Fire Pattern - Bob Shaw

Fire Pattern starts out as an investigation into the rare phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion, incidents of which have been documented for centuries but never scientifically explained, and in a very Bob Shaw way, the author manages to take this in an entirely new direction, far away from where it started. All the way to Mercury in fact.

Rayner Jerome is a reporter for the Whiteford Examiner, an employee with a little more professionalism and care about grammar and scientific accuracy than most of his colleagues. So when an extraordinary cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion occurs, Jerome spots some suspicious information and takes the time to investigate the matter thoroughly, much to the frustration of his boss who just wants a quick article. While pondering news of a NASA Quicksilver mission to Mercury to examine an unusual artefact that has been spotted on the surface of the planet's northern pole, Jerome discovers that there is a connection between recent case of SHC and the planet.

[Plot spoilers below]

How he discovers this is pretty dramatic, terrifyingly observing a spontaneous human combustion first hand, being threatened by a telepath who claims to have taken over the body of a doctor connected with the SHC cases. Next thing you know Jerome finds himself transferred to Mercury into the body of a Dorrinian - a race of people on Mercury who share common origins with human life on Earth - working to help them bring the sacred Thrabben, four thousand souls contained within a crystal matrix, to Earth.

Fire Pattern is as far-fetched as you can imagine and goes further with Jerome managing to 'hitch' a lift back to Earth when the Quicksilver mission arrives on Mercury, but it's terrific pulpy SF fun with some interesting speculation on alien life and strange phenomena.