What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I read this book untold eons ago--possibly as early as the late 70's. Its set in a human colony on another world. There are "monsters" that attack the colony periodically, but there is an alarm set by the original settlers that makes a "booming" type noise. In the past there was a hero who managed to kill off monsters and the colonists kept some of his dna and when they start having really bad problems with the monsters again, they clone him.

(view spoiler)[ it turns out that in order to survive on this planet the ancestors did dna manipulation to make their descendents smaller and able to see in the dark, since I think there was a problem with the light--or maybe radiation--from the planet's sun. So they had to go underground. At the time of the story, the people are so small that the "monsters" are actually rats that came on the colony ship too. The booming is a recording left by the original settlers telling their descendants how to do some of the scientific things that they've lost. It was set up to "trip" when ever something of the size that the scientists thought would be right for that planet, so when the rats would try to invade the colony, they'd trip the alert. The "hero" actually turns out to be unable to see in the darkness that the colony lives in, and that's why he killed the monsters. (view spoiler)[

That's all I can remember about this book. Hope it sparks a memory in someone else's mind. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Some of the elements are reminiscent of an Orson Scott Card short story, I think it's called "I Put My Blue Genes" on and you can find it in Maps in a Mirror or Unaccompanied sonata & other stories. Also, the Wikipedia page might be of use.

The wiki page says it was published in Analog magazine in 1978.

Going by what the Wiki page said--its definately NOT I PUT MY BLUE GENES ON. That's set on Earth, and this is definately another planet.

It COULD be a short story (a long one) or a novella, its been a LOT of years since I read it. And I think it wasn't "new" when I read it, either. What I remember has a 50's or 60's "feel" to it, if you know what I mean?

And going by the plot synopsis of the Herbert book, that's not it either. Altho the cover looks like the right era. There is no "computer" in the book I remember (or at least, I don't remember one) and there was no worshipping except maybe of the "hero" type for the clone of the previous saviour.

bump

Could be 'The hero Of Downways'.I read this sometime in the 70's.As the review says, pure pulp fiction.

"Fantastic pulp writing from relative unknown Michael G Coney. Set some time after world war 3 people have moved underground living in rat burrows under the surface. Their most feared creature is the Daggertooth, a vicious man-eating creature. The Hero was a man that slayed the Daggertooth, though died in the ensuing battle. This man has become a legend, so the Elders of Downways choose to clone him. There is much more to this novel than what I have mentioned, including a few twists at the end. If you enjoy Sci-Fi or Post Apocalyptic fiction, you really can't go wrong looking for this book."

that looks like it MIGHT be the book Sue. I've gone over to Amazon and ordered a copy. Glad that I bumped this. :o)

Ann aka Iftcan wrote: "that looks like it MIGHT be the book Sue. I've gone over to Amazon and ordered a copy. Glad that I bumped this. :o)"

Please return and let us know for sure. Thanks, Ann.

solved. Thanks Sue.