

Wild guess time - is it Pratchett?

If not, another clue may be needed

Heh...I forgot that book...he did become powerful in his way...but not disgusting.

So here's another clue...

An ape evolves and an LA suburb becomes a sinkhole.

[StevieG]

Come on book worms! I'm far too slow a reader to know every book in this thread - but someone has to know this one!

Muffin? Anyone?

[Lefdmae Deemalr Effaeldm]

It's not even that much about slow readers or not - it's about reading what the person who gave the task did. Or using Google/following hints well, though this may not really work with some.

The closest I've seen, though I haven't read it, so I'm really not sure - Robert Rankin, The Educated Ape and Other Wonders of the Worlds. Has an ape, as described in the title, there's a hadron collider, and there's this author's recurring 'A vindictive grudge-bearing wee bastard' postman. Appears to happen in England though.

I think it's not the one we were tasked with... but fits pretty well, particularly taking into account the unusual hints.

[deer of the dawn]

Without a clue. I'm just saying, because I do lurk this game but never seem to have read what you ppl have read.

[I'm Murrin]

I think we may need to forfeit this one and ask for another.

[Vraith]

Hmmm.....okay.

This will probably be too easy for the folk around here, but clue:

A Brit woman wrote a song about this book before she made a deal with God.

[deer of the dawn]

...oops... *delete*

[deer of the dawn]

Kate Bush is the woman. The book is Wuthering Heights?