Bob Jacobsen
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2016
- Messages
- 2
I'm looking for a novel I probably read in the late 70's.
Dimly remembered, it starts with a brief visit from a stranger who argues that Earth had a much older civilization, part of a large space-faring culture.
The bulk of the novel is about that civilization's time on Earth. It gets its power from zapping conductive paths to the ionosphere with lasers, that cause discharges which are collected for energy. The "magnetic wind" then quickly blows them out.
Close to the magnetic pole is a huge installation, which looks like a giant pyramid, to handle the huge strikes due to no/small field quenching them. They have to be very careful to not create a run-away that they can't stop. They use that power there to run an elevator to space for access to their ships.
Somebody messes up, his girlfriend/spouse is on the elevator when something goes wrong, and he doesn't kill the system, which causes an unstoppable reaction. That successfully lifts the person to orbit, but also eventually turns the area to desert, eventually changing the magnetic field of the earth. The people in orbit realize this is the end and leave for elsewhere (?)
Now, they've returned. So long has passed that the installation in Egypt is nowhere near the pole. (for some reason), they're trying to recruit the protagonist to come along. He thinks it's a cool story, but won't believe until he gets an answer to a question:
"If we're from space, why is one of our most basic/early fears the fear of falling?"
"Imagine you're save up in deep space, nothing can touch you, and suddenly there's a _planet_ pulling on you. How would you react?"
Really hope I can find pointers to the book for a course I'd like to teach. Thanks in advance.
Dimly remembered, it starts with a brief visit from a stranger who argues that Earth had a much older civilization, part of a large space-faring culture.
The bulk of the novel is about that civilization's time on Earth. It gets its power from zapping conductive paths to the ionosphere with lasers, that cause discharges which are collected for energy. The "magnetic wind" then quickly blows them out.
Close to the magnetic pole is a huge installation, which looks like a giant pyramid, to handle the huge strikes due to no/small field quenching them. They have to be very careful to not create a run-away that they can't stop. They use that power there to run an elevator to space for access to their ships.
Somebody messes up, his girlfriend/spouse is on the elevator when something goes wrong, and he doesn't kill the system, which causes an unstoppable reaction. That successfully lifts the person to orbit, but also eventually turns the area to desert, eventually changing the magnetic field of the earth. The people in orbit realize this is the end and leave for elsewhere (?)
Now, they've returned. So long has passed that the installation in Egypt is nowhere near the pole. (for some reason), they're trying to recruit the protagonist to come along. He thinks it's a cool story, but won't believe until he gets an answer to a question:
"If we're from space, why is one of our most basic/early fears the fear of falling?"
"Imagine you're save up in deep space, nothing can touch you, and suddenly there's a _planet_ pulling on you. How would you react?"
Really hope I can find pointers to the book for a course I'd like to teach. Thanks in advance.
