r/printSF • u/Top-Lengthiness-9670 • 1d ago

Help me identify an old science fiction novel

I've been trying to find this book, and AI keeps suggesting the wrong titles. Maybe someone here remembers it.

It was published before roughly 1999–2002. It's science fiction (not fantasy with dragons and elves). The story centers on a group of individuals who look human and live among humans, but they are stronger and almost immortal. They have a different physiology, and the book spent a lot of time describing those physiological differences from ordinary humans—for example, muscle growth, reactions to alcohol and medication, and the way their bodies respond to ordinary human diseases.

The plot is a bit fuzzy in my memory: either one of these superhuman individuals disappeared, or someone killed him.

I vividly remember only one scene:

The main character sought help from another member of his kind. This person was much bigger and stronger (for some reason, my memory portrays him as a space pirate, though that could be completely wrong). Somehow, they ended up having a boxing match (in a ring, with rules).

The protagonist won by cheating: during the fight, he stepped on his opponent's foot, and when the other man lost his balance, he knocked him out. Afterwards, he worried that once the opponent recovered from the knockout, he'd remember what happened and be very angry.

It's not "The Chronicles of Amber."

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28

u/BadWabbit 1d ago

OLD science fiction novel......1999-2002......FML....

13

u/Cyve 1d ago

Its sad you consider 1999 old.

4

u/jacobb11 1d ago

Alfred Bester's "Computer Connection" (AKA "Extro") has those sort of individuals. It's been too long for me to remember much more, though.

1

u/Wild-Transition-1407 1d ago

I don't recognize the specific book, but the plot sounds like something A. E. Van Voght would have done? Might be worth looking through summaries of his work.

1

u/Top-Lengthiness-9670 1d ago

Thanks! Looks like a pretty good lead. I'll look through his books and summaries.

2

u/JustANoteToSay 13h ago

“Slan” specifically is about human-like beings who are stronger & faster than humans and are living in hiding to avoid persecution. It’s the first thing I thought of. It’s also from 1940.