Cities in Flight [Hardcover]

James Blish (Author), Betty Ballantine (Introduction), Richard D. Mullen (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2000

Long out of print, the science fiction masterpiece by Hugo Award winning writer James Blish

Originally published as four volumes nearly fifty years ago, Cities in Flight brings together the famed "Okie novels" of science fiction master James Blish. Named after the migrant workers of America's Dust Bowl, these novels convey Blish's "history of the future," a brilliant and bleak look at a world where cities roam the Galaxy looking for work and a sustainable way of life.

In the first novel, They Shall Have Stars, man has thoroughly explored the Solar System, yet the dream of going even further seems to have died in all but one man. His battle to realize his dream results in two momentous discoveries-- anti-gravity and the secret of immortality. In A Life for the Stars, it is centuries later and antigravity generations have enabled whole cities to lift off the surface of the earth to become galactic wanderers. In Earthman, Come Home, the nomadic cities revert to barbarism and marauding rogue cities begin to pose a threat to all civilized worlds. An armada of renegade cities attempts to destroy Earth, their ancient birthplace. In the final novel, The Triumph of Time, history repeats itself as the cities once again journey back in to space making a terrifying discovery which could destroy the entire Universe. A serious and haunting vision of our world and its limits, Cities in Flight marks the return to print of one of science fiction's masterpieces.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cities in Flight is an omnibus volume of four novels, originally published between 1955 and 1962, two of which are fix-ups of pieces that first appeared in various magazines in the early '50s. Despite having been conceived more than 50 years ago, and produced in episodic fashion, they stand head and shoulders above most SF available today.

In They Shall Have Stars, humankind's will to explore space is renewed with the advent of two discoveries: anti-gravity (the "spindizzy" machines) and the key to almost eternal life (anti-agathic drugs). By A Life for the Stars, centuries have passed and most of the major cities have built spindizzies into their bedrock and left earth, cruising the galaxy looking for work, much like the hobos of the Depression Era. Earthman, Come Home, told from the perspective of John Amalfi, the major of New York, was the first-written of the novels and--although not as tightly woven as the other segments--is still a masterly work. Blish gives the same weight and authority both to the sweeping cultural change wrought and suffered by the cities, and to the emotional growth of a man who is several hundred years old. We stay with Amalfi for the final episode, The Triumph of Time. New York is now planet-bound in the Greater Magellanic Cloud, but when Amalfi learns of the impending destruction of time itself, he is forced into space one more time, to take a last, desperate chance. The novel ends, literally, with a bang.

Despite the occasional, inevitable anachronism, such as vacuum tubes, Cities in Flight stands up remarkably well to modern reading. The novel's political and literary sophistication was unmatched in its time; there is very little to rival it even today. For most readers of a certain age, this was probably the first SF they encountered that was written from a mature standpoint and adult sensibility. The fact that Blish also manages to tell a fabulous, galaxy-spanning adventure tale makes this essential reading. --Luc Duplessis

From Library Journal

Blish's sf epic was originally published as four separate novels--They Shall Have Stars; A Life for the Stars; Earthman, Come Home; and The Triumph of Time--which became known over time collectively as the "Okie novels." The title of this edition is apt, as the thread of the story concerns entire cities that fly through space. All sf collections will want this.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 590 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; Reissue edition (March 27, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585670081
• ISBN-13: 978-1585670086
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,100,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now that's an apt title!, November 5, 2004

By 

Michael Battaglia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cities in Flight (Paperback)

Probably the only way Mr Blish could have made the title anymore self-explanatory would be to call it "Cities in Space" but that's not really as poetic. Mostly due to that teeming mass we fondly call pop culture, if you've heard of James Blish at all it's probably by way of his novelisations of Star Trek episodes, which is where I first heard of him (and they really aren't half bad, honestly) but as it turns out he was one of the smarter SF writers of the fifties. His SF reputation basically rests on two novels, A Case of Conscience (which is a decent examination of original sin from a SF perspective) and the collective groups of novels known as Cities in Flight, which we'll be talking about here. Over the course of time Blish wrote four average sized novels depicting over time man discovering the ability to launch entire cities into space and the culture that developed around them as the centuries wore on. The first novel "They Shall Have Stars" mostly serves as a really long prologue to the proceedings, showing how the technology was developed, as well as the secret to halting the aging process, indispensible to staying in space for a really long time. The story also functions as a political thriller on some level, showing the earth of the future as more narrowminded and religious (always an easy target, alas) and focused more upon itself, crumbling even as he moves forward. Still, it's really just prelude for what's to come. "A Life for the Stars" is next, and is basically a better introduction to the culture of the flying cities, as they weave their way through space, taking odd jobs. Blish does a decent job making a somehow plausible stab at what a wandering space culture would be like, although I do have to agree that he rarely gives you a sense of the massiveness of a city and all the people inside it, instead focusing only on a small handful (I mean they're on NYC, for pete's sake) which takes some of the epicness away from it, although the fact that it's a giant city rocketing through space helps. "Earthman Come Home" is probably my favorite of the group (and it's the longest) focusing on the mayor of NYC, John Amalfi (who was glimpsed in the last novel but takes center stage for this and the next one) as he deals with some crises over the course of a novel, showing the downsides of a wandering culture (what if there's no jobs?) and what drastic actions those people might take, it's the widest ranging examination and description of Blish's future history. The last novel "Truimph of Time" mostly ties things up, bringing the crew back one last time after centuries have past to deal with the one thing they'll never be able to deal with and wrapping up things nicely, on a real poetic note. Blish's novels are hugely readable and move at a good clip, the characterization isn't what it could be (a common complaint for fifties' SF, since putting the idea forward was more important) and since the novels were written so long ago some of the science is suspect (a lot is outdated and the rest is just babbling) . . . also, the novels sometimes act more like collections of short stories, as the city moves from one unrelated crisis to another. But in terms of ideas and scope, Blish was standing nearly alone and I have to admit I have a fondness for the type of SF that liked the idea of strapping giant engines onto things and sending them into space. Sure it's not as graceful but it's much for a better mental image. If you're looking for cutting edge, sophisticated SF for the new century, this probably isn't what you're looking for, but for those who like to see one man lay out wild ideas in a calm, level fashion, this is probably some of the best stories you can get from this era and well worth the look.

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic--in the true sense, May 2, 2000

By 

Top Dragon (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cities in Flight (Hardcover)

Like many people, I first read this collection of four novels when I was in High School. Long out-of-print I was very happy to see them repackaged for a whole new generation. This is high-quality science fiction from the golden age. I was suprised that so little of the technology is out-of-date (vacuum tubes excepted) that it reads as fresh now as it did before.

But this is more than just the superficial sci-fi that we sometimes hear about. Much more than spaceships and aliens, these novels dig deep into our culture, our sensabilities, our fundamental attitudes. It is a story of the human condition, as told by one of the grand masters of science fiction. If you enjoy Heinlein, Asimov, and Bradbury, you'll like this one. If you aren't into sci-fi, I think you will still find a lot to like about Cities in Flight. Give it a try.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cities in Flight, September 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cities in Flight (Hardcover)

It's over 30 years since I have read the "Cities" series, originally 4 novels, and it has not lost any of my pleasant memories. James Blish created a masterpiece which has not been tarnished in anyway, true technology has advanced, this is still plausable. As a author I rate him along the big names of Science Fiction such as Assimov, Heinlien, E E Smith and many overs. If you have nothing to do one day and it is raining outside then pass a few hours away reading Cities in Flight. You will not be disapointed, it's a very relaxing read worthy of space on any bookshelf.

Should this ever happen, then all I have to say is "I want on".