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Cities in Flight #2
Život za zvijezde
Život za zvijezde druga je knjiga Blishove legendarne tetralogije GRADOVI U LETU. Dva epohalna otkrića otvorila su čovjeku put do dalekih zvijezda. Počela je kolonizacija Galaktike…
GRADOVI U LETU – tetralogija u kojoj je Život za zvijezde druga knjiga – majstorsko je djelo Jamesa Blisha u kojem dva ključna otkrića – antigravitacija i održavanje dugovječnosti čovjeka – odvode čovječanstvo put zvijezda. I dok su na Zemlji prilike sve teže, čitavi gradovi sa stanovnicama koji žive tisućama godina, podižu se s nje i kao divovski svemirski brodovi odlaze u međuzvjezdane prostore gdje osnivaju jedinstveno galaktičko društvo…
Blish je osmislio jednu povijest budućnost u kojoj čovjek, fizički ne više vezan za svoj rodni Sunčev sustav, postaje osvajač i žrtva svemira. S čitavom Galaktikom kao mjestom zbivanja, GRADOVI U LETU, premda stari nekoliko desetljeća, ostaju i dalje jedno od vječito uzbudljivih djela znanstvene fantastike.
GRADOVI U LETU – tetralogija u kojoj je Život za zvijezde druga knjiga – majstorsko je djelo Jamesa Blisha u kojem dva ključna otkrića – antigravitacija i održavanje dugovječnosti čovjeka – odvode čovječanstvo put zvijezda. I dok su na Zemlji prilike sve teže, čitavi gradovi sa stanovnicama koji žive tisućama godina, podižu se s nje i kao divovski svemirski brodovi odlaze u međuzvjezdane prostore gdje osnivaju jedinstveno galaktičko društvo…
Blish je osmislio jednu povijest budućnost u kojoj čovjek, fizički ne više vezan za svoj rodni Sunčev sustav, postaje osvajač i žrtva svemira. S čitavom Galaktikom kao mjestom zbivanja, GRADOVI U LETU, premda stari nekoliko desetljeća, ostaju i dalje jedno od vječito uzbudljivih djela znanstvene fantastike.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
12 people are currently reading
494 people want to read
About the author
James Blish
456 books325 followersJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr.
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.
Blish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Army. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer.
He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story "Solar Plexus" as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. (The story was originally published in 1941, but that version did not contain the term; Blish apparently added it in a rewrite done for the anthology, which was first published in 1952.)
Blish was married to the literary agent Virginia Kidd from 1947 to 1963.
From 1962 to 1968, he worked for the Tobacco Institute.
Between 1967 and his death from lung cancer in 1975, Blish became the first author to write short story collections based upon the classic TV series Star Trek. In total, Blish wrote 11 volumes of short stories adapted from episodes of the 1960s TV series, as well as an original novel, Spock Must Die! in 1970 — the first original novel for adult readers based upon the series (since then hundreds more have been published). He died midway through writing Star Trek 12; his wife, J.A. Lawrence, completed the book, and later completed the adaptations in the volume Mudd's Angels.
Blish lived in Milford, Pennsylvania at Arrowhead until the mid-1960s. In 1968, Blish emigrated to England, and lived in Oxford until his death in 1975. He is buried in Holywell Cemetery, Oxford, near the grave of Kenneth Grahame.
His name in Greek is Τζέημς Μπλις"
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
February 6, 2024
A Life for the Stars is chronologically the second book of Blish's four Cities in Flight novels, but it was the last written and published of the quartet. It's quite different in tone and style than the first book and is more of what we'd call a YA book now, in the footsteps of the juvenile sf novels of Heinlein, del Rey, or Norton. The series is quite big on ideas and hard science and technology with little attention paid to characterization. In the far future, a powerful engine known as Spindizzies propel entire cities through space, which has resulted in an "Okie" society. This one has a faster plot than the others, with fewer blocks of mathematics to pretend to follow, and is a good space adventure.
August 8, 2019
In a time when entire cities have covered themselves with force fields and taken to the stars, a young boy is kidnapped from earth and taken into space aboard one such flying town. Eventually, he proves himself to be invaluable to the survival of his adopted home.
This is a very clunky novel. It is poorly written, with uninteresting characters and dull plotting. There are far too many lengthy conversations and dull exposition; Blish tells when he ought to be showing. Like many older science fiction novels, it displays a naïve infatuation with technology that has not aged well. For example, a city that is governed by infallible computers is held to be superior to one that is controlled by mere men. Blish fails to develop adequately his intellectual theme--that a knowledge of history and its lessons is an invaluable guide to coping with the future--and the moments of high adventure are presented in stiff, workmanlike fashion. Not recommended.
This is a very clunky novel. It is poorly written, with uninteresting characters and dull plotting. There are far too many lengthy conversations and dull exposition; Blish tells when he ought to be showing. Like many older science fiction novels, it displays a naïve infatuation with technology that has not aged well. For example, a city that is governed by infallible computers is held to be superior to one that is controlled by mere men. Blish fails to develop adequately his intellectual theme--that a knowledge of history and its lessons is an invaluable guide to coping with the future--and the moments of high adventure are presented in stiff, workmanlike fashion. Not recommended.
March 25, 2018
Having read the chronologically first novel in the series, the science-heavy They Shall Have Stars, following it with A Life for the Stars (LFTS) is a shock. It is different. In this second novel, Blish seems to be channelling Tom Corbett: Space Cadet, or perhaps Robert A Heinlein’s juveniles, though it has very different results.
Like many of Heinlein’s juvenile novels, LFTS is a bildungsroman novel. It is initially about Chris, a young man who, although limited in education, ends up travelling to the stars on one of the cities currently leaving Earth in search for work.
Since the first novel, the development of the anti-gravity drive Spindizzy (invented in the first book) has meant that Earth cities are now, once adapted, physically lifting off the ground to travel free, beyond Earth. Like the Okies of the USA’s past, these cities can travel for work throughout the galaxy, escaping the harsh regime of suppression and surveillance created on Earth in the “Age of Security”.
Unfortunately for Chris, he doesn’t know that simply by watching a city prepare for take-off means that he has to be taken with it, in order to maintain secrecy. It seems like a weak plot point, but it does reflect that feeling of paranoia and suspicion that was created under the ‘Age of Security’ in the previous novel. LFTS is set fifty years later than the first story.
Chris begins to travel through the stars, seeing the cities at work, taking on work contracts and taking over contracts defaulted on by others. When Chris transfers from Scranton to New York, his life changes further. He meets the Mayor of New York, and when Manhattan arrives on a planet where a city has defaulted on its contract, finds himself involved in the resolution of the issue.
Being in general appearance a YA novel (remember that no such genre label existed in the 1960’s), A Life for the Stars has both strengths and weaknesses. It is simpler, admittedly, and less complex than the first novel, but this also makes the book more accessible and less didactic. For that reason, it is more enjoyable, and less of a strain to read. But at the same time the view is narrower, the overriding theme less obvious, the epic-ness more muted by being concentrated around one main, young and inexperienced character. Chris is not an adult like Dr Corsi, Senator Bliss Wagoner or even spaceman Paige Russell of the first novel, which gives a different perspective to that seen already in the series.
Whilst this may be nothing new, even in 1962, it is rather refreshing and allows the reader to experience, with eyes wide open, that sense of wonder that is so important to young readers. Reading the novel is a voyage of discovery, of taking and experiencing that journey into places unknown. Star Trek readers would love it (which is rather amusing to me, as Blish wrote the novelisation of the Original Series’ scripts.)
Interestingly, I found LFTS often more enjoyable than the Heinlein equivalents, which was a surprise. (To put this in context, Heinlein’s Have Spacesuit Will Travel was published in 1958, and Starship Troopers in 1959.)
Comparing the two author's work, there’s less of the lecturing here in LFTS, fewer fractious adults passing on their wisdom than usually seen in a Heinlein version. Don’t get me wrong – as my reviews show, I did enjoy the Heinlein books, but this seems more intelligent, more realistic, more memorable. Whilst there are undeniably lectures here, following many of the usual themes, LFTS seems to be more concerned with telling a tale, rather than propose a message. The message is there, but more subtly, and as a result the reader can feel less like they’ve been repeatedly hit by a moral or a message. Perhaps it is my Brit nature, but I feel that this way is more persuasive than the alternative.
Like Alexis Panshin’s Rite of Passage (1968), LFTS seems to take the original Heinlein template and then produce something that holds up as well as the original. Not all of the characters in LFTS are nice, nor honourable – there’s an unpleasant scene involving a dog at the beginning of the novel, that emphasises this. Like many of Heinlein’s characters, Chris’s road to adulthood is not straightforward. He makes mistakes, though by the end becomes good. His intellectual growth through hypnotic training is not easy, though it may be a bit of a cheat when compared with the graft of Heinlein’s Cadet School.
When Chris is transferred from lowly Scranton, Pennsylvania, to New York City, in an exchange deal, the story steps up a gear. Chris is taken further from a place he knows to somewhere more complex and more vibrant. It is also where we first meet one of the key characters of the series, the Mayor of Manhattan, John Amalfi. As the most memorable person other than Chris in the story, he is the equivalent of Hari Seldon in this series, and later books will continue his story, as the Foundation series had the presence of Seldon throughout. It is interesting to compare Mayor Amalfi with ‘The Mayors’ of Asimov’s Foundation (1942-1951). Like Salvor Hardin in Foundation, Amalfi is intelligent thoughtful and manipulative, but able to make ruthless decisions when required. It is characters such as these that guide the story, but characters like Chris who humanise it.
There are other parts that are quite surprising. I wonder what fans of Ken McLeod would make of a city where choices and important decisions are mainly given over to AI – self-monitoring, self-repairing machines. Though the Mayor may have executive control, it is just accepted as a fact that the ‘City Fathers’ can oust him, if his decisions are deemed to be unacceptable. I can’t see Heinlein going for such executive control by non-humans either, though computers may be useful in the future (see The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.)
On the downside, there are rather a lot of plot coincidences and issues rapidly resolved. From my more cynical world perspective of 2018, Chris’s mentors seem to be accepted and trusted rather too quickly, although for a young readership in the 1950’s such contrivances may be how it would happen, in the same ways that Heinlein’s would. The world is less trusting these days.
Some contemporary readers may also be disappointed by the male-dominance of the characters, though in comparison with much material of the time it is typical. Even Heinlein struggled to include female characters of prominence in his novels of that time.
Nevertheless, in short, I enjoyed A Life for the Stars a great deal. If They Shall Have Stars was Blish’s take on Asimov’s Foundation, this reads to me like his take on Heinlein’s juveniles. Whilst undeniably dated in places – I do wonder if such secrecy would be possible in today’s modern world of social media and fake news? – there’s a verve and an enthusiasm that is quite enjoyable. A Life for the Stars may not be entirely original, but it uses traditional tropes in a pleasurable manner. And in a world that is dark and scary, wonderfully comforting entertainment.
Like many of Heinlein’s juvenile novels, LFTS is a bildungsroman novel. It is initially about Chris, a young man who, although limited in education, ends up travelling to the stars on one of the cities currently leaving Earth in search for work.
Since the first novel, the development of the anti-gravity drive Spindizzy (invented in the first book) has meant that Earth cities are now, once adapted, physically lifting off the ground to travel free, beyond Earth. Like the Okies of the USA’s past, these cities can travel for work throughout the galaxy, escaping the harsh regime of suppression and surveillance created on Earth in the “Age of Security”.
Unfortunately for Chris, he doesn’t know that simply by watching a city prepare for take-off means that he has to be taken with it, in order to maintain secrecy. It seems like a weak plot point, but it does reflect that feeling of paranoia and suspicion that was created under the ‘Age of Security’ in the previous novel. LFTS is set fifty years later than the first story.
Chris begins to travel through the stars, seeing the cities at work, taking on work contracts and taking over contracts defaulted on by others. When Chris transfers from Scranton to New York, his life changes further. He meets the Mayor of New York, and when Manhattan arrives on a planet where a city has defaulted on its contract, finds himself involved in the resolution of the issue.
Being in general appearance a YA novel (remember that no such genre label existed in the 1960’s), A Life for the Stars has both strengths and weaknesses. It is simpler, admittedly, and less complex than the first novel, but this also makes the book more accessible and less didactic. For that reason, it is more enjoyable, and less of a strain to read. But at the same time the view is narrower, the overriding theme less obvious, the epic-ness more muted by being concentrated around one main, young and inexperienced character. Chris is not an adult like Dr Corsi, Senator Bliss Wagoner or even spaceman Paige Russell of the first novel, which gives a different perspective to that seen already in the series.
Whilst this may be nothing new, even in 1962, it is rather refreshing and allows the reader to experience, with eyes wide open, that sense of wonder that is so important to young readers. Reading the novel is a voyage of discovery, of taking and experiencing that journey into places unknown. Star Trek readers would love it (which is rather amusing to me, as Blish wrote the novelisation of the Original Series’ scripts.)
Interestingly, I found LFTS often more enjoyable than the Heinlein equivalents, which was a surprise. (To put this in context, Heinlein’s Have Spacesuit Will Travel was published in 1958, and Starship Troopers in 1959.)
Comparing the two author's work, there’s less of the lecturing here in LFTS, fewer fractious adults passing on their wisdom than usually seen in a Heinlein version. Don’t get me wrong – as my reviews show, I did enjoy the Heinlein books, but this seems more intelligent, more realistic, more memorable. Whilst there are undeniably lectures here, following many of the usual themes, LFTS seems to be more concerned with telling a tale, rather than propose a message. The message is there, but more subtly, and as a result the reader can feel less like they’ve been repeatedly hit by a moral or a message. Perhaps it is my Brit nature, but I feel that this way is more persuasive than the alternative.
Like Alexis Panshin’s Rite of Passage (1968), LFTS seems to take the original Heinlein template and then produce something that holds up as well as the original. Not all of the characters in LFTS are nice, nor honourable – there’s an unpleasant scene involving a dog at the beginning of the novel, that emphasises this. Like many of Heinlein’s characters, Chris’s road to adulthood is not straightforward. He makes mistakes, though by the end becomes good. His intellectual growth through hypnotic training is not easy, though it may be a bit of a cheat when compared with the graft of Heinlein’s Cadet School.
When Chris is transferred from lowly Scranton, Pennsylvania, to New York City, in an exchange deal, the story steps up a gear. Chris is taken further from a place he knows to somewhere more complex and more vibrant. It is also where we first meet one of the key characters of the series, the Mayor of Manhattan, John Amalfi. As the most memorable person other than Chris in the story, he is the equivalent of Hari Seldon in this series, and later books will continue his story, as the Foundation series had the presence of Seldon throughout. It is interesting to compare Mayor Amalfi with ‘The Mayors’ of Asimov’s Foundation (1942-1951). Like Salvor Hardin in Foundation, Amalfi is intelligent thoughtful and manipulative, but able to make ruthless decisions when required. It is characters such as these that guide the story, but characters like Chris who humanise it.
There are other parts that are quite surprising. I wonder what fans of Ken McLeod would make of a city where choices and important decisions are mainly given over to AI – self-monitoring, self-repairing machines. Though the Mayor may have executive control, it is just accepted as a fact that the ‘City Fathers’ can oust him, if his decisions are deemed to be unacceptable. I can’t see Heinlein going for such executive control by non-humans either, though computers may be useful in the future (see The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.)
On the downside, there are rather a lot of plot coincidences and issues rapidly resolved. From my more cynical world perspective of 2018, Chris’s mentors seem to be accepted and trusted rather too quickly, although for a young readership in the 1950’s such contrivances may be how it would happen, in the same ways that Heinlein’s would. The world is less trusting these days.
Some contemporary readers may also be disappointed by the male-dominance of the characters, though in comparison with much material of the time it is typical. Even Heinlein struggled to include female characters of prominence in his novels of that time.
Nevertheless, in short, I enjoyed A Life for the Stars a great deal. If They Shall Have Stars was Blish’s take on Asimov’s Foundation, this reads to me like his take on Heinlein’s juveniles. Whilst undeniably dated in places – I do wonder if such secrecy would be possible in today’s modern world of social media and fake news? – there’s a verve and an enthusiasm that is quite enjoyable. A Life for the Stars may not be entirely original, but it uses traditional tropes in a pleasurable manner. And in a world that is dark and scary, wonderfully comforting entertainment.
July 15, 2012
It is now just over 1000 years since humans first discovered the Spindizzy - the antigravity drive that enabled their exodus to the stars. For a long time, spindizzies have been used not just to drive ships, but to launch whole Cities into space. These Cities - referred to as 'Okies' - live a nomadic lifestyle, wandering through the galaxy and landing for a short time on planets where they take on any job the inhabitants need doing, such as mining, or refining, drilling etc. But most of their time is spent traveling between star systems.
The Industrial city of Scranton, is about to power up its Spindizzy drives and leave earth to go Okie. Crispin (Chris) DeFord has picked his spot beyond the city perimeter to watch Scranton take off. Unfortunately for him, the City is operating press-gangs on the perimeter, and one such group discovers him and forces him into the city as it takes off. Chris is forced to leave behind his family and the only life he has ever known, and make whatever life he can for himself on Scranton. Chris has had no formal schooling, but has a personal interest in astronomy, which he uses to pass himself off as a professional for a short time on Scranton. But it can't last for long, and as soon as another Okie ship offers a trade of workers, Chris takes the opportunity to jump ship. Chris then finds himself on the city of New York, where his chances in life are somewhat improved. He is put through a hard course of advanced schooling through hypnotherapy, and the city fathers - the artificial intelligences that perform all the basic running of the city - drive him hard to find any hidden skills or talents he may have. If he manages to show a useful skill, when his 18th birthday comes, he could be granted citizenship. And like every other citizen he would be granted the anti-aging drugs that let Okies live for centuries on their flying city ships.
I enjoyed this second installment of Cities in Flight almost as much as the first. I found Chris to be a very relatable character, he's young and intelligent and he knows what he wants, but he's yet to figure out how to get it. He's fairly brash and he's willing to lie and break the rules a little to get his own way, but not to the point of losing his own sense of right and wrong. And he seems to make friends easily. He is some what cliche of other sci-fi and fantasy adventurous kids, getting into scrapes but ultimately being forgiven, but it makes him an easy character to get along with.
The tone of the novel was however a little childish at times, I think this is because Blish is writing from the point of view of the teenage Chris, and yet Chris seemed to have some very mature ideas for his age. So the whole young-adult feel to the narration was a little un-wanted and a bit patronising in parts.
One thing I was a little confused at, was how the nature of the anti-agathic (anti-aging) drugs seemed to have changed from how they were first explained in book one. In They Shall Have Stars it was explained that simple removing all diseases from humanity wouldn't be enough to stop them aging, and that there was a separate toxin that caused the aging itself and could be counteracted. But in A life for the Stars the anti-aging drugs were just a collection of antibiotics that prevented all disease, which is a complete backtrack of the original idea, and simply didn't cut it for me. I can't believe that just eradicating disease would stop aging, and the scientists said as much in the first book!
And so in conclusion, I enjoyed the storyline, but I was seriously peeved by the Blish's u-turn on the sciencey bits. I'm definately on with books 3 and 4 tho, and reviews will come soon.
See my other reviews of Cities in Flight:
← #1 They Shall Have Stars | #3 Earthman, Come Home →
The Industrial city of Scranton, is about to power up its Spindizzy drives and leave earth to go Okie. Crispin (Chris) DeFord has picked his spot beyond the city perimeter to watch Scranton take off. Unfortunately for him, the City is operating press-gangs on the perimeter, and one such group discovers him and forces him into the city as it takes off. Chris is forced to leave behind his family and the only life he has ever known, and make whatever life he can for himself on Scranton. Chris has had no formal schooling, but has a personal interest in astronomy, which he uses to pass himself off as a professional for a short time on Scranton. But it can't last for long, and as soon as another Okie ship offers a trade of workers, Chris takes the opportunity to jump ship. Chris then finds himself on the city of New York, where his chances in life are somewhat improved. He is put through a hard course of advanced schooling through hypnotherapy, and the city fathers - the artificial intelligences that perform all the basic running of the city - drive him hard to find any hidden skills or talents he may have. If he manages to show a useful skill, when his 18th birthday comes, he could be granted citizenship. And like every other citizen he would be granted the anti-aging drugs that let Okies live for centuries on their flying city ships.
I enjoyed this second installment of Cities in Flight almost as much as the first. I found Chris to be a very relatable character, he's young and intelligent and he knows what he wants, but he's yet to figure out how to get it. He's fairly brash and he's willing to lie and break the rules a little to get his own way, but not to the point of losing his own sense of right and wrong. And he seems to make friends easily. He is some what cliche of other sci-fi and fantasy adventurous kids, getting into scrapes but ultimately being forgiven, but it makes him an easy character to get along with.
The tone of the novel was however a little childish at times, I think this is because Blish is writing from the point of view of the teenage Chris, and yet Chris seemed to have some very mature ideas for his age. So the whole young-adult feel to the narration was a little un-wanted and a bit patronising in parts.
One thing I was a little confused at, was how the nature of the anti-agathic (anti-aging) drugs seemed to have changed from how they were first explained in book one. In They Shall Have Stars it was explained that simple removing all diseases from humanity wouldn't be enough to stop them aging, and that there was a separate toxin that caused the aging itself and could be counteracted. But in A life for the Stars the anti-aging drugs were just a collection of antibiotics that prevented all disease, which is a complete backtrack of the original idea, and simply didn't cut it for me. I can't believe that just eradicating disease would stop aging, and the scientists said as much in the first book!
And so in conclusion, I enjoyed the storyline, but I was seriously peeved by the Blish's u-turn on the sciencey bits. I'm definately on with books 3 and 4 tho, and reviews will come soon.
See my other reviews of Cities in Flight:
← #1 They Shall Have Stars | #3 Earthman, Come Home →
July 9, 2025
When I decided to pick up the copy of James Blish’s novel that I saw in a used bookstore, I was unaware that it was the second volume in a series. Had I known, I would have passed over it and sought out the first volume, They Shall Have Stars, or the omnibus collection, Cities in Flight, as I usually like to start from the beginning and have an entire series at hand if I’m going to read it. Fortunately, this wasn’t necessary in this case, as unlike far too many series today Blish doesn’t engage in intensive world-building that requires foreknowledge of previous works. Though the universe is shared, this volume stands on its own.
And the story within its pages is an enormously entertaining one. In some unspecified future centuries from the present, the cities of a resource-depleted Earth launch themselves into space in search of new economic opportunities. As a teenager named Crispin “Chris” deFord sits on the outskirts of Scranton, Pennsylvania awaiting the spectacle of its imminent departure, a press gang captures him, making him an unwilling passenger on the city’s journey. Now amongst the stars, young Chris has to learn quickly how to survive by his wits in a universe where struggle is a survival and opportunities come only to the lucky few.
As one might guess, Blish’s book is a bildungsroman of the type that today would lead his book to be classified as a young adult novel. It’s a sterling example of one, too, as Chris undergoes an Alger-esque rise to success over the course of it. The premise itself is a curious mix of the dated and the prescient, as Blish tackles the increasingly relevant issue of our world’s finite resources, but with a focus (the idea that a planet composed of 35% iron would somehow run out of it is laughably ridiculous) that reflects the concerns of a different age. Fortunately this only a minor issue in what is a highly entertaining book, one that is a fast-paced adventure that remains relevant due to the timeliness of story within its pages.
And the story within its pages is an enormously entertaining one. In some unspecified future centuries from the present, the cities of a resource-depleted Earth launch themselves into space in search of new economic opportunities. As a teenager named Crispin “Chris” deFord sits on the outskirts of Scranton, Pennsylvania awaiting the spectacle of its imminent departure, a press gang captures him, making him an unwilling passenger on the city’s journey. Now amongst the stars, young Chris has to learn quickly how to survive by his wits in a universe where struggle is a survival and opportunities come only to the lucky few.
As one might guess, Blish’s book is a bildungsroman of the type that today would lead his book to be classified as a young adult novel. It’s a sterling example of one, too, as Chris undergoes an Alger-esque rise to success over the course of it. The premise itself is a curious mix of the dated and the prescient, as Blish tackles the increasingly relevant issue of our world’s finite resources, but with a focus (the idea that a planet composed of 35% iron would somehow run out of it is laughably ridiculous) that reflects the concerns of a different age. Fortunately this only a minor issue in what is a highly entertaining book, one that is a fast-paced adventure that remains relevant due to the timeliness of story within its pages.
November 27, 2008
The only one in the "Cities in Flight" series that isn't actually very good. Skip this and go straight to book 3, you won't miss anything.
July 9, 2024
Chris stood on the outskirts of Scranton, PA, hoping to watch it take off to join the multitude of cities that had left Earth for the stars (natural resource depletion being the #1 driving force for said exodus), but an impressment gang snagged him and brought him aboard, forcing him to leave his family behind. Going into space was something that he dreamed of, but this wasn't how he envisioned it. Now he needs to prove himself useful or else be forced to shovel slag for the rest of his days.
This is one of those coming of age stories for young men that were written in the 50s and 60s. The common lesson being: A good education and a solid moral compass is all you need to make yourself a valuable member of society. Yes, Chris has a couple of adventures, too, which showcase his bravery to save others even when he lacks the self-confidence to do so. It was a fun read, but the real exciting action took place off-screen as it wouldn't be prudent for a teenager to get involved in combat situations.
Another complaint: It was too short! I felt like Blish was just getting started with Chris's story.
While A Life for the Stars is the second book in the series, it was the last to be written. It's set about 1,100 years after the events that took place in They Shall Have Stars. The reader is filled in about what they missed over that span through Chris's schooling: fact dumping directly into the student's brain via a VR helmet. It's interesting to note that, in this series, the decline of Western Civilization came as it began to mimic the Soviet Union (repression, not economics). Today, some of us worry about a similar decline coming in the West as certain leaders have begun to mimic authoritarian Russia. Hopefully, we meet a better fate.
3.5 stars rounded down because Blish deprived us of what could've been some fun action sequences.
This is one of those coming of age stories for young men that were written in the 50s and 60s. The common lesson being: A good education and a solid moral compass is all you need to make yourself a valuable member of society. Yes, Chris has a couple of adventures, too, which showcase his bravery to save others even when he lacks the self-confidence to do so. It was a fun read, but the real exciting action took place off-screen as it wouldn't be prudent for a teenager to get involved in combat situations.
Another complaint: It was too short! I felt like Blish was just getting started with Chris's story.
While A Life for the Stars is the second book in the series, it was the last to be written. It's set about 1,100 years after the events that took place in They Shall Have Stars. The reader is filled in about what they missed over that span through Chris's schooling: fact dumping directly into the student's brain via a VR helmet. It's interesting to note that, in this series, the decline of Western Civilization came as it began to mimic the Soviet Union (repression, not economics). Today, some of us worry about a similar decline coming in the West as certain leaders have begun to mimic authoritarian Russia. Hopefully, we meet a better fate.
3.5 stars rounded down because Blish deprived us of what could've been some fun action sequences.
January 18, 2023
TLDR
Самая слабая книга серии. Через нее прям пришлось продираться. Даже 1,5 бы звезды поставил.
Проблем несколько:
* Книга мало чего добавляет к трем другим томам. Особенно это заметно на уровне идей. Их решительно мало, а именно идеи Блиша мне доставляют.
* Выбор Криспина на роль главного героя работает плохо. Криспин две трети романа или просто прячется или спит на учебе, пока основные события происходят где-то еще. Наблюдать за этим весьма скучно.
Детали
* Скрэнтон, куда попадает Криспин — это тот самый город из сериала Офис.
* Принудительная вербовка на флот — в прошлом вполне реальная практика английского флота. В том числе из-за нее Тринадцать Колоний в Америке устроили войну за независимость.
* Название Оки да и вся концепция бродяг — это прямая отсылка к 30м годам в Америке. В добавку к Депрессии, в южных штатах начались песчаные бури (Пыльный котел) из-за эрозии почвы, земледелием стало заниматься невозможно. И поток бездомных беженцев двинулся по Америке. Больше всего бездомных было из Оклахомы, вот их и стали называть Оки. Нолан в Интерстеллар показывает засуху на полях тоже как отсылку к этим событиям, например. Весь этот исторический контекст на удивление хорошо переносится на летающие города в космосе и добавляет глубины (Блиш красавчик).
* Идея, что советский союз побеждает в холодной войне и строит единое земное Бюрократическое правительство, — весьма смелая для 50х-60х.
* Наконец, Блиш объясняет как работают анти-агатики. Но выясняется, что они просто лечат инфекции и предотвращают инфаркты. И вот люди живут уже по 200 лет. Вот только проблема, что это не так. Мы уже научились их лечить более-менее, но люди живут всего 80 лет. Без генной терапии бессмертия не получить.
* Блиш упивается картиной городов-бродяг, где гражданами становятся только самые полезные работники. А остальные обречены на голод и смерть (или даже расстрел по приказу компьютеров, которые внимательно следят за производительностью каждого индивида). В этом мире как только ты теряешь профессию — ты умираешь. Мне страшно, а Блишу это скорее по кайфу.
* В НЙ вместо новостей люди смотрят сериалы. Про сериалы очень точно. Но новости тоже стали сериалами по сути в наши дни.
* Основной язык во вселенной — русский! Йеее! Криспин даже выучивает слова gospodin и kolkhoz.
* Самый интересный заход в романе на обучение. Блиш предсказывает, что в будущем обыденные профессии заменят роботы (и выживет только креативный класс). И еще он рассуждает про отличие изучения фактов от понимания материала. И что знания редко выбираются за пределы класса. Так, Отцы Города придумали специальный тест, к которому нельзя подготовиться. Он меряет только потенциал человека, но не его текущие знания. Жители справедливо думают, что этот тест коррумпированный. Блиш справедливо думает, что только такой тест и имеет смысл, чтобы не готовиться к тестам ради самих тестов. Жалко, что он не копнул дальше. И так и оставляет все эти философские противоречия висеть в воздухе.
Я прочитал эту книгу для обсуждения на подкасте про научную фантастику «Худо Не Было». Послушать можно тут: https://share.transistor.fm/s/4ad69c74
Самая слабая книга серии. Через нее прям пришлось продираться. Даже 1,5 бы звезды поставил.
Проблем несколько:
* Книга мало чего добавляет к трем другим томам. Особенно это заметно на уровне идей. Их решительно мало, а именно идеи Блиша мне доставляют.
* Выбор Криспина на роль главного героя работает плохо. Криспин две трети романа или просто прячется или спит на учебе, пока основные события происходят где-то еще. Наблюдать за этим весьма скучно.
Whenever a new way of living appears in the universe, the people who adopt it see quickly enough that it isn’t perfect. They try to make it better, sure; but there are always some things about it that can’t be changed. And the hopes and fears that are centered on those points get turned into stories.
Детали
* Скрэнтон, куда попадает Криспин — это тот самый город из сериала Офис.
* Принудительная вербовка на флот — в прошлом вполне реальная практика английского флота. В том числе из-за нее Тринадцать Колоний в Америке устроили войну за независимость.
* Название Оки да и вся концепция бродяг — это прямая отсылка к 30м годам в Америке. В добавку к Депрессии, в южных штатах начались песчаные бури (Пыльный котел) из-за эрозии почвы, земледелием стало заниматься невозможно. И поток бездомных беженцев двинулся по Америке. Больше всего бездомных было из Оклахомы, вот их и стали называть Оки. Нолан в Интерстеллар показывает засуху на полях тоже как отсылку к этим событиям, например. Весь этот исторический контекст на удивление хорошо переносится на летающие города в космосе и добавляет глубины (Блиш красавчик).
* Идея, что советский союз побеждает в холодной войне и строит единое земное Бюрократическое правительство, — весьма смелая для 50х-60х.
* Наконец, Блиш объясняет как работают анти-агатики. Но выясняется, что они просто лечат инфекции и предотвращают инфаркты. И вот люди живут уже по 200 лет. Вот только проблема, что это не так. Мы уже научились их лечить более-менее, но люди живут всего 80 лет. Без генной терапии бессмертия не получить.
* Блиш упивается картиной городов-бродяг, где гражданами становятся только самые полезные работники. А остальные обречены на голод и смерть (или даже расстрел по приказу компьютеров, которые внимательно следят за производительностью каждого индивида). В этом мире как только ты теряешь профессию — ты умираешь. Мне страшно, а Блишу это скорее по кайфу.
* В НЙ вместо новостей люди смотрят сериалы. Про сериалы очень точно. Но новости тоже стали сериалами по сути в наши дни.
* Основной язык во вселенной — русский! Йеее! Криспин даже выучивает слова gospodin и kolkhoz.
* Самый интересный заход в романе на обучение. Блиш предсказывает, что в будущем обыденные профессии заменят роботы (и выживет только креативный класс). И еще он рассуждает про отличие изучения фактов от понимания материала. И что знания редко выбираются за пределы класса. Так, Отцы Города придумали специальный тест, к которому нельзя подготовиться. Он меряет только потенциал человека, но не его текущие знания. Жители справедливо думают, что этот тест коррумпированный. Блиш справедливо думает, что только такой тест и имеет смысл, чтобы не готовиться к тестам ради самих тестов. Жалко, что он не копнул дальше. И так и оставляет все эти философские противоречия висеть в воздухе.
In the West, the official term for this form of public policy was “anti-Communism”; in the East it was called “anti-Fascism,” and both terms were heavily laden with mob emotion.
Я прочитал эту книгу для обсуждения на подкасте про научную фантастику «Худо Не Было». Послушать можно тут: https://share.transistor.fm/s/4ad69c74
February 7, 2021
Huck Finn in the Thirtieth Century
A fun and fast read. A Life for the Stars is a "coming-of-age" story in the juvenile or "young adult" genre, a switch from the adult intrigue and harder sci-fi of the series' opening novel. That isn't to diminish the book's enjoyment, but perhaps to reset expectations. Blish's afterword implies he wrote this book as a "key to admit" younger readers, and it succeeds. I read it as if I were 12 again and was swept up and away like hapless Chris was when Scranton took flight.
I knew the book had captured me when I would find myself picking it up to read a few pages whenever time allowed, and then resisting putting it down again when real-life responsibilities summoned (just one more page!). And in less than a week the story of Chris, his foster folks the Andersons, and his friends Piggy and Frad had drawn to a satisfactory conclusion. At a mere 138 pages the book was too short and I was sorry to being saying goodbye so soon, but, Blish assures us, some of the characters we met here will turn up again in the following two novels. (And a couple of the characters we met in the preceding book are mentioned here in passing: Bliss Wagoner and Francis X. McHinery.)
What worked: Blish wrote an engaging story for readers of any age, and it was easy to identify with Chris. I suspect Blish based Chris on Huckleberry Finn, a naturally smart and resourceful kid whose travels through space are like those of Huck on the Mississippi aboard his raft, meeting folks both friendly and frightening. Chris learns quick, is adaptable and winsome. His friend Piggy is the Goofus to Chris' Gallant, a contrast that lets Chris shine brighter. The story rolled along like Huck's river, with rarely a dull moment. The plot threads all came together nicely in the end and left me smiling.
Speaking of Piggy, I wondered if Blish took the name from Golding's Lord of the Flies. And was the planet named Heaven an allusion and homage to Bradbury? And I similarly wondered if the Andersons were meant to evoke the loving family from the TV sitcom Father Knows Best. And that leads me to...
What Didn't Work: Blish utterly failed to convince me this story was unfolding in the third millennium. Dropping dates and window dressing like robot-controlled cabs (complete with checker designs) were not enough. The amazing spindizzy and the descriptions of cities in flight were very good, but they weren't sustained sufficiently to convince me this was a far-flung future. Characters named Barney and Frank, others nicknamed "Red" and "Irish," outdated slang like "nix," coffee cups clinking in their saucers and WNYC still broadcasting the news headlines all had me envisioning a 1950's setting. Other anachronisms that took me out of the future included the castle complete with a moat and dungeon and rifles that fired old-fashioned bullets that can perforate the sides of a cab. But the story's heart wasn't dependent on a convincing thirtieth century setting; this was a character-driven story and in that Blish certainly succeeded.
I especially liked the encouraging message that each of us has untapped potential. Chris feared he had no skills that would earn him citizenship, but as his teacher assured him, the City Fathers were foraging through his mind and testing him so relentlessly because they detected something worthwhile lurked in this young man. And indeed there did.
Back to the Future! I'm poised and primed to take up the third book of the series, Earthman, Come Home, to see what happens next. I see that to go forward in time we must go backwards to Blish's earliest written Okie adventures, and this next book will stitch together four early 1950's short stories. My battered, spine-rolled, second-hand 1968 Avon paperback clocks in at a relatively hefty 253 pages, and it promises to be a pageturner. And I'm gonna start turning those pages as soon as this review is posted!
A fun and fast read. A Life for the Stars is a "coming-of-age" story in the juvenile or "young adult" genre, a switch from the adult intrigue and harder sci-fi of the series' opening novel. That isn't to diminish the book's enjoyment, but perhaps to reset expectations. Blish's afterword implies he wrote this book as a "key to admit" younger readers, and it succeeds. I read it as if I were 12 again and was swept up and away like hapless Chris was when Scranton took flight.
I knew the book had captured me when I would find myself picking it up to read a few pages whenever time allowed, and then resisting putting it down again when real-life responsibilities summoned (just one more page!). And in less than a week the story of Chris, his foster folks the Andersons, and his friends Piggy and Frad had drawn to a satisfactory conclusion. At a mere 138 pages the book was too short and I was sorry to being saying goodbye so soon, but, Blish assures us, some of the characters we met here will turn up again in the following two novels. (And a couple of the characters we met in the preceding book are mentioned here in passing: Bliss Wagoner and Francis X. McHinery.)
What worked: Blish wrote an engaging story for readers of any age, and it was easy to identify with Chris. I suspect Blish based Chris on Huckleberry Finn, a naturally smart and resourceful kid whose travels through space are like those of Huck on the Mississippi aboard his raft, meeting folks both friendly and frightening. Chris learns quick, is adaptable and winsome. His friend Piggy is the Goofus to Chris' Gallant, a contrast that lets Chris shine brighter. The story rolled along like Huck's river, with rarely a dull moment. The plot threads all came together nicely in the end and left me smiling.
Speaking of Piggy, I wondered if Blish took the name from Golding's Lord of the Flies. And was the planet named Heaven an allusion and homage to Bradbury? And I similarly wondered if the Andersons were meant to evoke the loving family from the TV sitcom Father Knows Best. And that leads me to...
What Didn't Work: Blish utterly failed to convince me this story was unfolding in the third millennium. Dropping dates and window dressing like robot-controlled cabs (complete with checker designs) were not enough. The amazing spindizzy and the descriptions of cities in flight were very good, but they weren't sustained sufficiently to convince me this was a far-flung future. Characters named Barney and Frank, others nicknamed "Red" and "Irish," outdated slang like "nix," coffee cups clinking in their saucers and WNYC still broadcasting the news headlines all had me envisioning a 1950's setting. Other anachronisms that took me out of the future included the castle complete with a moat and dungeon and rifles that fired old-fashioned bullets that can perforate the sides of a cab. But the story's heart wasn't dependent on a convincing thirtieth century setting; this was a character-driven story and in that Blish certainly succeeded.
I especially liked the encouraging message that each of us has untapped potential. Chris feared he had no skills that would earn him citizenship, but as his teacher assured him, the City Fathers were foraging through his mind and testing him so relentlessly because they detected something worthwhile lurked in this young man. And indeed there did.
Back to the Future! I'm poised and primed to take up the third book of the series, Earthman, Come Home, to see what happens next. I see that to go forward in time we must go backwards to Blish's earliest written Okie adventures, and this next book will stitch together four early 1950's short stories. My battered, spine-rolled, second-hand 1968 Avon paperback clocks in at a relatively hefty 253 pages, and it promises to be a pageturner. And I'm gonna start turning those pages as soon as this review is posted!
January 12, 2025
"A life for the stars" is the fourth novel I read in the "Cities in flight" tetralogy, fourth in order of publication but second according to the internal chronology.
It details the adventure of a certain Crispin deFord (hint: only try to remember who he is after the ending), a youngster who ends up being an Okie against his will.
The novel is witty, funny, and it strangely reminded my of William Golding in its style and bleak juxtaposition of the world of adults to that of younger people.
However, it is difficult to ignore what it actually is: a side story that allowed Blish to go back to his beloved space opera setting and add some details to it.
In it, the author purposely explains a lot of the in-universe technology and culture, but they are mostly "flavour" details, that will please the hardcore fan but would have not added too much to the enjoyment of the other novels, if read before.
It's main plot lines, though, deal with the evolution of culture in Okie cities and colonial planets, and a lot of the background work that Mayor Amalfi has had to do in its long career, and this is the "juicier" stuff the interested me the most.
Unlike the Triumph of Time/A Clash of Cymbals, this tale works very well as a stand alone novel, with what feels like a proper ending and a sort of coming of age vibe.
That said, I cannot deny that the novel is the weakest of the lot, and you would be overall excused if you skipped it.
It is proper to read it last, however, and I am glad I did so, as it exalts the feeling which the main two novels will have caused in you, and maybe make you start "Earthman, come home" all over again, with renewed pleasure. Somehow, it leaves a pleasant aftertaste that will make me remember this tetralogy forever.
It details the adventure of a certain Crispin deFord (hint: only try to remember who he is after the ending), a youngster who ends up being an Okie against his will.
The novel is witty, funny, and it strangely reminded my of William Golding in its style and bleak juxtaposition of the world of adults to that of younger people.
However, it is difficult to ignore what it actually is: a side story that allowed Blish to go back to his beloved space opera setting and add some details to it.
In it, the author purposely explains a lot of the in-universe technology and culture, but they are mostly "flavour" details, that will please the hardcore fan but would have not added too much to the enjoyment of the other novels, if read before.
It's main plot lines, though, deal with the evolution of culture in Okie cities and colonial planets, and a lot of the background work that Mayor Amalfi has had to do in its long career, and this is the "juicier" stuff the interested me the most.
Unlike the Triumph of Time/A Clash of Cymbals, this tale works very well as a stand alone novel, with what feels like a proper ending and a sort of coming of age vibe.
That said, I cannot deny that the novel is the weakest of the lot, and you would be overall excused if you skipped it.
It is proper to read it last, however, and I am glad I did so, as it exalts the feeling which the main two novels will have caused in you, and maybe make you start "Earthman, come home" all over again, with renewed pleasure. Somehow, it leaves a pleasant aftertaste that will make me remember this tetralogy forever.
September 11, 2025
A bit of a personal milestone, in that this inspired a section of my beloved Alien Landscapes. (I still haven't quite read everything referenced in that, but getting there...).
Unfortunately I liked those visuals more than this story. Similar to my experience with the first book in this series, this was just OK. A very cool concept--worthy of inclusion in Alien Landscapes--but thin on most everything else. It's probably more of a YA book, and does seem like the reviewers who are enthusiastic for it all read it when they were 12.
Unfortunately I liked those visuals more than this story. Similar to my experience with the first book in this series, this was just OK. A very cool concept--worthy of inclusion in Alien Landscapes--but thin on most everything else. It's probably more of a YA book, and does seem like the reviewers who are enthusiastic for it all read it when they were 12.
April 7, 2025
In this second (of four) Okie novels (which was written last) the Spindizzy star drive which was introduced in the first book (written second) has been applied to entire earth cities which now fly through space looking for work as migrant labor for colony planets. The operation of these wandering societies is vaguely described and technical descriptions of the physical manifestations of the science is sketchy. I was left wondering how things did stuff.
March 17, 2017
I felt at first like this book was going to just plod along. It's listed as "Cities in Flight, #2" but I don't think this is a series so much as a shared universe, so you don't miss much (if anything) by starting here. In any event, you get a lot of none-too-thrilling exposition up front. The book is actually peppered with it, and it's probably a good reminder for writers of what NOT to do.
Or, at least, in my experience, it seems like an un-engaging way to do things, not that I can't appreciate how difficult it is to tell a concise story in a truly foreign civilization without such things.
It doesn't help that some of this exposition is just terribly wrong, too, and sometimes unnecessary. Written in the '50s (I think), the author states, flatly, that neither Communism nor Fascism has ever been tried on earth. (It's usual to hear defenders of Communism state that; to hear Fascism put in the same terms is odd, to say the least.) The author demonizes cholesterol, saying only women need it (and I think while they're pregnant) which—I'm not sure on this—may have been cutting edge medical theory back then. A sort of immortality is obtained by preventing all viral disease and eliminating cholesterol and one other thing, I forget what.
One doesn't expect the science in old SciFi to be good, of course, just fitting the best understanding of the time. It just seemed like there were a lot of "own goals", one might say.
That aside, this is a book that seems too short for what it wants to do. It's kind of an epic tale, and when you figure in all the exposition already there, it's still got so many holes and missing parts that it feels like a shadow of what it might have been.
The "third act" is pretty strong, though. It uses a lot of what was set up to its advantage. It wraps up super quick, though, and comes across like a "young adult" novel (which maybe it's supposed to be, I don't know).
Trivia: James Blish ended up novelizing many of the episodes of "Star Trek", which he had no involvement with and had not even seen prior to novelizing them, but this novel contains the phrase "Prime Directive" and, unrelatedly, the concept of not interfering with alien cultures. (Although, not that alien, since they're all Earth colonies.) So perhaps Roddenberry was aware of Blish.
Or, at least, in my experience, it seems like an un-engaging way to do things, not that I can't appreciate how difficult it is to tell a concise story in a truly foreign civilization without such things.
It doesn't help that some of this exposition is just terribly wrong, too, and sometimes unnecessary. Written in the '50s (I think), the author states, flatly, that neither Communism nor Fascism has ever been tried on earth. (It's usual to hear defenders of Communism state that; to hear Fascism put in the same terms is odd, to say the least.) The author demonizes cholesterol, saying only women need it (and I think while they're pregnant) which—I'm not sure on this—may have been cutting edge medical theory back then. A sort of immortality is obtained by preventing all viral disease and eliminating cholesterol and one other thing, I forget what.
One doesn't expect the science in old SciFi to be good, of course, just fitting the best understanding of the time. It just seemed like there were a lot of "own goals", one might say.
That aside, this is a book that seems too short for what it wants to do. It's kind of an epic tale, and when you figure in all the exposition already there, it's still got so many holes and missing parts that it feels like a shadow of what it might have been.
The "third act" is pretty strong, though. It uses a lot of what was set up to its advantage. It wraps up super quick, though, and comes across like a "young adult" novel (which maybe it's supposed to be, I don't know).
Trivia: James Blish ended up novelizing many of the episodes of "Star Trek", which he had no involvement with and had not even seen prior to novelizing them, but this novel contains the phrase "Prime Directive" and, unrelatedly, the concept of not interfering with alien cultures. (Although, not that alien, since they're all Earth colonies.) So perhaps Roddenberry was aware of Blish.
February 15, 2014
I found this book in the series to be much better than the first. I think it is because there is more happening. Blish seems to enjoy having a majority of action happen behind the scenes. One thing that caught my attention: in a dialogue a speaker says something terse, but Blish describes the statement as being said loquaciously. I found that quite odd since I've always taken loquacious to mean excessively wordy.
February 22, 2018
1980 grade A
Series book C1, the first book written in the series. It should be read before C2. C0 is the prequel and can be skipped.
2009 grade A-
Very good but not riveting. Almost up to the Heinlein level. True SciFi.
2018 Grade A-
The book still holds up all these years later probably because it is short and fast and not time locked too close to the present.
Series book C1, the first book written in the series. It should be read before C2. C0 is the prequel and can be skipped.
2009 grade A-
Very good but not riveting. Almost up to the Heinlein level. True SciFi.
2018 Grade A-
The book still holds up all these years later probably because it is short and fast and not time locked too close to the present.
October 11, 2014
this actually reminded me of so many YA novels I read when I was 13. I wasn't impressed. And also still hadn't caught onto the fact that I was reading the Cities in flight omnibus, not The Last and First Men at this point...I really need to change my kindle ebook hoarding habits.
June 22, 2015
This book, the second in the Cities in Flight series, was written six years after the first book. It takes place a millennium later. It's different in style and tenor. The protagonist is a teenage boy. It puts me in mind of the books in Robert A Heinlein's juvenile series.
January 29, 2024
Not terrible, just not worth more than two stars, IMO.
First, the things I enjoyed:
I liked the eastern American understandings that the main character, Chris, expresses throughout the book. This is ultimately was saves the day and it makes him a charmer throughout the book. The eastern charm was visible in two different ways: the New Yorker charm and the Pennsylvanian charm. I thought that this subtly was expressed well throughout and especially towards the final moments.
I also enjoyed the brief life of Kelly, and how that gets briefly called back to towards the end. All I will say on that because I try to stay away from spoilers.
Lastly, I have an appreciation for books of a series that can be read as standalones. This book is the final tale of a series all revolving around the concept of space exploring cities. I really like this concept, and have seen reviews saying that all of the books are very different. Thank god, because otherwise I would have likely given up on the series as a whole. But, in good faith, I hope to give the others a try (please be different, oh please oh please).
Now the things I didn't like:
Although I liked Chris for his eastern charm, the other Pennsylvanian characters felt corny. Almost like caricatures even.
I thought the pacing was a bit weird. There were like two or three times I was expecting some sort of climax, only to have the plot move swiftly on without a passing glance. It seemed rushed and haphazard. I think that this book could have used another 75 pages through its chapters to create not only more convincing characters, but also a more gripping plot.
Along with this complaint of shortness, I fell that maybe an additional 15 pages could have been spent exploring the tech that seemed to be new in this installment. For example, its fair that the Spindizzy wasn't investigated more, as it is a major component of all four books. It is not fair, however, that the tech of the planets we discover in this book aren't explored, such as the mud skipping vehicles that are mentioned on the planet Heaven.
So, the author of this book, James Blish, won a Hugo award for a book that clearly isn't this one! I do intend to read "A Case for Conscience" (the Hugo winner) if I ever find a copy just to give Blish another chance.
TL;DR
just good enough to give his other writings a chance, based mostly on merit and recognition and less on his style.
First, the things I enjoyed:
I liked the eastern American understandings that the main character, Chris, expresses throughout the book. This is ultimately was saves the day and it makes him a charmer throughout the book. The eastern charm was visible in two different ways: the New Yorker charm and the Pennsylvanian charm. I thought that this subtly was expressed well throughout and especially towards the final moments.
I also enjoyed the brief life of Kelly, and how that gets briefly called back to towards the end. All I will say on that because I try to stay away from spoilers.
Lastly, I have an appreciation for books of a series that can be read as standalones. This book is the final tale of a series all revolving around the concept of space exploring cities. I really like this concept, and have seen reviews saying that all of the books are very different. Thank god, because otherwise I would have likely given up on the series as a whole. But, in good faith, I hope to give the others a try (please be different, oh please oh please).
Now the things I didn't like:
Although I liked Chris for his eastern charm, the other Pennsylvanian characters felt corny. Almost like caricatures even.
I thought the pacing was a bit weird. There were like two or three times I was expecting some sort of climax, only to have the plot move swiftly on without a passing glance. It seemed rushed and haphazard. I think that this book could have used another 75 pages through its chapters to create not only more convincing characters, but also a more gripping plot.
Along with this complaint of shortness, I fell that maybe an additional 15 pages could have been spent exploring the tech that seemed to be new in this installment. For example, its fair that the Spindizzy wasn't investigated more, as it is a major component of all four books. It is not fair, however, that the tech of the planets we discover in this book aren't explored, such as the mud skipping vehicles that are mentioned on the planet Heaven.
So, the author of this book, James Blish, won a Hugo award for a book that clearly isn't this one! I do intend to read "A Case for Conscience" (the Hugo winner) if I ever find a copy just to give Blish another chance.
TL;DR
just good enough to give his other writings a chance, based mostly on merit and recognition and less on his style.
October 18, 2022
This book sits odddly in the "Cities In Flight" saga. It is an example of the "Young Adult" genre which Heinlein was famous for. It was written —like all the others — after the Astounding serial chapters which comprise "Earthman, Come Home" and comes after the escape of the cities using the spindizzy drive and after the events with the Hamiltonians etc., which are briefly described in the appendix to "They Shall have Stars."
It tells of a teenager who stows away on the city of Scranton, one of the last to leave Earth and his fairly mild adventures among the stars. YA fiction was clearly not Blish's forte although he tried it again with "The Star Dwellers"and its sequel.
Not that much happens, but enough for the hero - Chris deFord - to be accepted as a citizen by none other than the Mayor of New York, Amalfi himself.
What is odd about the book is that, being written after the main book, Blish chose a character who we are told in ECH is to be shot for incompetence by the City Fathers!
It tells of a teenager who stows away on the city of Scranton, one of the last to leave Earth and his fairly mild adventures among the stars. YA fiction was clearly not Blish's forte although he tried it again with "The Star Dwellers"and its sequel.
Not that much happens, but enough for the hero - Chris deFord - to be accepted as a citizen by none other than the Mayor of New York, Amalfi himself.
What is odd about the book is that, being written after the main book, Blish chose a character who we are told in ECH is to be shot for incompetence by the City Fathers!
December 9, 2017
This book is a bit of a disappointment. I have heard that some consider it the weakest of the Cities in Flight series and it is sufficiently weak that if it did not have that reputation and if the third book did not have a reputation as the best, it would probably have finished the series for me.
It is typically SF of the period from the 1950s and the 1960s and suffers in spades from the common problems of much of the SF of that period - weak characterization, leaden dialogue, and exploring some overly optimistic ideas (in this case drugs that give virtual immortality). Flying around in cities in space, is not done with wonder and aplomb despite the fact it is a great idea. It's also poorly paced.
The book is a novella. It's not wholly without merit. Some of the concepts are good and it didn't annoy me. It was just a bit blah.
It is typically SF of the period from the 1950s and the 1960s and suffers in spades from the common problems of much of the SF of that period - weak characterization, leaden dialogue, and exploring some overly optimistic ideas (in this case drugs that give virtual immortality). Flying around in cities in space, is not done with wonder and aplomb despite the fact it is a great idea. It's also poorly paced.
The book is a novella. It's not wholly without merit. Some of the concepts are good and it didn't annoy me. It was just a bit blah.
August 13, 2024
I rated this novel " B " when I read it Feb. 3, 1977. At the time, I was reading all four of the Cities in Flight novels. I was then quite a fan of the series.
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
A rating of B translates to a Goodreads score of 3 stars.
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
A rating of B translates to a Goodreads score of 3 stars.
April 22, 2018
A Life for the Stars is the second novel in the four part Cities in Flight series, written in 1962 it was written after the completion of the original three book series and fills in the gap between They Shall Have Stars and Earthman, Come Home. Nonetheless it does leap forward 1,000 odd years to a situation where the technology discovered in They Shall Have Stars has been implemented allowing cities to leave the earth (which is now in a state of disarray) and take flight into space travelling to other planets where they can get work for their citizens.
It was an enjoyable expansion on the ideas laid out in They Shall Have Stars and I look forward to continuing the adventure in part 3.
It was an enjoyable expansion on the ideas laid out in They Shall Have Stars and I look forward to continuing the adventure in part 3.
March 3, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"A Life for the Stars is the second novel according to internal chronology in James Blish’s famous Cities in Flight series. Unlike the much more serious first installment, They Shall Have Stars (1956), A Life for the Stars is generally regarded as a juvenile work (i.e. science fiction for a younger audience containing a positive moral message, an intelligent but poor teen boy struggling against all odds, etc).
The serious hard sci-fi edge which I found so appealing in They Shall Have Stars is replaced [...] "
"A Life for the Stars is the second novel according to internal chronology in James Blish’s famous Cities in Flight series. Unlike the much more serious first installment, They Shall Have Stars (1956), A Life for the Stars is generally regarded as a juvenile work (i.e. science fiction for a younger audience containing a positive moral message, an intelligent but poor teen boy struggling against all odds, etc).
The serious hard sci-fi edge which I found so appealing in They Shall Have Stars is replaced [...] "
December 25, 2016
A much more by-the-numbers adventure than the first novel in the series. A teenage boy is pressed into service by Scranton, PA as the city decides to rip itself from the earth and travel galaxy performing small odd-jobs like a space hobo. And while much of history has been lost, these cities do retain enough to call themselves Okies. The premise is a bit weird, but it's a well spun yarn. I'm sure it had nerdy kids of the time wishing their city could float off among the stars. But it lacks the power of commentary that the first book had.
August 31, 2025
My complaint about Earthman, Come Home! and They Shall Have Stars was that they didn't didn't really explore the livelihoods of ordinary citizens on the flying Okie cities. This one does, and as a consequence I liked it much more.
This was actually the last Cities in Flight, and was written as a YA in contrast to the first three. It's a pure Golden Era juvenile in the spirit of Heinlein - maybe a bit lacking in depth, but with an engaging main character and some good space opera fun. And, of course, the central concept of the migrant cities is just so cool!
This was actually the last Cities in Flight, and was written as a YA in contrast to the first three. It's a pure Golden Era juvenile in the spirit of Heinlein - maybe a bit lacking in depth, but with an engaging main character and some good space opera fun. And, of course, the central concept of the migrant cities is just so cool!
August 15, 2020
Pretty solid sci fi premise, and I would love to see the concept and the universe explored more fully. As usual for the time period, a lot of the characters were pretty cardboard-y. Women are barely mentioned and given virtually no lines. Amazing how often male writers can imagine a futures of cities-turned-spaceships, but not a culture that doesn't feel like the 1950's.
October 18, 2023
This takes the technology of the first book and applies it to the galaxy. Cities now can leave earth to become traveling starships looking for work (and avoiding the cops). The concepts were fun, and the message that action needs to be informed by history is fine, but the execution feels very dated.
April 8, 2023
Although the last-written of the "Okie" novels, this falls second in the chronology of the Cities in Flight.
A young man, shanghaied into space, must find his place in society, and discover where his "home" really is.
A young man, shanghaied into space, must find his place in society, and discover where his "home" really is.
January 17, 2024
A very fun and unique little romp with a world premise that I really wanted to hear more of. The characters, while not particularly fleshed out (unavoidable given the length), were intriguing enough and dynamic enough to give the plot real hold. Very fun!
August 24, 2017
Fun but very dated in places
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