The Shadow of Heaven

by Bob Shaw

From Kirkus Reviews
Revised edition of a 1969 paperback from the Belfast-born British resident author of Dark Night in Toyland, The Peace Machine, etc. In the 21st century, an unknown enemy has dusted the world's croplands with lethal herbicides. With the oceans the only source of food, populations have concentrated along the coasts; one overcrowded city stretches from Maine to Florida. Supplementing the meager marine bill of fare are vegetables produced by robots on platforms, or Iles, suspended five kilometers on high by antigravity machines. When journalist Vic Stirling's half-brother Johnny Considine goes missing, Stirling traces him to the Ile known as Heaven. Here, Stirling discovers a ragged society of misfits, ruled by Johnny and scavenging among the robots and crops--some clever gizmos keep the air in and the temperature up, you see. Power struggles ensue--above (between Stirling and Johnny) and below (between the government and the powerful Food Technology Authority). Threatened by FTA troops, Johnny prepares grandiose schemes to fly Heaven off to the moon. Eventually, Stirling will help the government vanquish both Johnny and the FTA, and begin planning for a fleet of Iles to start the terraforming of Venus. Hard to swallow, sometimes, with too many implausible gadgets; otherwise, professionally burnished if more than a tad stolid. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

174 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Bob Shaw was born in Northern Ireland. After working in structural engineering, industrial public relations, and journalism he became a full time science fiction writer in 1975.

Shaw was noted for his originality and wit. He was two-time recipient (in 1979 and 1980) of the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. His short story Light of Other Days was a Hugo Award nominee in 1967, as was his novel The Ragged Astronauts in 1987.

Reviews

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

2½. Mediocre Shaw effort with an incongruously amazing climax.

[Mark White · Rating 3 out of 5]

On one level this falls into the genre of islands in the sky, teeming oppressed masses below type stories (think Elysium film) and TBH the resolution isn't great. On the other hand he was spot on with many predictions - google glasses, shoes with illuminated heels, degradation of farmland, fake news etc. And the floating world in the sky was pretty new in the 60s too. Sure it's a bit dated in places and Shaw misses a lot of implications of the technology he predicts. For example the crowded, smoke filled newsroom features screens and computer input, yet the reporters still file stories on paper. It is fast moving and taughtly written and has economically sketched but fully three dimensional characters, which is typical of Shaw's style. (The human story at its heart is about sibling rivalry.) To a large extent this compensates for its shortcomings but not quite enough, so only 3 stars.

[Kevin Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by an SF writer friend and I'm so glad he brought it to my attention. I was gripped by the concept, the story-telling, and the characters. The premise of an overcrowded world having to grow its food on vast structures situated way above the Earth's surface feels remarkably prescient (the book was 1st published in 1978) and the action takes place both above and below, with the central character finding himself trapped on one of the 'Land Extensions' as he searches for his missing brother. And 'action' is the right word, as the story unfolds like a thriller, with the final chapters moving at a breakneck pace. So I, too, will be happily recommending this book... it's a cracker!

[Sid Isidro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. It's a small book but I had a hard time finishing the novel.

[Cyrix Instead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very tightly written and fast moving adventure, I had a lot of fun with this little story and the end is brilliant :)

[Jonathan Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaw’s thriller set in the skies is a fun, quick read that shows his talent for a tightly woven story.

[Rog Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A ripping yarn of huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

[Andrewcharles420 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post-salting of the Earth apocalypse, the world all lives at the oceans' edge, and farms and processes plankton for sustenance. A few plots of land are suspended on anti-grav platforms floating above the sea for robo-farmers to supplement the plankton. Some claustrophobic folks escape to the islands in the sky (Heaven), to live an open and free foraging existence. When a newspaper reporter discovers his half-brother has gone missing, he finds the trail leading to the sky islands... and sets in motion a plan to bring down the government and eventually populate the solar system.

I liked the cliffhanger suggestions at the end of chapters that are then entirely skipped over by the beginning of the next chapter, and the effects hardly even mentioned again (with barely enough info to suss them out). The 'ink-stained-wretch' reporter protagonist was also a fun trope for me to read, mainly because I follow a number of reporters' personal blogs and think news reporting is important.

There were a lot of 'are we really family' psychology issues between the half-brothers, which I didn't relate with. Weirdest element of this was main character marrying his half-brother's wife at the end of the book--roles for women were stereotypes: mother, daughter, wife-to-be. None of the characters was too interesting or well developed.

I don't think I have any other books by this author, so I'll not be reading him too soon... strangely (for my tastes) I think I'd like this author better as a short-story writer--I didn't see much character development but enjoyed the writing style otherwise.

[Chris Fellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Shaw which reminded me of Pohl and Kornbluth's The Space Merchants. For some reason I have owned this book for decades, never managing to read it through, but this time when I got to whatever invisible barrier I ran into before it just wasn't there. I am taking this as a sign that my tastes have changed or my standards have slipped, or something, so I should get stuck in and have another go at the many many books I own and have never gotten to the end of.

I liked the beginning best, before it got bogged down in action, and didn't like how the moral quandaries that loom large earlier in the novel are airily breezed away at the end.

[Philip Chaston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slight and uninteresting: not the best of Shaw

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1979 grade B-

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the set up of this book, but the ending was disappointing. Film noir detective story set in a bleak post ww3 future.