Comments on: Did I imagine the death ray?

Question: Did I imagine the death ray?

Caviar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:03:02 -0800

What's this book from my childhood (early 80s)? I believe it came from one of the book clubs (Arrow?), it was a Young Adult book about a boy who is friends with a scientist/inventor who has invented a death ray which he then has some opportunity to use...

I don't remember much else about it. The boy's name might have been Jeffrey, or something similar, and he was certainly an outcast of some kind. I don't remember if he actually used the death ray, or what the moral of the story actually was, or whether there were any consequences. I may be misremembering, but there's a distinct possibility that the boy did actually use the death ray to vaporize a school bully.

What book is this?

By: Powerful Religious Baby

Powerful Religious Baby — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 12:48:45 -0800

Was it perhaps The Young Unicorns? It doesn't have much in common with your description except the death ray part, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

By: Caviar

Caviar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:49:07 -0800

Definitely not that.

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:50:23 -0800

Danny Dunn and the Heat Ray?

By: Caviar

Caviar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:54:37 -0800

No - the book I'm thinking of was bleaker than that - not a lighthearted romp, but pretty serious about the implications of the possibility of using a powerful weapon to destroy your enemies. It was not, to my knowledge, part of a series.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:08:25 -0800

Was the weapon definitely called a death ray? As opposed to a laser or heat ray or something, I mean.

By: Caviar

Caviar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:08:17 -0800

It might have been called a laser, but I'm pretty sure it was not called a heat ray.

By: lullabyofbirdland

lullabyofbirdland — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 02:25:51 -0800

One of the My Teacher Is an Alien books? I don't remember how they were going to destroy the planet, but the last book was about the implications of doing that.

By: Caviar

Caviar — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 07:09:28 -0800

N, it was not about destroying the whole planet.

By: fidelity

fidelity — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:47:10 -0800

The Revenge of the Incredible Dr Rancid and His Youthful Assistant Jeffrey? Things you may remember: psychosomatic stomach pains, and incredibly bloody split lip.

By: fidelity

fidelity — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:48:09 -0800

(If that sounds like a possibility, I can check for confirming details for you, since I have the book at home.)

By: Caviar

Caviar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:48:28 -0800

Huh. I thought the title was shorter, but that may very well be it. Please check for the existence of a death ray or other superweapon, if you would.

By: fidelity

fidelity — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:40:48 -0800

Jeffrey Childs is sort of the school loser, nerdy, is making up an adventure story (which syncs up with the "real" narrative's arc) for himself about assisting Dr Rancid in order to deal with some real-life bullying from one Dewey Belasco. Dr Rancid invents a "pulverizer gun", which turns people to dust, and Jeff uses it on Dewey in his story, but there's no real gun, which could account for your uncertainty about it.

By: Caviar

Caviar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:12:27 -0800

I think that's it. Thanks!

By: Caviar

Caviar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:24:05 -0800

Incidentally, in the book, does Jeffrey's story have its own title? That may be what I'm remembering.

By: Caviar

Caviar — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:33:13 -0800

Also, if you don't mind my asking, did you acquire this book through a Scholastic book club in the 80s?

By: fidelity

fidelity — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:43:41 -0800

Jeffrey's story has the same as the book, and it's a Apple/Scholastic edition, which I think I got at a Scholastic school book fair, mid to late 80s.

By: infinitewindow

infinitewindow — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:16:04 -0800

Oh wow! I remember that book now!