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Sinister Barrier Eric Frank Russell 9780413588708 Books

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Sinister Barrier Eric Frank Russell 9780413588708 Books

This was my chance to get again I loved in high school. If you liked the X-Files or Fringe, you will like it as well. To understand the milieu the events in the book cover, you have to understand who Charles Fort. Early in the twentieth century, he was a compiler of eerie and unexplained events, in 3 books. There were things like a rain of frogs; blood raining, etc. In other words, much of what we would see on those TV shows. Reading him could give you a sense of some paranoia about the origin of such events. That context leads into the book, where the hero learns we are not alone, and the creatures who are here are manipulating us so they can feed off our emotions. Russell writes a barnburner as they battle these beings. Written back in 1940 or so, I heartily recommend this book.


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Sinister Barrier Eric Frank Russell 9780413588708 Books Reviews

I have in my collection of science fiction magazines the first (March, 1939) issue of _Unknown_, with its cover of the malicious alien giant clutching the Earth with clawed fingers. There were several notable short stories in this issue, such as Manly Wade Wellman's "Close Behind Them" and H.L. Gold's "Trouble With Water". But the story that really got _Unknown_ off with a bang was Eric Frank Russell's short novel, _Sinister Barrier_, along with its illustrations by Edd Cartier.

Russell was fascinated by the writings of Charles Fort, and he seized upon a stray Fortean quote "Sometimes, I think we are property". What if a few people in the not-so-distant future discovered that we _were_ property-- a race of cattle being raised by invisible, powerful aliens? What if even _thinking_ about them could mark you for death? What could the human race do?

It is the ultimate paranoid conspiracy suspense plot, which Russell spins out in a gripping manner. Two investigators become more and more interested in recent bizarre deaths among famous scientists. Why did one man shoot eight bullets in a wall just before having a heart attack? Why did two men paint one arm apiece with iodine? Why did one man jump out the window of his laboratory to his death?

Russell gives us a hint early in the novel about why the investigators escape immediate destruction themselves "Something peered into their minds, grinned, and slunk away" (15). In other words, their minds are read at precisely the wrong time. _Something_ has underestimated their curiosity and persistence.

Russell went on to write novels that were more smoothly told. But _Sinister Barrier_ still deserves classical status for its sheer outrageousness of imagination and for the snap and vigor of its writing.

_Note_ I am reviewing the 1964 Paperback Library edition, which is (I believe) essentially the same as the 1948 Fantasy House edition. The version published by Galaxy Books in the fifties was an abridged version of the original hardback. All of the book versions are expansions of the _Unknown_ original, though the plots are essentially the same.
An absolute classic. You can't call yourself a fan of SF if you haven't read this.

Using a unique combination of Fortean conspiracy motifs, SF aliens and police procedurals, Russell gives us a roller-coaster ride of a man who finds out why most of the world's problems exist--and then can't afford to even THINK about it.

Suspenseful, well-paced. The ending is a tiny bit over-emotionalized, but the novel's still worth the ride.

In short, SB is gold-plated paranoia from the Golden Age of SF. When another reviewer (William Lukeman) wrote,

"Eric Frank Russell tackles those questions in this wonderfully entertaining (if nail-biting) novel. Why it hasn't been filmed yet is a mystery ... unless THEY don't want it filmed, of course ..."

I almost didn't bother to review, but I wanted to put in my 5 stars' worth.

And William, I was drinking a coffee at the time I read this, and you owe me a keyboard ...
Compulsively readable & compelling, this Golden Age gem of suspense & paranoia is one of those stories that grabs you from the first & won't let go until you've finished the last page. Its theme has been used countless times, in countless variations -- but this the pure stuff, boiled down to its pulpish essence, pushing one of our primal buttons of fear & dread. And it all comes down to 4 little words by Charles Fort

"I think we're property."

Just consider the full implications of that premise. What if everything we know about the world & ourselves is the ultimate wool pulled over our eyes, so that we can't & won't see what's really going on ... and who (or what) is really in charge? And what happens to anyone who gets too close to the truth, even without realizing it? How many tragic accidents are accidents at all? How many natural disasters are actually quite unnatural?

And if the truth somehow does begin to leak out, what will our owners do to us?

Eric Frank Russell tackles those questions in this wonderfully entertaining (if nail-biting) novel. Why it hasn't been filmed yet is a mystery ... unless THEY don't want it filmed, of course ...

Highly recommended -- but you'll hesitate before turning out the bedroom light once you're done!
Okay sf pulp adventure, tedious in places, quite readable in others. In some ways, it foreshadows Colin Wilson's The Mind Parasites.
This is an older story, but good. It's been a long time since I have read it. Enjoyed reading it again. Well, worth the price for a good tale of mystery, then terror to find out humans are not in control of the planet, let alone, themselves.
There is a lifetime of excellent mid-century science fiction out there, real, honest to gawd science fiction, and Russell's effort scores high marks. You'll not be disappointed.
A classic late 1930s novel by one of the great writers of SiFi from the last century. I have several of his short story collections and re-read them every few years. Three To Conquer is a full novel that is fun and engrossing. An ending twist that mades me smile.
This was my chance to get again I loved in high school. If you liked the X-Files or Fringe, you will like it as well. To understand the milieu the events in the book cover, you have to understand who Charles Fort. Early in the twentieth century, he was a compiler of eerie and unexplained events, in 3 books. There were things like a rain of frogs; blood raining, etc. In other words, much of what we would see on those TV shows. Reading him could give you a sense of some paranoia about the origin of such events. That context leads into the book, where the hero learns we are not alone, and the creatures who are here are manipulating us so they can feed off our emotions. Russell writes a barnburner as they battle these beings. Written back in 1940 or so, I heartily recommend this book.