Rush Inspired Literature And Film

"From an ancient book, I took a clue"

A chronological listing of known literary and theatrical productions inspired by Rush. Please feel free to email any suggestions.

  • Defenders #45, by Marvel Comics, March 1977
    Published less than a year following the album's release, this comic is vaguely drawn from 2112 with a pro-individual, anti-collectivist theme. In addition, the comic is "Dedicated to Neil, Geddy, and Alex of RUSH" and also includes a few Rush inspired lines, such as "Truth is false and logic lost" and "become one with the Brotherhood of Man".

    "I read that issue and I enjoyed it. The Defenders was a pretty cerebral kind of comic. We were knocked out, and it really meant a lot to us. It was like real credibility. That tiny little line in the comic book meant more to us than a whole issue of Rolling Stone or anything else. It really means something to us because that's a real measure of respect. It's from another artist, and it's like the praise of the praiseworthy." - Neil Peart, Circus, May 12, 1977
  • Apocalypse Comics, by Marvel Comics UK
    • Issue #?, 1979
      Not just inspired by Rush, pages five (pictured here) through eight of this comic are the complete graphical rendition of "Cygnus-X1: Book One - The Voyage" including "words by Neil Peart".
    • Issue #6, 1980
      Pages 16 (pictured here) through 26 of this issue features the complete graphical rendition of "Cygnus-X1: Book Two - Hemispheres" including "words by Neil Peart", a followup to "Book One - The Voyage" published a year previously. This was the final issue of Apocalypse comics, and included in the comic is information that the "author", Dave Hornsby, had to scrap a color comic based on 2112 due to cost concerns. Visit Cygnus-X1.net for a complete reproduction of both issues.
  • The Body Electric, the Canadian animated television movie, 1985
    Featuring a Rush soundtrack, this half-hour film combines many themes and ideas from Rush songs, particularly "The Body Electric" and "2112". The story tells of a robot revolution in a futuristic domed city named "Red Sector A". Listed in the order they are played, the soundtrack includes excepts of: Red Sector A, Hemispheres Pt. V. "Cygnus Bringer of Balance", 2112 Overture, Cygnus X-1 Pt. 3, Different Strings, Jacob's Ladder, The Fountain of Lamneth Pt. VI "The Fountain", Xanadu, The Body Electric, Working Man, Hemispheres Pt. V. "Cygnus Bringer of Balance", Marathon, Hemispheres Pt. VI. "The Sphere A Kind of Dream"

    Synopsis:
    "Red Sector A was a paradise...for man's machines. The domed city was home to the last of the human race, where they lived in comfort, served by their robotic servants. Until one day a mysterious force turns the robots against their masters, and the machines cast the people out of Red Sector A into the wastelands outside. Years later, the robots have collapsed into dust without human maintenance, leaving two young people - Woody and Andrea - to live in the city. But the city is on the verge of a exploding as the shield generator approaches meltdown. Andrea and Woody have a few hours to escape Red Sector A, but the unknown force that caused the revolution is still present, and has it's own plans for them."
  • By Kevin J. Anderson:

    • Ressurection, Inc., 1988
      Includes co-dedication "to Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson of RUSH, whose haunting album Grace Under Pressure inspired much of this novel".

      "About six months after the book came out, I got a surprise letter from Neil Peart. He loved the book and complimented me most highly on it." - Kevin J. Anderson, via email to the National Midnight Star's Jimmy Lang, Sep. 1993

      Synopsis:
      "..IT IS THE FUTURE.... AND THE DEAD WALK THE STREETS....Resurrection. Inc. found a profitable way to do it. A microprocessor brain, synthetic heart and blood-presto, anyone with the price could buy a Servant with no mind of it's own, no memories of its past life, and trained to obey any command. But for every Servant created, a living worker was out of a job. Some people took to rioting in the streets, their rampages ruthlessly ended by armored and heavily armed Enforcers, eager for the kill. Some joined the ever-growing cult of neo-Satanism, seeking heaven in the depths of Hell....Then came Danal. He was dead-murdered in a neo-Satanist sacrifice-but as a Servant he began to remember. Danal learned who had killed him. . . and what Resurrection, Inc. had in mind for the human race..."

      [Webmaster note: having read the book, I would add that the overall theme is closely related to "The Body Electric", although instead of androids the humanoids are similar to Star Trek's Borg drones (minus the prosthetics), as human cadavers are reanimated to serve as mindless automatons to serve as slaves. There were many Rush-flavored lines in the book including: "all that we can do is just survive", "geometric order" to the city's streets and "crawl like spiders on your skin".]

    • Lifeline (with Doug Beason), 1990.
      Said by Kevin J. Anderson to have at least a little Rush influence in it.

      Synopsis:
      "In shock and grief the last remnants of the human race watched from space as the holocaust of war raged across the face of the Earth. Now the future rested in the hands of three fragile space colonies: Aguinaldo - The Phillippine L-5 colony whose brilliant biochemist had engineered a limitless supply of food. Kibalchich - the Soviet space exploration platform that harbored a deadly secret. Orbitech 1 - the American space factory whose superstrong weavewire could be a lifeline to link the colonies - or a cutting-edge weapon of destruction. As allies, they could unite to rebuild a better world. As enemies, they could destroy mankind's last hope for survival."

    • Trinity Paradox (with Doug Beason), 1991
      "...inspired by the song "Manhattan Project." I sent Neil a copy of my novel LIFELINE (1990), then a copy of the just-completed manuscript for THE TRINITY PARADOX (which I was calling TIMELINE, until the publisher made me change it) - after reading LIFELINE and TIMELINE, Neil went off to write "Dreamline," the first cut off ROLL THE BONES." - Kevin J. Anderson, via email to the National Midnight Star's Jimmy Lang, September 1993

      Synopsis:
      "While attempting to destroy what is thought to be a new weapon, a radioactive weapons protester is thrown back in time to the creation of the first atomic bomb."

    • Afterimage (with Kristine Kathryn Rusch), 1992.
      Said by Kevin J. Anderson to have at least a little Rush influence in it.

      Synopsis:
      "He was known as the Joan of Arc killer-a sadistic rapist who burned his victims before he murdered them. Rebecca Tamerlane had been staring into this monster's face as he hovered over her broken body, the smell of gasoline in the air. Suddenly her body felt completely whole and surprisingly strong...only it wasn't her body."

    • Music Played on the Strings of Time, short story published in Analog Magazine, January 1993, pg. 149, reprinted in the short story collection Landscapes, published March 20, 2006
      "I have been substantially inspired by RUSH, and often the music trickles in. Another RUSH-inspired story (though you won't really notice), was published in the January issue of ANALOG magazine, which you should be able to find in a decent library. The story is called "Music Played on the Strings of Time." I sent the manuscript to Neil right after I wrote it, and he really liked it." - Kevin J. Anderson, via email to the National Midnight Star's Jimmy Lang, Sep. 1993
    • Drumbeats (with Neil Peart), published in January 1994 (out of print), a short story included in an anthology entitled "Shock Rock II", edited by Jeff Gelb
      "I got invited to contribute a story to a forthcoming anthology called SHOCK ROCK 2... The theme of the anthology is "horror stories about rock & roll." I got the idea for "Drumbeats," about a rock drummer bicycling through Africa between concert tours, and some weird stuff that happens to him. I had the story, but I didn't have the details...neither the details about Africa nor the details about life as a rock star. But Neil did, so I asked if I could lift sections of description from his journals, and get some background from him. He thought it was a cool idea and gave me permission to do so. I drafted up the story, mailed him a disk, and he gave it a polish and added more details. I did a final polish and sent it off to the editor, who promptly accepted it. It's a genuine collaboration - I'd say about half the words in the story are Neil's, half mine, and the tale really works, I think. Neil likes it." - Kevin J. Anderson, via email to the National Midnight Star's Jimmy Lang, September 1993

      "...Kevin did all the work; I just supplied some African background and French dialogue." - Neil's Picks for Quality Reading, Issue #3, NeilPeart.net, Fall 2005

    • A Forest Of Stars, The Saga Of The Seven Suns, Book 2, June 7, 2004
      In the last sentence of Chapter 47, found on page 230, Anderson references the song "Bravado" with:

      "Then I will pay the price, and I will not count the cost."

    • Hunters Of Dune (with Brian Herbert), Aug. 22, 2006
      In this Dune sequel, the chapter leading epigram on page 427 reads:

      "A choice can be as dangerous as a weapon. Refusing to choose is in itself a choice. - Pearten, ancient Mentat"

      Kevin J. Anderson has also written novels/short stories with the following titles similar to Rush songs/lyrics: 

      • Tide Pools, short story in Analog Magazine, December 1993
      • Ill Wind (with Doug Beason), 1995 (out of print)
  • A Farewell to Kings, The Hypernovel, by Christopher P. Simmons, 1990
    With Rush references sprinkled throughout, Neil praised this novel, saying "I think the story is important one, and I think you have told it well", and "I am truly honored to see Rush lyrics woven into the fabric of your book."

    Synopsis:
    "What would you give to prevent your own extinction? Who would you trust to save the world as a whole? Michael Gavon used data, knowledge and truth to rid the Earth of mankind's greatest threat... nuclear weapons. But his extremely powerful computer network, SYRINX, revealed Mother Earth's most terrible secret... She is truly dying! And the beginning of the end is just a decade away. Only extraordinary measures can save her... and us. Now he faces the Earth's two greatest challenges... Humanity's undeclared war on its own planet, and the heart of the woman he loves. Can a Rush-quoting computer geek save the planet ...from its own citizens?"
  • Adolescents and Their Music: If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old by Scott A. Reid, Jonathon S. Epstein and D.E. Benson, 1994
    Includes a chapter with a title inspired by Rush: "Living on a lighted Stage: Identity Salience, Psychological Centrality, and Role Behavior of Semi Professional Musicians". Published by Garland Publishing, New York.

  • The Mother of All Machines by Lee Borell, 1998
    A short story in which the author expands the story told in "The Body Electric".

  • No Salutes For Your Surrender by Antanas, 1999
    Jogaila Publications; ISBN# 0-9685373-0-8; 347 pages
    With a title inspired from "The Pass", it also includes an acknowledgement to Neil Peart.

    "An Analog Kid listened to your Mystic Rhythms and heard the idealism that had him sooner become a Digital Man. That man now writes his own Middletown Dreams into Moving Pictures always on the hope that they might, as did so many of yours, incite Permanent Waves of integrity in another. Thank you."

    Synopsis:
    "When Vince Oskaunas arrives at one of Edmonton's more decrepit cafés for lunch with his father, Andrius, he has no idea that it is to be their very last. Andrius declares such by explaining how Lithuania has finally reclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union and how, therefore, the time has come for him to return home. This confounds Vince, of course, but does not surprise him. Indeed, because his father had never appeared settled or content in Canada, Vince had always suspected that the enigmatic old man would disappear one day...Neither is Vince surprised when he, just twelve days later, receives a middle-night telephone call that delivers the catastrophic news of his father's admittance into a Lithuanian hospital. Andrius had been showing signs of illness before he climbed aboard the aeroplane and so Vince was quite sure that tragedy would call. What he did not expect was that the old man would survive it or that such would require him to immediately launch a rescue... or that this mission of mercy would lead him deep into love, to family, to the gangsters within eastern Europe's blacker markets, to the "Rutskoi Rebellion" in Moscow and to the gruesome truth about the "war-crimes" which had brought about his father's exile to Canada after World War II..."

  • December Dawn by Kyle Vernon, 2000
    An electronic novel with many familiar Rush themes, whose protagonist is not only a Rush fan, he has a Signals poster hung in his living room. The book contains numerous direct and indirect references to Rush, including a mention of most of the Rush albums.

    Synopsis:
    "The sky is falling!  Obsolete Soviet satellites turned off years ago are changing their orbits and the world's Space Agencies are in agreement that nothing is wrong.  Only the keen eye of a satellite spotter hobbyist notices the errant movement and thus sets out on a discovery that will bring him in touch with the most dangerous thing in the world . . his past.  Together with his new next door neighbor, Mike Boskey must confront his past as a renegade over-achiever, and tackle long buried emotional scars in his quest for solving the puzzle.  It's a race against time before hundreds of satellites carrying plutonium rain down on the world's largest cities."
  • By Durrell Bowman:
  • "Gravity and Distance" by Patrick Madden, published in the Mississippi Review, Spring 2002 ~ Vol 8 No 2
    With a title and opening quote from "The Color of Right", this essay illustrates the conflict between faith and science.

  • By Dennis J. Barton:
    The Red Star Trilogy: "Inspired by the works of Rush, Red Star is sure to thrill hard-core Rush fans and sci-fi addicts alike." Although not endorsed by Rush, the series blends the stories and ideas put forth in "2112", "Red Barchetta" and other songs with similar themes.

    • Red Star: Sacred Cities, March 24, 2002
      Writers Club Press; 500 pages

      Synopsis:
      "Welcome to the year 2112. Enter the Temples of Syrinx. Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand. Surrender. Obey. The year is 2112. Religion and technology have been leveraged to control the lives and minds of humankind. Truth is a lie. Oppression is the rule. The Great CPU and His prophet have sought to do away with free will. But there remain a few righteous hearts. A boy who dares to question; a disillusioned Vigilance officer; an old man with a country-place that used to be a farm. The future of human destiny rests in the hands of these disparate few, and theirs is the anthem of freedom, of rebellion."

    • Red Star 2: Duty and Destiny, March 20, 2003
      Writers Club Press; 392 pages

      Synopsis:
      "Vice Chancellor Lifeson is dead. His son, David, is lost in the wilderness far beyond the wire. David's Uncle Robert, the last living hacker, is trapped within a hostile city where an artificial intelligence awakens to believe that it is the holy scion of God."

    • Red Star 3: Ascendance, September 30, 2003
      iUniverse, Inc.; 340 pages

      Synopsis:
      "2112: The living spirit of Almighty Harold asserts its power in Megadon. The new Vice Chancellor, Thomas O. Ryan, races to save David Lifeson and Mal from the lethal Colonel-become-Bishop Compaq. Surgeon General Wang kidnaps David's mother, Magenta, without any idea who or what she truly is or the danger she represents. Uncle Robert delves into a mysterious file containing a journal describing his brother Billy's perilous journey through the black hole of Cygnus X-1".

      "2047: Michael Lifeson defends teenaged Harold from assassination attempts while Maggie and Robert strike out to unravel the true motives of the young religious leader and discover in New Imperial Japan the roots of a dark plot with earth-shattering implications."
  • Hemispheres, 35mm short film, Nov. 2002
    Inspired by the Rush album of the same name, the basis of the film is the struggle and battle of the left and right side of one's brain - the left being logic and the right being emotion. As an added plus for Rush fans, the film makers included at least one visual reference from ever Rush album at that time (through Vapor Trails). For additional information including production stills, a complete synopsis, and how to order, visit TheSouth40.com.

    Synopsis:
    "Gern Fletcher is stuck in the middle. Tonight he faces a decision that could change his life in ways he has never imagined - or so he thinks."
  • The Weapon, by Michael Z. Williamson, August, 2004
    Most of Rush fan Michael Z. Williamson's books include some references, including this one which took its title directly from the song.

  • Sweet Miracle, fan produced video, October 2004 Synopsis:
    "A fan made music video for "Sweet Miracle" off the 2002 album Vapor Trails by the Canadian Prog Rock band, RUSH. Influenced by pgs 338-339 of Neil Peart's book, Ghost Rider". - myspace.com/kimberlys_nyc
  • The Red Barchetta, by Grant Brough, 2006
    Based on the song by the same name which was itself based on a short story by Richard S. Foster, the novel can be purchased in hardcover or via download from Lulu.com. Synopsis:
    "The Red Barchetta takes place in the future where the internal combustion engine has been illegalized. Technology has made mind control possible and some in the government want to capitalize on this form of power. Matt Cummins is an average citizen who becomes the only one who can stop those who want to use the mind control technology, with the help of his uncle and a 1949 Ferrari."
  • Open Secrets: Individualism and Middle-Class Identity in the Songs of Rush by Chris McDonald, published in Popular Music & Society, July 2008, Vol. 31 Issue 3 Abstract:
    "This article examines how the songs of the progressive rock group Rush can be understood as a manifestation of North American middle-class identity, and considers how individualism and escapism play integral roles in the formation of a largely male, middle-class, suburban world view. The article contextualizes and critiques the individualistic nature of middle-class identity, as it is presented by Rush in songs such as 'Subdivisions' and 'Tom Sawyer.'"