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The Mile-Long Spaceship
Kate Wilhelm
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1963
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62 people want to read
About the author
Kate Wilhelm
275 books444 followersKate Wilhelm’s first short story, “The Pint-Sized Genie” was published in Fantastic Stories in 1956. Her first novel, MORE BITTER THAN DEATH, a mystery, was published in 1963. Over the span of her career, her writing has crossed over the genres of science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy and magical realism, psychological suspense, mimetic, comic, and family sagas, a multimedia stage production, and radio plays. She returned to writing mysteries in 1990 with the acclaimed Charlie Meiklejohn and Constance Leidl Mysteries and the Barbara Holloway series of legal thrillers.
Wilhelm’s works have been adapted for television and movies in numerous countries; her novels and stories have been translated to more than a dozen languages. She has contributed to Quark, Orbit, Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, Locus, Amazing Stories, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Fantastic, Omni, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan.
Kate Wilhelm is the widow of acclaimed science fiction author and editor, Damon Knight (1922-2002), with whom she founded the Clarion Writers’ Workshop and the Milford Writers’ Conference, described in her 2005 non-fiction work, STORYTELLER. They lectured together at universities across three continents; Kate has continued to offer interviews, talks, and monthly workshops.
Kate Wilhelm has received two Hugo awards, three Nebulas, as well as Jupiter, Locus, Spotted Owl, Prix Apollo, Kristen Lohman awards, among others. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2009, Kate was the recipient of one of the first Solstice Awards presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) in recognition of her contributions to the field of science fiction.
Kate’s highly popular Barbara Holloway mysteries, set in Eugene, Oregon, opened with Death Qualified in 1990. Mirror, Mirror, released in 2017, is the series’ 14th novel.
Wilhelm’s works have been adapted for television and movies in numerous countries; her novels and stories have been translated to more than a dozen languages. She has contributed to Quark, Orbit, Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, Locus, Amazing Stories, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Fantastic, Omni, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan.
Kate Wilhelm is the widow of acclaimed science fiction author and editor, Damon Knight (1922-2002), with whom she founded the Clarion Writers’ Workshop and the Milford Writers’ Conference, described in her 2005 non-fiction work, STORYTELLER. They lectured together at universities across three continents; Kate has continued to offer interviews, talks, and monthly workshops.
Kate Wilhelm has received two Hugo awards, three Nebulas, as well as Jupiter, Locus, Spotted Owl, Prix Apollo, Kristen Lohman awards, among others. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2009, Kate was the recipient of one of the first Solstice Awards presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) in recognition of her contributions to the field of science fiction.
Kate’s highly popular Barbara Holloway mysteries, set in Eugene, Oregon, opened with Death Qualified in 1990. Mirror, Mirror, released in 2017, is the series’ 14th novel.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 1, 2020
This is another collection from Wilhelm of short stories, these from the late 50s and early 60s. It's a strange thing reading stories from that time, because in many ways, they really are ahead of their time. But in other ways, they haven't aged well at all. A lot of internal misogyny sneaks in (women still don't have their own access to their husband's bank accounts, it's okay to slap a woman who's being troublesome) and to that end, these are really dated stories. But some of them were really quite interesting, and would benefit from a modern setting (in particular, the final story of the collection). I've read other fiction from the same time frame, and in particular Ray Bradbury, and even though those are in some ways also dated, they don't have quite that same feeling as some of these, Bradbury's feel more timeless.
Of course, who knows what our short fiction today will feel like to readers in 50 or 60 years?
Of course, who knows what our short fiction today will feel like to readers in 50 or 60 years?
December 28, 2022
Haven't read Wilhelm in ages. These stories were all excellent. No two stories were alike except for their quality. The title story was kind of odd. Perhaps it was me but I was well into the story before I really figured out exactly what was going on. I liked it. It's a good collection, stands up to the test of time. Sixty-some years old has no impact. Enjoyable read.
December 26, 2019
I didn't review all of the stories, but here are a few:
The mile-long spaceship
2 stars
Overlords aliens looking for a new planet to occupy and enslave try to find Earth's location by telepathy with one of its occupants. But the guy is too ignorant of astronomy to be able to help them out. But wait! He's enrolling in night school!
Fear is a cold black
2 stars
A luxury spaceliner that had an unscheduled stop at a planet when it received its SOS, has picked up a virus that is picking off the crew and its passengers one by one. First, it lowers their body temperature until they freeze to death. The captain despairs and believes he'll have to self-destruct to prevent the virus from reaching humanity, until he gets an idea...
Jenny with wings
1 star
This one was just dumb. I suppose it served something if it's a warning not to confuse lust with love.
A is for automation
2 stars
A manufacturing factory is totally automated with a machine for the brain running it. The defense department has a contract with the owner. Why? If it's putting out toys? The brain is developing AI, but nobody believes the old watchman grandfathered into the sole surviving human working in the place.
Gift from the stars
3 stars
A New York City tycoon is determined to get to the owner of the one store in the street standing in the way of him leveling the block and building his tower. He personally investigates why none of his operatives have been able to get him to sell out. The little old man who runs the repair shop graciously gives him a tour of his shop, then his basement, then his sub-basement. Here's a hint: Talbot the tycoon is a Napoleon wannabe.
No light in the window
2 stars
Sort of perplexing, but I like the moral of the story: People who don't conform are the leaders. Also: leave your husband behind.
The mile-long spaceship
2 stars
Overlords aliens looking for a new planet to occupy and enslave try to find Earth's location by telepathy with one of its occupants. But the guy is too ignorant of astronomy to be able to help them out. But wait! He's enrolling in night school!
Fear is a cold black
2 stars
A luxury spaceliner that had an unscheduled stop at a planet when it received its SOS, has picked up a virus that is picking off the crew and its passengers one by one. First, it lowers their body temperature until they freeze to death. The captain despairs and believes he'll have to self-destruct to prevent the virus from reaching humanity, until he gets an idea...
Jenny with wings
1 star
This one was just dumb. I suppose it served something if it's a warning not to confuse lust with love.
A is for automation
2 stars
A manufacturing factory is totally automated with a machine for the brain running it. The defense department has a contract with the owner. Why? If it's putting out toys? The brain is developing AI, but nobody believes the old watchman grandfathered into the sole surviving human working in the place.
Gift from the stars
3 stars
A New York City tycoon is determined to get to the owner of the one store in the street standing in the way of him leveling the block and building his tower. He personally investigates why none of his operatives have been able to get him to sell out. The little old man who runs the repair shop graciously gives him a tour of his shop, then his basement, then his sub-basement. Here's a hint: Talbot the tycoon is a Napoleon wannabe.
No light in the window
2 stars
Sort of perplexing, but I like the moral of the story: People who don't conform are the leaders. Also: leave your husband behind.
August 8, 2024
This is Kate’s 1st collection. I have the retitled 1966 edition, it was originally published in 1963 as The Mile-Long Spaceship. According to ISFDB there has only been 3 print versions, the original 1963 pb, this 1966 HC, and a 1980 HC. Gateway/Orion did an ebook version in 2012. As with any collection some are good, some are average, and some are bad.
The Mile-Long Spaceship – First published in Astounding Science Fiction April 1957. A very short piece at only 7 pages. Told from the perspective of advanced aliens in a mile long spaceship who have found a crashed and wounded human and are trying to locate Earth through telepathy. Whether for conquest or friendly contact isn’t clear. A cute first contact anecdote for it’s length.
Fear is a Cold Black – This novelette has only ever been published in this collection. Plague on a space-liner. The paranoid cabin fever is brilliantly portrayed. I was thinking this isn’t really SF. It could be set anywhere, a ship at sea, a quarantine hotel a couple of years ago. But then after the setup the story ramps up into good SF that I can’t explain without spoilers. But I will say the Captain’s actions are morally grey.
Jenny with Wings – This short story first appeared here, but has also appeared in Damon Knight’s anthology The Golden Road (1974) and Author’s Choice Monthly issue 16 (1991). Exactly what it says on the tin. A girl, Jenny, has wings and goes to a doctor for a consult to explain the issues it’s causing her. It’s hilarious for the 1950s/60s attitude to relationships and dating. Very much a product of it’s time, but fun as a result.
A Is for Automation – First published in Future Science Fiction No 45, October 1959. The first fully automated smart factory that retools itself for each new product line, but the night watchman notices something. I loved the description of the factory and the machine brain that controls it. It’s dated tech adds to the charm of a story of our AI paranoia.
Gift from the Stars – First published in Future Science Fiction No 40, December 1958. An evil property developer is trying to acquire the last parcel of land needed to build his skyscraper, but the owner doesn’t want to sell. A fun little story. Aliens hiding in plain sight, but not to invade as is traditional in the McCarthyism period of the 50s
No Light in the Window – First published here, but has also appeared in Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century (2006) ed by Justine Laralestier, and Masters of Science Fiction: Kate Wilhelm (2020) a 2-volume collection from Centipede press of a lot of her short fiction. Each volume has about 20 stories. A clever story psychological story of newly weds surviving the pressures of the selection process for the first interstellar space mission. It’s interesting they took out the candidates’ appendix as a precautionary measure. I know they used to do this (and possibly still do) for people wintering in Antarctica, but would it still need to be done on a starship with a crew of 600? The end was a bit predictable, but still a great story.
One for the Road – First published in Fantastic Universe, July 1959. An alternate title could be Luddites 1959. The whole world rebels against science and scientists due to atomic paranoia. And the solution is a totalitarian scientific elite somewhat justifying the earlier behaviour of the masses. I found this story overly long and repetitive for what the story delivers. It probably resonated more with the gestalt in 1959.
Andover and the Android – This short story has only ever been published in this collection. It was also an episode of Out of the Unknown the BBC SF anthology TV series of the 1960s, but is sadly one of the lost episodes. A brilliant story. A man has an android wife secretly created so he can get a promotion. Individuals aren’t allowed to own androids, only corporations. He becomes attached to her almost as if she’s real, then things start to go wrong and escalate quickly. But it’s not a rouge android story. I won’t say more, except you should read it.
The Man Without a Planet – First published in Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1962. Also appears in The Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction vol 12, and the Centipede collection volume 1. Very short story about a murdering astronaut that didn’t seem to have much point and ended with Daddy issues.
The Apostolic Travelers – This short story has only ever been published in this collection. A somewhat philosophical discussion of immortality, but also somewhat farcical. It’s a essentially a joke with a long discussion at the start.
The Last Days of the Captain – First published in Amazing Stories, November 1962, then Thrilling Science Fiction, June 1972, and the 1994 anthology New Eves: Science Fiction about the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow. A romance sprung from adversity as two people flee across a planet to the evacuation point before the aliens arrive to destroy it. A nice character driven story with 2 very distinctive and believable characters. A great final story.
The Mile-Long Spaceship – First published in Astounding Science Fiction April 1957. A very short piece at only 7 pages. Told from the perspective of advanced aliens in a mile long spaceship who have found a crashed and wounded human and are trying to locate Earth through telepathy. Whether for conquest or friendly contact isn’t clear. A cute first contact anecdote for it’s length.
Fear is a Cold Black – This novelette has only ever been published in this collection. Plague on a space-liner. The paranoid cabin fever is brilliantly portrayed. I was thinking this isn’t really SF. It could be set anywhere, a ship at sea, a quarantine hotel a couple of years ago. But then after the setup the story ramps up into good SF that I can’t explain without spoilers. But I will say the Captain’s actions are morally grey.
Jenny with Wings – This short story first appeared here, but has also appeared in Damon Knight’s anthology The Golden Road (1974) and Author’s Choice Monthly issue 16 (1991). Exactly what it says on the tin. A girl, Jenny, has wings and goes to a doctor for a consult to explain the issues it’s causing her. It’s hilarious for the 1950s/60s attitude to relationships and dating. Very much a product of it’s time, but fun as a result.
A Is for Automation – First published in Future Science Fiction No 45, October 1959. The first fully automated smart factory that retools itself for each new product line, but the night watchman notices something. I loved the description of the factory and the machine brain that controls it. It’s dated tech adds to the charm of a story of our AI paranoia.
Gift from the Stars – First published in Future Science Fiction No 40, December 1958. An evil property developer is trying to acquire the last parcel of land needed to build his skyscraper, but the owner doesn’t want to sell. A fun little story. Aliens hiding in plain sight, but not to invade as is traditional in the McCarthyism period of the 50s
No Light in the Window – First published here, but has also appeared in Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century (2006) ed by Justine Laralestier, and Masters of Science Fiction: Kate Wilhelm (2020) a 2-volume collection from Centipede press of a lot of her short fiction. Each volume has about 20 stories. A clever story psychological story of newly weds surviving the pressures of the selection process for the first interstellar space mission. It’s interesting they took out the candidates’ appendix as a precautionary measure. I know they used to do this (and possibly still do) for people wintering in Antarctica, but would it still need to be done on a starship with a crew of 600? The end was a bit predictable, but still a great story.
One for the Road – First published in Fantastic Universe, July 1959. An alternate title could be Luddites 1959. The whole world rebels against science and scientists due to atomic paranoia. And the solution is a totalitarian scientific elite somewhat justifying the earlier behaviour of the masses. I found this story overly long and repetitive for what the story delivers. It probably resonated more with the gestalt in 1959.
Andover and the Android – This short story has only ever been published in this collection. It was also an episode of Out of the Unknown the BBC SF anthology TV series of the 1960s, but is sadly one of the lost episodes. A brilliant story. A man has an android wife secretly created so he can get a promotion. Individuals aren’t allowed to own androids, only corporations. He becomes attached to her almost as if she’s real, then things start to go wrong and escalate quickly. But it’s not a rouge android story. I won’t say more, except you should read it.
The Man Without a Planet – First published in Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1962. Also appears in The Best of Fantasy and Science Fiction vol 12, and the Centipede collection volume 1. Very short story about a murdering astronaut that didn’t seem to have much point and ended with Daddy issues.
The Apostolic Travelers – This short story has only ever been published in this collection. A somewhat philosophical discussion of immortality, but also somewhat farcical. It’s a essentially a joke with a long discussion at the start.
The Last Days of the Captain – First published in Amazing Stories, November 1962, then Thrilling Science Fiction, June 1972, and the 1994 anthology New Eves: Science Fiction about the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow. A romance sprung from adversity as two people flee across a planet to the evacuation point before the aliens arrive to destroy it. A nice character driven story with 2 very distinctive and believable characters. A great final story.
February 18, 2021
It was so hard to give this book only 3 stars as I love Kate Wilhelm's writing. I only discovered her during the past year but I've devoured several of her works and short stories. Her psychological science fiction is simply amazing and some of the best stuff I've read. But, this was her first collection of short stories and you can see her working through it. There are glimpses of the greatness to come but either due to length or other reason, many of these failed to strike me. However, if you are a Wilhelm fan (and I heartily encourage that), you probably want to add this to your pile so you can see her development over her science fiction career.
As for the individual stories, I have some short thoughts:
* The Mile-Long Spaceship: meh.
* Fear is a Cold Black: good story but a weak ending. Early hints of Wilhelm's motifs
* Jenny with Wings: no, just no.
* A is for Automation: an intriguing idea
* Gift From The Stars: good but not great. Really neat idea that might have developed in a longer format.
* No Light In The Window: Excellent. What Wilhelm does best. By far my favorite piece in the collection.
* One for the Road: A riff on the recent anti-science climate. But overall, a weak ending.
* Andover and the Android: A sly, good read.
* The Man Without a Planet: meh. Maybe a longer length would have helped this story.
* The Apostolic Travelers: Too short, not enough time to develop, but intriguing idea.
* The Last Days of the Captain: meh
As for the individual stories, I have some short thoughts:
* The Mile-Long Spaceship: meh.
* Fear is a Cold Black: good story but a weak ending. Early hints of Wilhelm's motifs
* Jenny with Wings: no, just no.
* A is for Automation: an intriguing idea
* Gift From The Stars: good but not great. Really neat idea that might have developed in a longer format.
* No Light In The Window: Excellent. What Wilhelm does best. By far my favorite piece in the collection.
* One for the Road: A riff on the recent anti-science climate. But overall, a weak ending.
* Andover and the Android: A sly, good read.
* The Man Without a Planet: meh. Maybe a longer length would have helped this story.
* The Apostolic Travelers: Too short, not enough time to develop, but intriguing idea.
* The Last Days of the Captain: meh
September 20, 2020
Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...
"Kate Wilhelm, famous for her Hugo-winning masterwork Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang (1976), started her writing career with more modest works. The Mile-Long Spaceship (1963) collects some of her earliest short stories from the late 50s and a few written for the collection in the early 60s — Clone, her first novel, co-written with Theodore L. Thomas would [...]"
"Kate Wilhelm, famous for her Hugo-winning masterwork Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang (1976), started her writing career with more modest works. The Mile-Long Spaceship (1963) collects some of her earliest short stories from the late 50s and a few written for the collection in the early 60s — Clone, her first novel, co-written with Theodore L. Thomas would [...]"
March 25, 2023
Pulp age stories, with the normal attributes. The author's clear ability to generate without obstructing architecture striking social and political imaginations comes through. One has to take in stride the time and place in which these stories appeared.
July 6, 2025
The stories are the perfect length to read before bed.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews