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Normal Dude
20th December 2008, 10:06 AM
OK, so many years ago I read a sci-fi novel and while I can remember many details, I cannot remember the name. It is really bugging me. I'm not much of a sci-fi reader, so I wouldn't even know where to start with looking for this book. I figured I would list the highlights of what I remember and see if it clicks with someone.

Here's what I remember:

- The book is set in the far future, and revolves around a young prince who decides to rebel against his father/royal family and escape from his summer camp and bring the other children with him. The summer camp is located on a custom-built mini-planet, made out of some super-heavy material so that it has earth-like gravity.
- There is a lot of talk of programmable matter in the book. They use it for just about every building material imaginable. People also copy themselves and clone a copy off if they die. So many are essentially immortal or close to it.
- The kids escape by jury-rigging something to blast off the planet as a make-shift ship.
- At one, point, the escaped children encounter a massive ship that roams deep space collecting the afore-mentioned super heavy particles. The crew of the ship are humans, but are naked and have blue skin. At this point the government finds out where they hid and suddenly a swarm of robots teleport into the ship and take them home.
- At the beginning and end of the book, the king (father of the prince) is in seclusion on a remote mini planet. Someone has come for his aid because the now grown-up prince is becoming a menace, and they are trying to talk him out of seclusion.

Spacetime Inhabitant
21st December 2008, 02:43 AM
The story you outline is very familiar - but I saw it as a movie.
Here's some entries from Wikipedia on programmable matter - you might find a familiar title there:
Programmable matter in fiction

Programmable matter is still, for the most part, a fantastic vision for the future. The ideas behind it are explored in many works of science fiction. For example (This list is very incomplete):

* The T-1000 from Terminator 2 fits the definition of programmable matter, although it is not described that way in the film.

* It is called "wellstone" in many of Wil McCarthy's books and stories, e.g., McCarthy, Wil (2003). The Wellstone.
I think this is the one you are looking for![url]http://www.wilmccarthy.com/tw.htm[url]

* It is called "Trillions" in the children's book "Trillions", by Nicholas Fisk (1973), ISBN-10: 0394926013

* It is called "reality graphics" in Vinge, Vernor (1992). A Fire Upon the Deep.

* Brin, David (2002). Kiln people.

* It is called "Computronium" in Stross, Charles (2005). Accelerando.

* Programmable Silicon is used to quickly erect buildings in Peter F Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy

PixyMisa
21st December 2008, 04:25 AM
Yep. Mostly it sounds a lot like the The Wellstone and its sequels. (None of which were a patch on the original.)

Normal Dude
21st December 2008, 07:45 AM
The Wellstone is it!!!

Thanks!