Can't remember book title

[OldMan]

Help out an old fogey whose mind is fading. I'm trying to remember the title of a book I read several years ago. The basic plot is there's this community of people living on this massive spaceship and they've been living on it for so many generations they've forgotten that it's a spaceship. The protagonist discovers the truth, then tries to convince his fellow passengers, who turn on him as a heretic. To make matters worse, he discovers that the space ship is heading toward destruction, right into the path of a star.

I got about half way through the book and never finished and have been trying to locate it but can't remember the title. It was something like "Jordan VII," the name of the spaceship. It has a bunch of amusing scenes, like where the elders try to explain away all the laws of physics found in "ancient" textbooks, because of course, things don't work on the spaceship (at least as they see it) as they did back on earth.

It's probably from the sixties or seventies, can't remember author or title, can anyone out there help me out with a title?

[OldMan]

My apologies, I posted this in the wrong subforum and can't figure out how to change the posting designation, so am reposting in the correct spot. (Hey, I said I was old and senile, cut me some slack!)

Help out an old fogey whose mind is fading. I'm trying to remember the title of a book I read several years ago. The basic plot is there's this community of people living on this massive spaceship and they've been living on it for so many generations they've forgotten that it's a spaceship. The protagonist discovers the truth, then tries to convince his fellow passengers, who turn on him as a heretic. To make matters worse, he discovers that the space ship is heading toward destruction, right into the path of a star.

I got about half way through the book and never finished and have been trying to locate it but can't remember the title. It was something like "Jordan VII," the name of the spaceship. It has a bunch of amusing scenes, like where the elders try to explain away all the laws of physics found in "ancient" textbooks, because of course, things don't work on the spaceship (at least as they see it) as they did back on earth.

It's probably from the sixties or seventies, can't remember author or title, can anyone out there help me out with a title?

[chrispenycate]

Ouch, So many generation ships, so many similar situations.
Probably not Heinlein's Orphans of the sky (here, why isn't that in the Heinlein biblography?) How about "Nonstop" by Brian Aldiss?

[j. d. worthington]

It sounds as if you're mingling at least two, possibly three, tales in the same subgenre: the generational ship. Parts of your description sound very much like Heinlein's Orphans of the Sky, comprised of "Universe" and "Commonsense", published as novellas in the 1940s, and later as a short novel (especially as you mention Jordan -- the foundation that launched the starship, while the titular head of said organization was turned into a deity by the inhabitants of same); other parts sound almost like Brian Aldiss' Non-stop (a.k.a. Starship); while there's a whiff of the Ed Bryant novelization of Harlan Ellison's script Phoenix Without Ashes. Any of these ring a bell?

In any case, this is likely to get more helpful responses in Book Search, which is where I'll be moving it now....

*ahem* While I do cop to going (having gone?) senile, this one isn't even covered by that... I hadn't seen the second thread under I'd moved the first... threads now merged....

[OldMan]

Orphans in the Sky by Heinlein is correct! Thanks for the help. If you haven't had a chance to help a little old lady across the street yet today, you can consider this your good deed!

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by OldMan

Orphans in the Sky by Heinlein is correct! Thanks for the help. If you haven't had a chance to help a little old lady across the street yet today, you can consider this your good deed!

You're quite welcome... and by the way -- welcome to the Chrons....