Sinister Barrier by Eric Frank Russell
"Sinister Barrier" is a science fiction novel that explores the eerie and dangerous implications of a groundbreaking discovery in human perception. The story begins with a series of mysterious deaths among scientists specializing in optics, which leads government agent Bill Graham and Lieutenant Art Wohl into an investigation. Their inquiry uncovers a shocking revelation: a scientist named Professor Peder Bjornsen discovered a method to extend human perception into the infrared spectrum, unveiling the existence of intelligent energy entities known as the Vitons. These beings are depicted as malevolent forces that manipulate human emotions and instigate conflicts for sustenance, viewing humanity as mere cattle.
As the narrative unfolds, Graham learns about the Vitons' capabilities and the catastrophic consequences of their discovery, including the destruction of a city and the deaths of several scientists. In a tense race against time, Graham and his team work to develop a weapon to combat the Vitons, who retaliate by orchestrating global attacks. The novel explores themes of human vulnerability, the struggle for survival, and the ethical implications of newfound power. Ultimately, it is a gripping tale of suspense and resilience in the face of an unseen, existential threat.
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Sinister Barrier
First published: 1943 (serial form, Unknown, March, 1939)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—invasion story
Time of work: 2015
Locale: New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Idaho
The Plot
In May of 2015, a series of strange deaths of American and foreign scientists, beginning with Professor Peder Bjornsen in Stockholm, attracts the attention of government agent Bill Graham and Lieutenant Art Wohl of the New York police. All the scientists were specialists in optics and related fields, all had connections with one another, and several had painted their arms with iodine and had ingested mescal and methylene blue. The trail of contacts leads eventually to Edward Beach, whose team at the National Camera Company in Silver City, Idaho, is developing a new photographic emulsion that will be extremely sensitive to infrared. As news of success is phoned to Beach, the entire city is destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion.
When Graham locates Beach in his private lab in Idaho, he finally learns what is going on. An accidental discovery by Bjornsen extended human perception far into the infrared—“beyond the sinister barrier of our limitations.” Use of this new perception revealed the previously unsuspected existence of living, intelligent, luminous spheres of energy that Bjornsen named the Vitons. They are the true masters of humanity, which to the Vitons is no more than a herd of cattle. The Vitons feed on human emotions, provoking wars and conflicts to satisfy their appetites. Able to read minds within limited distances, they are ruthless in eradicating any knowledge of their existence. Even to think about them can be fatal, as both the deaths of Bjornsen and his colleagues and the destruction of Silver City testify. Beach treats Graham with Bjornsen’s formula of iodine, mescal, and methylene blue so that he too can see the Vitons.
Graham alerts Washington to the danger and is inducted into the U.S. Intelligence Service. Thirty scientists and intelligence officers are given the formula to test separately. The confirmations, given by those who survive long enough to report their findings, convince the government to act. A recorded speech by the president is delivered surreptitiously to fifteen hundred locations worldwide for simultaneous broadcast in order to circumvent Viton interference. Within a week, Bjornsen’s formula is available in sufficient quantity to enable millions to see the Vitons. The world is shocked.
Viton retaliation is swift. By manipulating minds, the Vitons cause the forces of the Asian Combine to attack America, Southeast Asia, India, and Europe. The situation rapidly deteriorates as the Vitons interfere with defense measures. The survival of humanity as an independent species can be ensured only if a weapon is found that will break the Vitons’ dominance of the Asian Combine. The second half of the novel builds suspense as researchers race against time and Graham struggles to decode a cryptic hint left behind by another deceased scientist.
Graham’s role in the defense research effort steadily increases until he is given complete authority by the president. He is assisted by Lieutenant Wohl and by Dr. Harmony Curtis at crucial moments. Under his direction, research focuses on developing polarized energy beam weapons that will disrupt the Vitons. In a daring gambit, Graham tricks a Viton-controlled human into revealing the critical wavelength. The resulting weapon is successful, and the tide quickly turns against the Vitons.