Help Me Find A Book!

[Amaris]

Hello! My brain hurts, and I'd like it to hurt less. For some reason, I have a bee in my bonnet about a science fiction book I read some 15-20 years ago. I want you to help me remember what it's called. This should be fun, because I don't remember much, and before you ask, yes, I've exhausted Google (including their advanced book search), Bing, and the Library of Congress online search.

So here's what I know:

Title: I don't know, and if I did, would I be asking?
Author: No idea.
Genre: Science Fiction / Computer Thriller
Year(s) published: Between 1988(?) - 1999(?)

Plot: From what I can remember of the story, there's a new BBS where users join, and become so addicted, they they die of dehydration/starvation and the like, and are found in their homes days later, still at their keyboards. It's because something in the software is making it addictive.

Keywords I remember: Penultimate software, BBS, VGA graphics


If you can help me remember this, I will be very grateful, because right now, I just can't think of what it could be.

 

[Mary Ann]

It's not What Happens in TNZ Stays in TNZ, is it?

 

[Amaris]

Nah, I have the 12 volume set for that one.

 

[Mary Ann]

The hand scribed by trained squirrels limited edition, right?

 

[sojourner]

I think I read something similar. Did it involve the entire U.S. population pretty much succumbing to this and the story being told by ex-pats trying to re-enter the now quarantined U.S.?

If so, I don't remember the title, but I'll look through my books to find it.

 

[Maestro]

April Fool's Day isn't til Tuesday, J.

 

[Defcon]

http://www.mindspring.com/~coatl/pages/virus.htm

This one?

 

[Amaris]

http://www.mindspring.com/~coatl/pages/virus.htm

This one?

[tackles Defcon to the floor and smothers him in kisses]

Yes! That's it!
Argh! Why was that so hard for me to find?!

I tried every single search term I could think of, but I never got close to it! Thank you!

Edit: Actually, at one point, I did type "Virus" (as one of the many PC terms I was trying) along with "Penultimate" into several search engines, and all I got was "You need Norton Antivirus!"

Seriously, we need a real book searching engine.

 

[Defcon]

Your welcome.

Don't know if I should admit that it only took me a couple of minutes on Google books or if I should pretend that I searched for hours.

How I found it: searching "penultimate software" lead me to this :

http://books.google.de/books?id=mFn...en&sa=X&ei=85M4U470IsbCtAaPw4HIBw&redir_esc=y

With the info from that link which sadly cut off the novel's title in the viewable part I changed the search terms to:

penny 1995 virus novel

And that led me to the link I posted earlier.

 

[Amaris]

Your welcome.

Don't know if I should admit that it only took me a couple of minutes on Google books or if I should pretend that I searched for hours.

How I found it: searching "penultimate software" lead me to this :

http://books.google.de/books?id=mFn...en&sa=X&ei=85M4U470IsbCtAaPw4HIBw&redir_esc=y

With the info from that link which sadly cut off the novel's title in the viewable part I changed the search terms to:

penny 1995 virus novel

And that led me to the link I posted earlier.

Looks like I was dancing all around it, then. Thank you for finding it.

 

[Mary Ann]

Curse you, J. You made me pootle over to Amazon UK and buy a used library copy of the book. In my defense the book plus p&p cost less than £5.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Curse you, J. You made me pootle over to Amazon UK and buy a used library copy of the book. In my defense the book plus p&p cost less than £5.

I also bought a used copy for about the same price.

 

[Amaris]

Curse you, J. You made me pootle over to Amazon UK and buy a used library copy of the book. In my defense the book plus p&p cost less than £5.

Mine is an evil laugh.

Curse you, J. You made me pootle over to Amazon UK and buy a used library copy of the book. In my defense the book plus p&p cost less than £5.

I also bought a used copy for about the same price.

It really is a great story. It stuck with me for more than 18 years.

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

I just ordered a used copy for under $5.00 (including S&H).

 

[Mary Ann]

See what you've started, J?

 

[JayOwl]

I gave into peer pressure and got one too. It's spreading like a... virus.

 

[Amaris]

I just ordered a used copy for under $5.00 (including S&H).

See what you've started, J?

I gave into peer pressure and got one too. It's spreading like a... virus.

<ahem> Mine is an evil laugh!
Enjoy the book, guys. I expect my copy to get here this week.

 

[Miss Chicken]

Maybe we could do a group read in this thread?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Hello! My brain hurts, and I'd like it to hurt less.

J. ALLEN IS A GUMBY

YOUR ARGUMENT IS INVALID

 

[C. Cole-Chakotay]

Mine says 'shipped' today. I figure I'll have it in hand in a week or so.