The Magnetic Storm — Hugo Gernsback

This story was written during the world war, long before the death ray was ever "invented." It is believed in some quarters that here we have the original germ of the death ray. In fact, the means chosen by the author to bring down enemy airplanes by means of electricity were exploited a number of years later by Grindell Matthews, although he admits today that the death ray was pure fiction. Nevertheless at some future date it will be possible to do just what the author tells us in this story. Nikola Tesla, who read the original proofs of this story, endorses the idea. He himself was able to burn out electrical amateurs thirteen miles from his famous Colorado power plant, in 1892, when he was also able to light electric lamps at this distance, without wires. It is a pleasure to publish this new, high quality, and affordable edition of this timeless story.