SOLVED. Comet passes and humans are turned into robots/androids. [s]

[Wolfie]

I am searching for a book I read but never got to finish back in 1979-1981, I think the book was published towards the tail end or just after the "Golden Years" of Sci-Fi books.

The plot was that on a night that a comet passed closest to Earth some Humans were turned into robots/androids powered by draining batteries. Some died during the transformation and others didn't transform.

That is about all I can remember of it at this time other than I think the setting was England or New England ( or at least supposed to resemble those areas/style.) The Author may have been British also.

[Ayshe]

Invaders from Rigel maybe?

[Wolfie]

Ayshe, from the discription I think that is it. Thank you.

[Kris]

Following up on Ayshe's suggestion of Invaders from Rigel by Fletcher Pratt which has different cover images. Should we mark this as Solved?

Goodreads review: "...asteroid crashes into the Catskill Mountains and transforms surviving members of society into metal man and women..."

Detailed review on Amazon: "The year is 1962 and Murray Lee is lucky enough to live in a penthouse apartment in a forty-eight story building in the "pleasure city" of New York. One morning Murray awakes to find that his body has turned mysteriously to metal. He looks like a robot, but still has his human mental functions in tact. Murray is stunned, but the truth does not really sink in. Next he notices that the normal city noises of hustle and bustle are not reaching his ears. Instead there is a dead quiet. Bursting from his apartment door Murray encounters Ben Ruby, who occupies the other apartment on the top floor. Ruby, like Murray, is now a metal man. Ruby, a science boffin, has already worked out that they should drink oil and not water, and that by hooking himself up to a battery he can enjoy the equivalent of a meal. According to Ruby the change must have occurred because of some strange radiation emanating from the enormous comet, which newspaper reports said was on a collision course with Earth. ... Pratt has written a good-natured parody of the type of stories written in the "Golden Age" of science fiction (1930's to 1950's). The ray guns, strange, malevolent aliens and super-fast flying-craft are all there, but with a mock serious aura. ... Metal-woman Gloria Rutherford is a crack shot with weapons and takes equal part in all the fighting action. Robo-woman Mata Lami proves to be particularly quick thinking and of considerable heroism. ... The first half of the book is a tale of survival, and the second half is one of escalating war."

[Andy]

Thanks for this - I remember hearing a friend of mine describe the plot of this to me back in 1977, and I never knew the title.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Wolfie, do you want to call this Solved then?

[Wolfie]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Wolfie, do you want to call this Solved then?"
Yes, it is solved, and thanks everyone.