Fire from Heaven

by Michael Harrison

In 1986, an evangelist in Vienna exploded into flames as he preached a fire-and-brimstone sermon. And the Bible in his hand wasn't even scorched. In this intriguing book, Michael Harrison considers the problem of spontaneous human combustion with wit precision and a certain Edwardian style that makes this into a thorough going study of a phenomenon that is weird and rare-but very real.

Genres: Nonfiction, Paranormal

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Michael Harrison was the pen name of English detective fiction and fantasy author Maurice Desmond Rohan. Harrison published seventeen novels between 1934 and 1954, when he turned to writing detective fiction. He wrote pastiches of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Poe's C. Auguste Dupin, and was a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar.

Reviews

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've always heard this book cited as the best book on spontaneous human combustion, the folkloric phenomenon that fascinates even if factually dubious. If so, I'd hate to read the worst. It isn't enough for Harrison to chronicle famous cases of fiery death like Mary Reeser or Billy Peterson (even if his accounts aren't, let's say, strictly factual). He must also relentlessly ridicule doctors and experts everywhere for their skepticism, citing Charles Dickens, the Bible and tabloid newspapers as more reliable sources than scientists everywhere. This leads to anti-intellectual sneers like the following appeal to nonsense: "All but the "scientifically trained" know that all bodily health, all mental stability, all happiness, all optimism are matters for human choice." A writer who obsesses, for several pages, over the coincidence of three victims all perishing in towns beginning with "U" isn't in any position to espouse such lofty smugness.

So what truths does Mr. Harrison, in his infinite wisdom, propose that the "scientifically trained" miss? He can't decide. Perhaps it's a vivid, mysterious life force "proven" by psychics and Kirilian photography. Perhaps it's ball lightning or fire fluttering from the sky. Perhaps it's God wreaking vengeance on the unrighteous (Harrison obsesses over one victim carrying a melted religious artifact). Maybe it's poltergeists, Ley Lines or the critters that mutilate cattle. All Harrison knows is that science is stupid, doctors are dumb and if you buy his book and believe in yourself, you too might one day mysteriously burn to a crisp. We should all be so lucky.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember some rather gruesome photographs in this book of charred and semi-incinerated body parts, which I ghoulishly used to enjoy showing to my school friends. I recall sneaking it out of my school bag to read during a rather tedious rehearsal in the sport's hall for some gala or other.

I can't now remember the author's conclusions as to the causes of SHC, which he did accept as actually occurring, but it was another book that piqued my interest in supernatural and macabre fiction making it significant to me by its influence, rather than due to any belief in its subject matter.

[Fishface · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man, what a wild ride this one was. The author starts out by describing many, many more documented cases of spontaneous human combustion than I ever would have expected, and even points out that there is documentation in the Bible of people going up in flames for unclear reasons. He goes as thoroughly as anyone could into the death of Mary Reeser and several others that have more to go on than a startling headline. On the other hand, he draws repeatedly on THE WEEKLY WORLD NEWS as a source, calling it a "newspaper" -- remember, these are the folks who brought you Batboy. He comes up with some thought-provoking theories, tying SHC in to poltergeist activity and those people in monasteries who can raise and lower their body temps at will, or can set themselves on fire or survive freezing without injury, that sort of thing. But he offers no evidence to back up his theories while blasting coroners who blame cold grates and unlit cigarettes for the conflagrations on their autopsy tables. He also, from first page to last, uses the word "inflammable" when he clearly means "flammable." Dude, come ON.

[Steve Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting study of spontaneous human combustion. Theory seems to have legs but a lot of the evidence is tenuous and over looks the fact many of the victims were smokers ....

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrison goes into a lot of historical accounts, which were interesting.