[Books] Trying to remember a book of short stories, maybe you've read it?

[PriestAlisha]

Alright, this is a long shot, but I'll explain it as best as possible, I was talking about old books and came across a memory from what I recall being a short story book, the story I remember went like this:

Someone is describing how they learned to "walk out of their body" and eventually write a book or something about how to do it. The story then fast forwards to some people observing a parade (the 2 people narrating and observing are people who can walk out of their body) they then see a warehouse of bodies that people have left behind, and they both see a body they want to use, so they leave their body and go into the bodies in the warehouse but then they get caught. Apparently, people who use the "walk out of body" trick are criminals, and to use the method is against the law. The story then jumps to their trial, and during the trial's recess they trick the guards into letting them go by telling them that they're going to inhabit the guards body and jump him off a cliff (which they reveal after is a ruse). The couple then gets away.

And that's what I remember from the story, it's been about 15 years since I read it, so the details might be off a bit.

Anyone got any idea what the book might be? Any Google search I do just gives me a bunch of meditation junk...

Also, if anyone knows of a forum better suited for this type of request, that would be helpful as well. Thanks!

[Callace]

Alright, this is a long shot, but I'll explain it as best as possible, I was talking about old books and came across a memory from what I recall being a short story book, the story I remember went like this:

Someone is describing how they learned to "walk out of their body" and eventually write a book or something about how to do it. The story then fast forwards to some people observing a parade (the 2 people narrating and observing are people who can walk out of their body) they then see a warehouse of bodies that people have left behind, and they both see a body they want to use, so they leave their body and go into the bodies in the warehouse but then they get caught. Apparently, people who use the "walk out of body" trick are criminals, and to use the method is against the law. The story then jumps to their trial, and during the trial's recess they trick the guards into letting them go by telling them that they're going to inhabit the guards body and jump him off a cliff (which they reveal after is a ruse). The couple then gets away.

And that's what I remember from the story, it's been about 15 years since I read it, so the details might be off a bit.

Anyone got any idea what the book might be? Any Google search I do just gives me a bunch of meditation junk...

Also, if anyone knows of a forum better suited for this type of request, that would be helpful as well. Thanks!

It sounds remarkably similar to something Philip K. Dick would write. He authored a lot of well-circulating science fiction short stories.

[Jon]

By your description it indeed does sound like something Dick might have written. He wrote loads of short stories and there are several volumes collecting them.

[feellucky]

Well I think the "walk out of body" thing would be considered spirit or astral projecting so maybe a search for books with that in it would lead you to it. Worth a shot

[dusketernal]

It doesn't ring a bell with what I've read of PKD's works (though admittedly it's been a long time since I've reread all the short stories). The problem is that plenty of stories involve possession, out of body experiences, guards, trials, and the like. The only thing that stands out as odd is the warehouse of bodies - while I know of a novel that has something similar, it doesn't match the trial aspect, and obviously it wasn't just a short story (the novel Lord of Light, by Roger Zelazny, involves something along these lines, but I don't think it's what you're thinking of).

[PriestAlisha]

Well, I remember some extra details if it helps:

To leave the body the person had to have a walking start, as such when the couple was captured, their feet were also bound in such a way they couldn't take full steps.
A scene in the book describes the guy the first figured out how to "walk out of the body" that the day he figured it out, observers watched his body walk off into the water.

The warehouse was a trap, but I recall them describing some type of "body renting" system that was in place.

Oh, and they talked about how the people that left their body would not live forever, it just extended their life, the spirit or whatever still died eventually.

I also recall them describing the person leading the parade, something about them being important (mayor?) and the body they chose to use for the parade was this big strong looking guy, which was nothing like his original body.




I know these just seem like random factoids, I wish I could remember more details, like they had a name for the people that could walk out of their bodies, but I can't remember it. I've been searching google on and off all day between my other work. Dang...

[emmabr33]

Unready to Wear by Kurt Vonnegut

[Reg]

Unready to Wear by Kurt Vonnegut

That's what I was going to say. Does the character Dr. Ellis Konigswasser sound familiar?

EDIT: Bah, necro -.-