(Found) Boy who cried Volkes(?)

[zyptzk]

Been looking for ages, probably 70's story set in middle ages of creatures in night and boy running and ends up in cave. There is an alien armada approaching earth expecting no problem. The boy cries the name of the creature and an ancient computer wakes the long dormant defenses of Earth.

 

[otistdog]

Perhaps "Sign of the Wolf" (1965) by Fred Saberhagen? Not an alien armada, a malevolent AI-controlled armada. The boy was a shepherd, if I recall correctly.

The story is available to read online in the context of its original publication courtesy of the Internet Archive.

 

[zyptzk]

Perhaps "Sign of the Wolf" (1965) by Fred Saberhagen? Not an alien armada, a malevolent AI-controlled armada. The boy was a shepherd, if I recall correctly.

The story is available to read online in the context of its original publication courtesy of the Internet Archive.

Bless you. That is what I've been looking for. I'm 73 and the memory of this has been distorted through time.

 

[otistdog]

It's a pleasure -- and don't worry about the memory distortion, it's very common for story identification questions, and I've certainly been guilty of the same on several occasions!

And, of course, welcome to the forum. Please don't hesitate to come back if you're seeking other half-remembered stories or just want to participate. Everyone here loves to hear about overlooked gems.