The Sky Is Falling

by Lester del Rey

Computer engineer Dave Hansen is transported from Earth to a world where the rules of science and physics are replaced by the rules of magic. Hanson was summoned to help save the world's sky from collapsing. The sky is a literal dome that arches above the world, with the sun and stars not massive celestial bodies trillions of miles away, but smaller lights that move about within the dome of the sky. Hansen must find a way to reconcile his scientific knowledge with the magic of his new world and thus prevent the sky from falling.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for his juvenile novels such as those which are part of the Winston Science Fiction series, and for Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books edited by Lester del Rey and his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

Also published as:
Philip St. John
Erik van Lhin
Kenneth Wright
Edson McCann (with Frederik Pohl)

Reviews

[Craig]

This is a very strange and quirky blend of science fiction and fantasy, probably odder than anything that John W. Campbell would have published in his Unknown magazine. If I had read it without knowing who the author was, Lester del Rey wouldn't have been among my first hundred guesses. Originally published under the pseudonym of Charles Satterfield in Beyond Fantasy Fiction in July of 1954 (edited by H.L. Gold), with the title of No More Stars, it was expanded to novel length and published under del Rey's name with the current title in 1963 as one of their Magabook titles, along with his Badge of Infamy. Ace reissued it as one of the last of their famous Double books in 1973. It's the story of a computer scientist who finds himself in a magical world where true names hold power that he has to learn to control. The magic system is interestingly consistent despite some really bizarre concepts, twists, and applications, and after some very unusual adventures and romantic entanglements it all seems to make sense. I remember starting to read it a very long time ago, but I was unable to really get into it and never finished it until listening to this very well performed reading via Librivox. It was fun, and I'm glad that I finally got around to it. (Bonus true story, apropos of nothing relevant: once upon a time about fifty years ago, my buddy Jim and I attended a science fiction convention and Lester del Rey, and his wife Judy-Lynn Benjamin, had the hotel room right next to ours. We were very young with very limited funds and one evening we stole the ketchup bottle off of the del Rey's room service tray which was sitting out in the hallway. We mixed it with water in the coffee maker to make tomato soup... It wasn't very good, but better than nothing. The pilfered meal has not affected my rating of any of their books.)

[Dirk Grobbelaar]

I’ve always wanted to read a book where one of the characters is named Bork, people are built around mandrake roots, and the earth is surrounded by an egg-shell. No, really…

This is by far one of the most bizarre and absurd books I have ever read. Just for that it gets an extra star. What was the author on when he conceived all this? It’s really quite entertaining, if you can ignore most of the weirdness. There’s some amusing wordplay as well, although it will likely be considered pretty lame by today’s standards. There is a plot, of sorts, but it’s pretty surreal and nonsensical all round. Or is it? I suppose that is open to interpretation. The weird thing is: this doesn’t have the feel of a spoof or parody. It’s actually pretty serious. Lester Del Rey was a bit of a big shot writer back in the day, but I doubt that it was on account of this.

People who die on Earth can be “summoned” or “conjured” or “resurrected” (take your pick) on a different world by using their true names. Of course their bodies are long gone so they are rebuilt from scratch using the aforementioned mandrake root technique. In special cases, they are allowed to retain their souls, but this allowance is rare so mostly they’re just zombies. This world exists in a universe governed by rules VASTLY different to the physical world we are used to and magic is prevalent, Astrology takes precedence over Astronomy etc. Thing is, even the magic system is bizarre, and it is failing. The sky in this world is broken (literally) and, well, about to fall. So, these “resurrections” are taking place in an attempt to find someone with the knowledge and skill to help prevent this. Even Einstein makes an appearance. An incorrect true name is used to summon a computer expert instead of his famous engineer uncle and he is tasked with fixing the sky, “or else…”. The only problem is: he doesn’t even know where to start. Squabbling between different factions, kidnappings, fantastic creatures, violence and wholesale destruction spice up the proceedings.

Sound weird? It is! Very!
…but, it’s quite short and in the end I probably enjoyed it more than I should be confessing to.

[Debbie Zapata]

I have read Del Rey titles without realizing that Lester Del Rey was the editor in chief of that publishing house. And as far as I can recall, I have never read a book written by Lester Del Rey until this one, but I will definitely be looking for more!

In The Sky Is Falling our hero Dave Hanson is a computer technician, and a good one. He goes to work for his uncle David Arnold Hanson on a huge project that will change the weather patterns of the world. But there is an accident, and that is when Dave's unusual adventure begins.

This is an intelligent story, with a lot going on: old magic mixes with new technology, old beliefs battle with new knowledge, and the collapse of the sky triggers a radical shift in philosophy not only for Dave but for everyone in his world. Is he really the only one for whom nothing is impossible? Only Dave and Rumpelstilsken know for sure; and they are not telling. Neither am I: you will have to read this nifty story yourself to find out.

[Charles]

This was a wonderfully charming book. Funny in places and suspensful in others. It's a kind of sword & planet work without the swords and with magic instead. A modern Earthman is killed and wakes up again on a world where magic works and the clockwork universe is breaking apart. He is ordered to fix it, but it turns out the wizards who brought him there thought he was his uncle, who was a famous engineer. The results are enjoyable.

[Ben Shelef]

Cute.

A quick read, entertaining. A literary one-night stand, kind of. I can't believe I just said that.

Oh well.

[Flower Ali]

i am not a fan of fiction, but it was good

[Chris Aldridge]

Fairly interesting at first, mix of sword and sorcery with dozy pc repairman. Plenty of mad ideas some borrowed from history, mixed with dated attitudes and confusing threats from wizard factions. Ultimately unsatisfying for me, as I wanted a scientific solution to his impossible problem but I just got a cop out.

[Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat)]

I wish I could've enjoyed this, but I really just didn't. I found myself confused and unsure about what was going on most the book, nothing was explained well in my opinion and I found myself often re-reading the same page over and over again because I just couldn't follow the plot. The magic system seemed really interesting although I don't think I really understood it.

[Jessica]

This was a brilliant story that left a big smile on my face and a longing for more. Interesting setting that raises a lot of questions but leaves you with the answers you need without answering half of them. I will be on the lookout for more from this author.

[Jim DeTar]

It was my first Lester del Rey book. I know, I know, I'm science fiction culturally deprived. Anyway, I really liked it, of course. His reputation runs far ahead of my little review. I like the imagination of it. Some authors refuse to write too far from reality. Not del Rey. What a wild ride. Here's the start — not a spoiler alert. I won't reveal anything near the end. The main character dies early in the book and is resurrected in a different plane, although it takes him a while to realize it, and I won't tell you who resurrected him or why. But it's an incredible flight of fantasy from there. His new world has a sky that's cracking, like an egg, with parts of it falling every day. That's just the beginning. If you like highly imaginative sci-fi/fantasy, and even if you don't, I think you will like it. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that it veers so far from reality that it is along the lines of a grown-up fairy tale, as much fantasy as sci-fi. But that's more a reflection of my habits and tastes than the story, because he is a terrific writer and makes it believable. He had me from the opening lines, "Dave Hanson! By the power of the true name be summoned cells and humors, ka and id, self and— ..." Cheers.

[Віталій Роман]

Задумка хороша. Реалізація - не сподобалась.

UPD:
світ 1 - недалеке майбутнє Землі (в Канаді побудовано стіну із дзеркал-відбивачів, що дозволяє збільшити комфортність сурового клімату);

ГГ - живе в світі 1; невдаха; комп'ютери ремонтує; на зарплаті в дядька; працює в будівельній фірмі; самотній; одного дня гине від того, що на нього падає бульдозер;

світ 2 - не Земля; магія рулить; технології примітивніші за ті, що є у світі 1; навколо світу існує купол (наче яйце); всі зорі і сонце знаходяться на внутрішній поверхні шкарлупи цього світу-яйця;

суть твору - "шкарлупа" світу-яйця починає розсипатися, і падати на землю (за шкарлупою далі тягнеться якась темнота); жителі світу 2 в паніці; магія перестає рухатись, бо сузір'я "неба" зміщаються; їм треба рятівник, за деяким пророцтвом - і ним стає ГГ (також вони "викликають" інших відомих людей зі світ 1 - Ейнштейн, Каліостро); ГГ воскрешають (реінкарнують), і починається треш.

закінчення - доволі нормальне; наче хепі-енд, в який важко повірити, згадуючи якості ГГ

[Barry Haworth]

I borrowed the book many years ago from a friend (hi, Peter!) and recently got inspired to check it out again (this time reading the Project Gutenberg edition).

This is a little weird book, which straddles the boundary between fantasy and science fiction. A man dies and finds himself reborn in a strange fantasy world, to which he has been summoned by the power of his true name to save them. The sky is falling and he is the prophesised one who can save them. Except that he is not the great engineer they think he is, but a lowly computer technician. How he learns the rules of the bizarre world he now inhabits and how he rises to the challenge makes for an amusing read.

[Justin Ulmer]

Surprisingly entertaining. At first, this story was confusing and disorienting. I even thought I was reading Secret of Mana fanfiction at one point. That being said, del Rey did a great job making the nonsense rules of this story world believable and that in itself is impressive. On top of that, the story and circumstances therein were amusing and engaging. I half expected there to be a punchline at the end, but I'm glad there wasn't. A short read that I would easily recommend.

[Dylan Graham]

Interesting read, a little too far fetched science fiction wise for my taste, but still interesting. Del Rey always writes quite well, but this story seemed a bit more quickly written, with less time spent making it flow smoothly

It was neat to see a back story for a character from Canada (Saskatchewan, in fact), but there were a few statements and slurs that made me cringe (racist and stereotypical of Indigenous & Aboriginal’s) and put me off.

[Susan Haines]

I only read this because it was recorded by a favorite reader on Librivox and had a sort of kooky, 50s space-agey thing going on. For camp I'd give it 5 stars, but it is not a sci-fi story that stands the test of time.

[Patrik Sahlstrøm]

Though dated this was an enjoyable read. A world is about to end and the local wizards summon the wrong person from out world to save them. Plot holes abound, but del Rey's sense of wonder and subtle humour makes it easy to like this book

[Susan]

I can't decide whether I would've liked this book better if I'd read it in the mid 20th-century, when it was written. I can't really put my finger on anything I didn't like about it, but I just didn't enjoy it much. It has the familiar first-person narrative that is common to works of that time, so the protagonist himself is really the only character that the reader gets to know in any depth. And he doesn't seem to have much depth, at that. The possibilities of the science were somewhat intriguing, though rather improbable. So, a rather rare "just ok" rating is all I can give it.

[Arwa]

3.5. So entertaining to listen to.

[Dotti Enderle]

I listened to a Libravox recording of this, narrated by Karen Savage. She did an amazing job.

[Paul Grant]

I first read this novel while on holiday over 20 years ago. I never saw a another copy until this year when I found a kindle version to download. Really enjoyed re-reading it

[Dan Kert]

Very weird but also very captivating, with a hint of "Hitchhiker's Guide" for good measure

[Audiobook Heaven]

Amazing book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFnOK...

[Ann Goodwin]

Completely bonkers tale that could only have been written in the 50's. Part magic, part science, it gets better as it goes along. Expect to be totally confused at the beginning.

[Mark Rabideau]

A uniquely peculiar sci-fi novel. Well written & enjoyable.

[Arn]

Fun, but bat shit crazy.

[Tom E.]

beyond weird

[numb3r13]

Awesome book!
Only for those flexible in mind, logic and thought.

[Flat Earth. God.]

[Al Lock]

What if you were suddenly transported to a world where magic was how the world worked? Where the sun and planets revolved around the Earth? And where you must save the world from catastrophe? That is the position which Dave Hanson finds himself in.
Lester Del Rey has written a great yarn, although it really doesn't get going until the last third of the book. Is the symbol real?

[Saya]

No sé muy bien por qué elegí este libro justo al acabar The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark de Carl Sagan. Lo escogí sin saber muy bien de qué iba, pero tenía ganas de leer algo de Lester del Rey, de quien había oído hablar en multitud de ocasiones pero a quien no había tenido el gusto de leer aún. Y no me ha defraudado en absoluto, aunque quizá lo disfruté más porque tenía aún fresco en mi mente el genial discurso de Sagan: de golpe me encuentro en un mundo de magia, donde la astrología se considera una ciencia y en el que la bóveda celeste es, literalmente, una bóveda. Y para muestra, un botón:

The middle-aged man with the small mustache bent over the chart near his feet. "Hmm", the man said in the voice of the first speaker. "Mars trines Neptune. And with Scorpio so altered ... hmm. Better add two cc. of cortisone to the transfusion."

Más cercana al terreno de la fantasía que de la ciencia ficción (en mi humilde opinión), la historia bien podría referirse a los antiquísimos inicios del planeta Gallifrey de Doctor Who (salvando las distancias, por supuesto). Su lectura ágil nos mantiene enganchados, descubriendo poco a poco la irracional realidad de ese extraño mundo; acompañamos a su protagonista, con el que compartimos dudas y con quien poco a poco vamos descubriendo las respuestas. Una novela que también podría considerarse de aventuras, pero que, pese a su originalidad, no ha conseguido calar hondo en mí. En cualquier caso la recomiendo como puente entre otras lecturas más complicadas o densas.

[Mike]

Lester Del Rey is one of the authors I pretty much always enjoy. Although I don't always have a lot of patience with the unflagging optimism of some sic-fi writers of the early to mid 20th century, Del Rey always manages to transcend the genre, with a lot of clever ideas and humor. This story falls into the science-fantasy genre, I guess, because the protagonist is drawn into a parallel world where magic is real and works according to strictly logical rules. Aleister Crowley would probably approve of the theory of magic that is slowly revealed.

The plot is pretty much exactly what the title says: in this magical world, the sky is falling down. The universe of this world pretty much follows the archaic/occult ideas of astrology, alchemy, and so forth. The sky is a dome, with fixed stars and a relatively tiny sun (3 miles wide and 1000 miles up). Apart from the hazard posed by chunks of falling sky, the disruption to the movement of heavenly bodies also causes magic to begin to fail, as the astrological conjunctions and correspondences that fuel the science of magic are being ruined. A struggle erupts between those who want to repair the sky (and maintain the current world-order) and those who believe the cracking dome is in fact an egg-shell, and hope for a new world to emerge when this one "hatches".

Del Rey dos a great job of making his bizarre world seem coherent and even logical, despite the strange goings-on.

The LibriVox recording I listened to was particularly well done, though I can really understand why this book would be in the public domain.