Let the Fire Fall

by Kate Wilhelm, Christ Foss (Illustrator)

SIGNED by author (No personalized inscription). Hardcover in dust Jacket. First printing. Book is in perfect shape. A well cared for collector's copy. Dust jacket also in perfect shape and housed in mylar cover.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Kate 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.

Reviews

[Elora · Rating 5 out of 5]

best

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh! I enjoyed my first exposure to Kate Wilhelm's Sci-Fi when I read Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang. I was looking forward to trying Let the Fire Fall. Unfortunately I was kind of disappointed with this one.

The plot sounded interesting. A space ship lands on Earth. The aliens all die except that one of the females leaves a baby behind. There are other babies born to the family of the doctor who treats the lady, as well as another woman. The 'alien' baby is taken under care of the UN. At the same time, Obie, the father of another of the children, becomes an evangelical preacher, preaching against the aliens.

I've simplified the plot a bit. There is constant friction between Obie's cult and the rest of Earth, leading up to violence between both groups. Obie desperately wants control of the alien child, Star Child. One of the children, a boy, is a genius, creates things to make the world better. Oh yes, the world is in crappy shape.

The story is written well, but it just doesn't seem to go anywhere, at least for me. I even found the ending, not quite an ending. Unfortunate as I had hoped to read more of Wilhelm's work. She also wrote mysteries and I have a couple on my shelf. I'll try those. (2.0 stars)

[Steve Klemz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow starter. Took a few chapters before I was hooked. Aliens, dystopic society, religious cult. A good fun read. Some of these themes cropped up again in later works.

[meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

genuinely loved so much

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Kate’s 4th novel. My appreciation of her as a writer grows with every book I read. This was first published in 1969, and its last print edition was in 1974 (pictured here with Chris Foss cover art). It was released as an eBook in 2011 so you don’t have to track down a half-century out of print book in order to read it.

The book opens with a large alien spaceship landing in downtown Cincinnati where-upon all the aliens promptly die except for one baby. The baby is seized by the UN to be raised by the worlds best and brightest under the auspices of the UN. It is promptly labelled by everyone as the Star Child.

This sounds all rather hackneyed. But the book isn’t really about some alien child with mystic powers. For a start the alien doesn’t have any mystic powers. The aliens arrivial and the sole survivor are simply the catalyst around which the story happens. The story is the dystopian collapse of society due to ecological and economic forces and the rise of evangelical religion. To compare it to some more recent and well known works it’s sort of a cross between Robert Charles Wilson’s ‘Chronoliths’ and Octavia Butler’s ‘Parable of the Sower’

I feel the book is very much the fore-runner to her award winning ‘Where Late the Sweet Birds Sand’ in that the story takes place over many years. Starting in the present the existing world collapses and the new world rises from the ruins. It’s told in sections with year or more jumps between chapters. There is rarely dates given, but the characters age significantly. Here’s a small section from near the end which does have dates, but doesn’t include spoilers, which I found amusing given it’s 2024. Don’t forget this book was written in 1969.

She got up presently and wandered outside, where Blake was sitting under a tree. It was late spring, 1998, and the weather was hot and dry. It was always dry.
“The world’s going to hell, isn’t it?” Lorna said, joining him.
“Year 2000 might see few left to predict the new century,” he said.

What is also amusing given these dates is the 60s futurism we were promised of flying cars and 3D holographic television that never arrived. And successful cryonic suspension. Two characters get themselves put on ice for 10 years and are successful revived at the end of the book. It’s almost a throw away inclusion, but was cutting edge science back then with the first human cryopreservation being in 1967, though revivification is still fiction.

The book does require some persistence. I found it really sagged in the 2nd quarter. The first quarter with the aliens arriving and setting up of all the main characters is excellent. And the 2nd half of the book where it’s really starting to get dystopian is also excellent. But the 2nd quarter where we get snippets of the aliens childhood almost feels like padding. The individual set pieces are well written with great characters, but don’t really add to the major storyline.

The writing is very much character driven. It’s sociological SF. It’s all about the people; how they react as individuals, how they behave as groups, tribalism, and how society functions under extenuating circumstances. The book has an omnipotent narrator, so we get to see the world through all the characters eyes. Having now read five of Kate’s novels (and 2 collections) it’s clear that characters are the predominant feature of her writing. I rank her characters on a level of excellence with Connie Willis and Nancy Kress, two of my favourite authors.

The last page will divide readers. People will either love it or hate it. I can’t say more without spoiling the surprise. I wasn’t expecting it, but I thought it was great way to end it. But I also know that it will really annoy a lot of readers.

The book isn’t as even as the previous two books of hers I read, but I can see the formation of her award winner in the structure of this one. It’s still very much above average, if you can get past the sagging 2nd quarter.

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite an entertaining novel with an unusual combination of themes. The UFO crash-lands on Earth, and the only survivor is the newly born alien baby. The doctor switches him with the illegitimate child of the local up-and-coming charismatic preacher. We then get a kid-with-super-powers story crossed with rather enjoyable satire of the evangelical movement. It's not bad at all.
___________________________________________

Another book on Scott Cupp's Ten Overlooked Odd Speculative Fiction Classics. I agree with Mr Cupp - this book deserves to be better known.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a kind of fascinating book, I think it is fair to call it 'pastoral science fiction' or maybe even 'pastoral American'. We are set in the future, but to a modern reader it feels very much like the past, rural America.

One of the first things that happens is that a space craft lands in the field of a small town, the first person to get there is the local GP the second is the local lothario who was busy seducing a girl in a lane. Both are warned off by 'the authorities' before they manage to reach the craft but not before they have seen the friendly waving aliens who look pretty much exactly like humans.

Over the next few days a few things happen; the aliens all start dying, the local lothario (Obie Cox) sees an opportunity to get ahead, and one of the girls he has previously seduced comes to term.

Now a small craft from the alien space ship lands in doctor Daniel's backyard just after Cox's disgraced and humiliated single mother (shock horror) comes to his surgery. There is a fun little do-se-do while the authorities arrive to seize the alien (who gives birth and dies) Cox arrives to denounce the alien (and is greeted rapturously by his discarded affair) and the doctor does his best throughout.

Now, Wilhelm breaks that glass wall by telling us this is the setup for a 'Prince and Pauper' scenario so we KNOW how it is going to work out.

The Daniels family adopt the boy who the authorities see as Cox's by-blow. The boy who they thinks the alien is taken into government custody. Cox goes on to found a crazy religion and Wilhlm explores what can be done with an immoral religion that uses every resource available to them in order to deceive the population.

A fun little story.

[Sooz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Published in ‘69 this book feels dated, and Wilhelm lacked imagination when it came to the future she was writing about. Well lacked imagination when it came to advanced technologies but somehow she managed to capture this moment in time rather well. The deep religious divide she describes that instigates influence in political, educational and cultural circles and is responsible for violent outbursts feels way to close to home.

“No one knew where the truth was any more. No one really cared.”

“The trouble with charisma -one of the problems of making it understandable- is that on paper it is so flat, while in the flesh it sings, and dances and compels. Obie Cox had that charisma. He was insincere, he was crafty, he was a cheat, a liar, a clown. But he had charisma.” Sound like anyone you know?

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this to add to my collection of sci-fi by women and had no idea what it was like. Really enjoyed it! From the blurb I thought it would be about an alien outsider trying to fit in, but it turned out to be an exploration of the breakdown of society due to hysteria and cults, and a bit of a superhero story. Quite a slow one to start but I ended up not wanting to put it down.

[Stijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit difficult at first with al the different names as they are introduced quickly and it's hard to keep them apart. The wondering lasted almost the entire novel, so that was a bit hard.
Otherwise, I liked the premise and like the story. Seems to me that it's more to be used as a reminder of our faith and believes, that they aren't always as clear, just as the story in the novel.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like it started slow, but kept interest enough to keep going. The ending sequence itself felt kind of rushed however, otherwise an enjoyable book.

[Hidey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't what I had expected. I thought it would be a story of an alien boy wandering and suffering hardships among the merciless and hostile earth people. Like "The Man Who Fell to Earth" with the dark mood of "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang". But it was a story of a mean cult religion. And the protagonist alien boy, Blake, is a well-built, beautiful, optimistic blonde guy and easily overcome various challenges. It was a rather entertaining super-hero novel. I enjoyed reading this book, but was slightly disappointed.

[Razorhack]

Let the Fire Fall by Kate Wilhelm (1969)