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Pilgrimage: The Book of the People

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Here is kinder, gentler science fiction. The People -- the characters from another world who populate this book and Henderson's other tales -- are what you might call the gentler, better and more spiritually-developed side of humanity. This first of the People books tells of how the People arrived on Earth; this and subsequent books [No Different Flesh; Holding Wonder] contain loosely-connected stories of how they gradually reunite after having been scattered throughout the southwestern US in their hasty retreat from their disintegrating home planet.

The People have wonderfully developed powers that Earth-bound mortals have long dreamed about, such as levitation, mind-reading, fire-making and other such useful accomplishments. You will enjoy the People books more if you have some Biblical knowledge, as there are numerous scriptural references throughout. Emphasis is mostly Old Testament, but the People's motivation closely parallels Christian teachings of love and forgiveness.

If you are looking for monsters, mayhem and general weirdness, akip this book. Edginess and cynicism have no place in the world of the People. But if you want to meet the best of humanity, start here!

...you may not have visited for a while, but when you remeet time just slips away and you remember why the two of you clicked in the first place.

Picking up Henderson's Pilgrimage was just such a visit. Her well crafted characters have a feeling of realness, each vignette unfolds a new piece of puzzle. Satisfying on both an emotional and story level, Pilgrimage remains a classic...an old friend I'll revisit from time to time in the years to come.

Zenna Henderson's people are the epitome of what most earthlings wish to be: loving, innocent, humorous to the point of levitation, telekenetic. They're new adventure on earth becomes more and more complete as the different "landings" find one another. To have found an earthling school teacher who patiently endeavors to understand the children and their ways, and who finally finds acceptance by their parents through her delicate position was truly a stroke of luck (or could it have been heaven-ordained?)

I have been re-reading my "Zenna" books for 25 years, and they are truly becoming worn. I've shared them with my friends and children and am now ready to start with my grand-children. The stories are very wholesome, and good "grandma" builders. I only hope they last a little longer!

I've read and re-read Zenna Henderson's works since I was in high school. I'm not someone who re-reads books, but these are _the_ exception for me. They've always been an enjoyable read. At least the People stories have been gathered and re-published under the title "Ingathering". Get that.

Now, if someone would just re-publish her non-People stories. I've about worn out my old paperbacks!

"Wade in the water,
Wade in the water, children.
Wade in the water,
The Lord's gonna trouble the water."
-- See John 5:4

Once upon a time, readers of _Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine_ would wait for their annual short story by Stanley Ellin. Ellin would write little and polish a lot. His single annual short story was almost always worth the wait.

At about the same time, readers of _Fantasy and Science Fiction_ waited with baited breath for the next story of the People by Zenna Henderson that came at the rate of about one a year. _Pilgrimage: The Book of the People_ (1961) is the first collection of People stories. There are six in all: "Ararat" (1952), "Gilead" (1954), "Pottage" (1955), "Wilderness" (1957), "Captivity" (1958), and "Jordan" (1959).

As you may have gathered from the titles, Henderson's stories have thematic connections with the Old Testament. The first story alludes to the ark (spaceship) that set down on the mountain (Earth) in years past. The second story is about the gift of healing (the balm in Gilead). The third is about the importance of birthright and heritage and the dangers of denying them. The fourth is about various ways of wandering in a psychic wilderness. The fifth is about various ways that we may hang our harps by the waters of Babylon. The sixth is about the aching for the promised land.

The stories are imbedded in a "frame story" about a troubled and suicidal young woman named Lea who is helped on the road to recovery by several of the People. Part of her process of recovery is to listen to the tales of the People (alien exiles who have landed in the American midwest). Part of the healing process is symbolized early in the novel when Lea asks permission to wade in the creek. It is a therapeutic experience:

Lea sighed, gathered up her skirts and stepped cautiously into the pool. The cold clean bite of the water caught her breath, but she waded deeper. The water crept up to her knees and over them. She stood under the cottonwood tree, waiting, waiting so quietly that the water closed smothly around her legs and she could feel its flow only in the tiny crumblings of sand under her feet. She stood there until another leaf fell, brushed her cheek, slipped down her shoulder and curved over her crumpled blouse, catching briefly in the gathered-up folds of her skirt before it turned a leisurely circle in the shining water. (47)

A moment later, Lea falls into the water. Water can heal, Henderson is saying. But first it must be troubled, stirred up. Henderson's People stories are filled with individuals-- sometimes whole communities-- that need need healing. But often there must first be a troubling of the waters. Somebody must step in and upset the status quo, challenge the communal norms. The healer in "Gilead" who challenges established medical knowledge, the teacher in "Pottage" who challenges her students to live a life of joy, the outsider in "Wilderness" who has the gift of shining, the crippled young woman in "Captivity" who challenges the values of a juvenile delinquent... All are necessary troublers. For only then may the healing begin.

How well done is the frame? Well, it's not the greatest thing since Scherazade wove her tales during the Arabian Nights or since Chaucer sent his pilgrims on the road to Canterbury. But it is better than frames used in a lot of other fixup novels of this sort. It does not seem sketchy or artificial.

Henderson is sometimes accused of being a bit sentimental in her People stories. I believe that this is an overstatement. But there is a bit of _wholesomeness_ that sometimes wears a little thin. There is a scene in which a young woman named Karen barges into Lea's room and rouses her from sleep. When Lea asks what is the matter, Karen cries out: "Nothing's the matter! Oh, come and be joyful!" (119) Had I been Lea, I would have been sorely tempted to punch Karen in the snoot. But a complaint about wholesomeness is a small bone to pick. These stories are classics, worthy of being reprinted many times over.

This book (or, more precisely, the story "Pottage") was the basis for a 1972 television movie called _The People_, starring Kim Darby and William Shatner. Frequently, when I make notes of such movies, I also note (a tad grumpily)that the movie is poor or mediocre. Not this time. It was a low-budget production, but it was well-written, well-acted, and with decent special effects. It did a credible job of capturing Henderson's humanistic message. Do yourself a favor and get the movie as well.

I know this book is out of stock, but if you enjoy any/all kinds of science fiction, I think you should give Zenna Henderson a try. Her stories of the People are touching, magical and will stay with you for a long, long time

Zenna Henderson (1917-1983) was a wonderful sci-fi writer. With a quite brief short stories production she has earned an unforgettable place in the heart of sci-fi fans.

The first of his amazing stories I've read was "Pottage" published in a sci-fi magazine and was enthralled by the author's sensibility and depiction of a backwater dull village.
The affection shown by Melodye for her young pupils and her courage to liberate them and their families from their doom touch a soft spot in my heart and leave me wanting to read more People's stories.
Thru the years I was able to read "Ararat" and "Gilead" but my wont wasn't satisfied, so I was delighted to find "Pilgrimage: The Book of the People".

This remarkable collection of the first six stories of the series is a gem. Artfully linked by Lea's interludes the stories are presented as coherent bunch.
IMHO the best of all of them is "Captivity" depicting with unusual force the tale of rebellious yet tender Francher kid and Miss Carolle her redeemer.

It is a great short stories collection that will be enjoyed by every sci-fi adept as well as by any soft heartened reader.
Enjoy Zenna's earlier tales!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.