The prestige by Christopher Priest

Author:Christopher Priest [Priest, Christopher]
Format: epub
Tags: Historical - General, Fantasy - General, Magicians, England, Journalists, Fantasy - Historical, Fiction - Fantasy, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, American Historical Fiction, Media Tie-In - General, General, Science Fiction And Fantasy, Media Tie-In
ISBN: 9780765317346
Publisher: New York : Tor, 2006.
Published: 2006-10-03T11:51:55+00:00

“By purchase,” I replied. “I wish you to build me an electrical apparatus, and if we can agree a price I shall gladly pay for it.”

We had been strolling around the circumference of the cleared plateau on which the laboratory stands, but now Tesla came to a sudden halt. He struck a pose, staring thoughtfully towards the trees that covered the rising side of the mountain ahead of us.

“Which piece of apparatus do you require?” he said. “As you have seen my work is theoretical, experimental. None of it is for sale, and everything I am using at present is invaluable to me.”

“Before I left England,” I said, “I read a new article about your work in The Times . In the article it was said that you had discovered on a theoretical basis that electricity might be transmitted through the air, and that you planned to demonstrate the principle in the near future.” Tesla was watching me fiercely while I spoke, but having declared my interest to such an extent I had to go on. “Many of your scientific colleagues have apparently said it is impossible, but you are confident of what you are doing. Would this be true?”

I stared directly into Tesla's eyes as I asked this final question, and saw that another great change had come across his features. Now his expression and gestures became animated and expressive.

“Yes, it is entirely true!” he cried, and at once launched into a wild and (to me) fairly incomprehensible account of what he planned.

Once thus begun he was unstoppable! He strode off in the direction we had been heading, speaking quickly and excitedly, making me trot to keep up with him. We were circling the laboratory at a distance, with the great balled spire constantly in view. Tesla gesticulated towards it several times while he spoke.

The essence of what he said was that he had long ago established that the most efficient way of transmitting his polyphase electrical current was to boost it to high voltages and direct it along high-tension cables. Now he was able to show that if the current was boosted to an even greater voltage then it became of extremely high frequency, and no cables at all would be required. The current would be sent out, radiated, cast broadly into the aether, whereupon by a series of detectors or receivers the electricity could be captured once more and turned to use.

“Imagine the possibilities, Mr Angier!” Tesla declared. “Every appliance, every utility, every convenience known to man or imaginable by him will be propelled by electricity that emanates from the air!”

Then, in a way I found curiously reminiscent of my erstwhile fellow passenger Bob Tannhouse, Tesla launched into a litany of possibilities: light, heat, hot-water baths, food, houses, amusements, automobiles… all would be electrically powered in some mysterious and undescribed way.

“You have this working?” I asked.

“Without question! On an experimental basis, you understand, but the experiments are repeatable by others, should they bother to try, and they can be controlled.

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