Please Help Me Find a Sci Fi Novel from My Teens

ByronOfMunster

ByronOfMunster

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I've tried on multiple occasions to find a Science Fiction title I remember from my teens (1975-80). I don't recall if the book was new at that time or not, but it was a school library book so it could be older. The book as I recall involved a wide spread sickness, disease, plague which was somehow being spread via electricity, high tension wires, electromagnetism. I can't remember much more than that. If you have any ideas about what the title is, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!
 
There was a TV series in 1975 called The Changes. People were somehow stricken by a madness that caused them to destroy machinery. It was a long time ago but I distinctly remember electricity pylons and elctromagnetism being somehow prominent in the plot.

The series was based on a trilogy of books by Peter Dickinson - The Weathermonger, Heartsease and Devil's Children.

It might be one of those books.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_Column
Heinlein's Sixth Column has element of this. But ...

The laboratory is in turmoil as the novel begins. All but six of the personnel have died suddenly, due to unknown forces released by an experiment operating within the newly discovered magneto-gravitic or electro-gravitic spectra. The surviving scientists soon learn that they can selectively kill people by releasing the internal pressure of their cell membranes, among other things. Using this discovery they construct a race-selective weapon which will kill only Asians.

...the best I can offer is check it out.
 
Once upon a time there was a story about a new energy transmission system. Only problem-- it put people to sleep! So society changed-- the energy transmissions were only at 'night,' and most manufacturing was automated, or energy stored for daytime use.
Of course, a few people -weren't- put to sleep, but they were persecuted because they were up, lurking about while everyone else was asleep.
And then there were some other complications, but I don't know if I'm mixing 2 or more stories together or not!
--Paul E Musselman
 
ByronOfMunster said:
I've tried on multiple occasions to find a Science Fiction title I remember from my teens (1975-80). I don't recall if the book was new at that time or not, but it was a school library book so it could be older. The book as I recall involved a wide spread sickness, disease, plague which was somehow being spread via electricity, high tension wires, electromagnetism. I can't remember much more than that. If you have any ideas about what the title is, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!
Click to expand...

It sounds a little like Keith Roberts short horror story 'High Eight' (Guess where I got my name!) - High tension cables in Canada are 'haunted' and take over peoples minds, forcing them to commit suicide by self-electrocution.
 
This is most likely Deadly Messiah by David and Albert Hill (1977). The killer spreads the illness via electromagnetic waves. As Kirkus reviewed: “Catastrophe time as communities fall victim to mysterious illness. Bensonhurst, Kentucky (pop. 1242) is hit first: 1039 dead within 24 hours. Just when the team of specialists identifies the cause--rampant infections due to the collapse of immunity systems--Bridgeton, Minnesota gets it too. The experts' panel enlarges and begins to disagree: are bacteria at work or is a man-made electromagnetic field causing the breakdown?”
 
High Eight said:
It sounds a little like Keith Roberts short horror story 'High Eight' (Guess where I got my name!) - High tension cables in Canada are 'haunted' and take over peoples minds, forcing them to commit suicide by self-electrocution.
Click to expand...
Thank you for helping me rediscover "High Eight".

When I was trying to find answers to questions about sentient or malevolent appliances and electricity, it was frustrating to keep having a naggingly unanswered memory about the man who tended the really high-tension power lines.
Next on my re-reading list.
 
The short stories from "I Robot" are good and easily digested.
I recall enjoying Ringworld as a teenager as well as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne.
 
Foxbat said:
There was a TV series in 1975 called The Changes. People were somehow stricken by a madness that caused them to destroy machinery. It was a long time ago but I distinctly remember electricity pylons and elctromagnetism being somehow prominent in the plot.

The series was based on a trilogy of books by Peter Dickinson - The Weathermonger, Heartsease and Devil's Children.

It might be one of those books.
Click to expand...


That what sprung to mind myself. A good series, sadly long forgotten by most.
 
Foxbat said:
Your quoting of my post made me wonder if The Changes was available on DVD. Sure enough.
A good quality second hand copy is now heading my way so thank you for reminding me about this series:)
Click to expand...
I remember reading the 3 books and I enjoyed them better than the telly series
 
Danny McG said:
I remember reading the 3 books and I enjoyed them better than the telly series
Click to expand...
I might have to hunt down the books then:)
I don't remember much about the series ( I was quite young and the two things that stick in my mind are the pylons and something about Merlin) but I seem to recall enjoying it very much.

Of course, looking through adult eyes may paint me a very different picture...
 
@High Eight got me reminded of the story "High Eight" (go figure:LOL:) by Keith Roberts. It has been a long time since i read it, and this original question got bookmarked with other questions on a search for "Sentient Electricity".

So, one of the best things about question boards is getting a lot of related stories that might or might not answer the question, but will rule stories out, and get a searcher on the path to other boards on similar topics, that eventually find the story.

Here in one place are related stories about sentient electricity and sentient weather. The only part I haven't found is an electromagnetically spread disease. (I realize that electromagnetism doesn't have to be sentient to do that.) But thanks for the reminder on "High Eight", about electrical power that does spread suicides.

An "SF Magazines" review on "High Eight" is here. (Writing brief link descriptions in case that particular link fails.)

"The Last Salamander" by John Rackham (not the famous pirate!) is a story about an alien electrical life form that is living in the power stations and lines is available to read online here.

"The Man Who Made Friends With Electricity" by Fritz Leiber is available to read online here.

"Nimbus" by Peter Watts is a story about sentient weather and is available to read online here.

"Press Enter" by John Varley about sentient (and malevolent -- of course!) electrical energy is available to read online here.

So the only things I haven't found so far is specifically some electrical energy (sentient or not -- was it?) that spreads plagues and pandemics. And a story about electricity that calls it "ghost fluid". Casting a wide net. And catching a lot of interesting stories in it so far.
 
Hi,

OK, this may be a little way out of left field, but recently there was a tv series - the whispers, which is the first thing that hit me. It was loosely based on a Ray Bradbury story - Zero Hour. In it an alien intelligence arrives on Earth and lives in the electricity network and makes people sick. It spreads itself by using children that it manipulates by making them play a game with it. And the evil entity's name is "the drill".

Cheers, Greg.
 
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