force screen n.

= force field n.

  • 1932 J. W. Campbell Last Evolution in Amazing Stories Aug. 416/2 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    But, they attacked in such numbers that fully half the fleet was destroyed by their explosions before the induction beam fleet arrived. These beams were, to our amazement, quite useless, being instantly absorbed by a force-screen, and the remaining ships sailed on undisturbed, our torpedoes being exhausted.

  • 1939 F. B. Long Dweller in Outer Darkness in Thrilling Wonder Stories Aug. 68/2 page image Frank Belknap Long bibliography

    The blast tubes in his hands were trained on me, but I knew I'd be safe enough and that Helen Torrey and Miles would remain unscathed. The refracting belts had built up an invisible force-screen about them.

  • 1948 ‘R. Lafayette’ Great Air Monopoly in Astounding Science Fiction Sept. 75/1 page image L. Ron Hubbard bibliography

    This fussed him so that he shut off the force screens and would have carried Ole Doc straight back into the ship for a take-off had not his revered master been staring so hard, pipe again forgotten.

  • 1950 E. F. Russell Dear Devil in Other Worlds Science Stories May 12/1 page image Eric Frank Russell bibliography

    Later, he found a dry cave in the hill on which his objective stood. It took him two days of careful, cautious raying to square its walls, ceiling and floor, plus half a day with a powered fan driving out silicate dust. After that, he stowed his supplies at the back, parked the sled near the front, set up a curtaining force-screen across the entrance. The hole in the hill was now home.

  • 1960 P. Anderson High Crusade (1982) viii. 48 Poul Anderson bibliography

    Soon the Wersgorix landed many ships in a circular formation… to form a cap walled by the eerie faint shimmer of a force screen, picketed by mobile bombards, and roofed by hovering warcraft.

  • 1969 R. C. Meredith We All Died at Breakaway Station in Amazing Stories Mar. 77/1 page image Richard C. Meredith bibliography

    From within the starship no one could detect the instantaneous absence of the force screens that had enfolded her, that had deflected and absorbed electromagnetic energy.

  • 1994 L. M. Bujold Mirror Dance (1995) 428 Lois McMaster Bujold bibliography

    Something just dropped the building’s force screen.

  • 2009 J. Ringo Eye of the Storm 75 John Ringo bibliography

    It was unsettling because of the flicker of a Personal Area Force-screen—the PAF set up in the anticipated direction of attack.

Research requirements

antedating 1932
Earliest cite

J. W. Campbell, The Last Evolution
Research History
Jeff Prucher submitted a 1939 cite from Frank Belknap Long's "The Dweller in Outer Darkness".
Mike Christie submitted a 1948 cite from Rene Lafayette's "The Great Air Monopoly".
Michael Dolbear submitted a cite from a 1995 reprint of Lois McMaster Bujold's 1994 "Mirror Dance".
Katrina Campbell submitted a cite from a 1985 reprint of Richard Meredith's "We All Died At Breakaway Station"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the first magazine appearance in the March 1969 Amazing Stories (slightly different wording).
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a reprint of Eric Frank Russell's "Dear Devil"; Mike Christie verified it in the 1950 first magazine appearance.
Douglas Winston submitted cites from a 1976 reprint of John W. Campbell's"The Last Evolution"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the first publication (Amazing Stories, August 1932).

Last modified 2023-01-16 04:52:14
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.