Stone, Vernon

Vernon Stone was a science fiction author who wrote for several British "space magazines," although the residents of the island he lived on all thought he was a real scientist. His advice was sought by Richard and Frankie Callum and Patricia Wells during a mid-June heatwave. Stone theorized that a race of hostile spider-like aliens was turning a heat ray onto Earth to drive humans insane, and he was ultimately proven right despite his seeming insanity. Stone ended up being killed by the aliens.