Sinister Barrier is a 1939 science fiction novel by Eric Frank Russell, his debut novel. Russell used Forteon ideas in the plot. You can read it online here. It begins,
I.
Quick death awaits the first cow that leads a revolt against milking," mused Professor Peder Bjornsen. He passed long, slender fingers through prematurely white hair. His eyes, strangely protruding, filled with uncanny light, stared out of his office window, which gaped on the third level above traffic swirling through Stockholm's busy Hotorget. He wasn't looking at the traffic.
"And there's a swat ready for the first bee that blats about pilfered honey," he added. Stockholm hummed and roared. The professor continued to stare in silent, fearful contemplation. Then he drew back from the window, slowly, reluctantly, moving as if forcing himself by sheer will power to retreat from a horror that enticed him toward it:
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I enjoyed this. For one, I remember the first time I was in Battery Park in NYC, so the imagery, which didn't include a shuttle from Seattle of course, was vivid none-the-less. Oh those lights!
ReplyDeleteSome of the science fiction from the 30s is still readable. It kinda surprised me, to be honest, when I started looking over the older works.
DeleteSounds like the start of a ghost story around a campfire. Chilling
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting thought experiment, I think.
DeleteI like this cover photo you are showing. It is a great sci fi cover.
ReplyDeleteThose old magazine covers were actual art, weren't they!
DeleteThis sounds very creep and chilling, just great! valerie
ReplyDeleteIt's a creepy, chilling concept. I haven't seen it explored lately, so I've either missed it or it fell out of fashion at some point.
DeleteSounds too creepy for me, maybe I'll miss this one ...lol 😉. The cover artwork looks spectacular though! Happy wishes! J 😊 x
ReplyDeleteI looked at it more as a thought experiment, and that developed distance, I think. But we can't read everything, can we, so sometimes it's best just to move on to something else :)
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