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Perpetual Light
Introductory essay by Alan Ryan
The Pope of the Chimps novelette by Robert Silverberg
Written in Water story by Tanith Lee
The Meat Box story by Daniel Gilbert
Ifrit story by R.A. Lafferty
Contamination story by Richard Bowker
Instant With Loud Voices story by Alan Dean Foster
Firestorm story by Steve Rasnic Tem
Be Fruitful & Multiply story by F. Paul Wilson
The Emigrant story by Joel Rosenberg
Angel of the Sixth Circle novelette by Gregg Keizer
Judgment Day story by Frank Ward
The Theology of Water novelette by Hilbert Schenck
Hamburger Heaven story by Simon Hawke [aka Nicholas Yermakov]
A Green Hill Far Away novelette by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Small Miracles story by Mel Gilden
Relativistic Effects novelette by Gregory Benford
God's Eyes story by Craig Shaw Gardner
St Joey the Action story by Shariann Lewitt
The Magi novelette by Damien Broderick
Lest Levitation Come Upon Us novelette by Suzette Haden Elgin
The Rose of Knock story by Alan Ryan
Confess the Seasons novella by Charles L. Grant
A Private Whale novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
The Pope of the Chimps novelette by Robert Silverberg
Written in Water story by Tanith Lee
The Meat Box story by Daniel Gilbert
Ifrit story by R.A. Lafferty
Contamination story by Richard Bowker
Instant With Loud Voices story by Alan Dean Foster
Firestorm story by Steve Rasnic Tem
Be Fruitful & Multiply story by F. Paul Wilson
The Emigrant story by Joel Rosenberg
Angel of the Sixth Circle novelette by Gregg Keizer
Judgment Day story by Frank Ward
The Theology of Water novelette by Hilbert Schenck
Hamburger Heaven story by Simon Hawke [aka Nicholas Yermakov]
A Green Hill Far Away novelette by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
Small Miracles story by Mel Gilden
Relativistic Effects novelette by Gregory Benford
God's Eyes story by Craig Shaw Gardner
St Joey the Action story by Shariann Lewitt
The Magi novelette by Damien Broderick
Lest Levitation Come Upon Us novelette by Suzette Haden Elgin
The Rose of Knock story by Alan Ryan
Confess the Seasons novella by Charles L. Grant
A Private Whale novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
490 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1982
2 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Alan Ryan
94 books42 followersAlan Peter Ryan was an American author and editor, known for his work in the horror genre in the 1980s.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 8, 2023
Rec. by: A touch of the Divine, perhaps
Rec. for: Iconoclasts and apostates
Editor Alan Ryan begins his Introduction to Perpetual Light this way:
Perpetual Light brings together twenty-three sf stories on the theme of religion. But... I don't think this anthology has aged very well since its publication in 1982. In these stories, almost exclusively, "God" means Jehovah (aka Yahweh), specifically, or one of the spinoffs thereof. Humanity's many other religions need not apply. And, only three of the writers appearing here are women—"author" means "man," almost exclusively, and "straight white man" at that. Other sorts of representation are... imperceptible.
This was, perhaps, par for the course forty years ago—and I will confess that I didn't really notice it myself, the first time I read Ryan's anthology in the far-off year 2000... but upon rereading Perpetual Light in the 21st Century, its myopia seems more obvious.
After Ryan's brief Introduction, we get right to the stories. (I've adapted the Table of Contents straight from Goodreads, this time.)
"The Pope of the Chimps," novelette by Robert Silverberg.
Some not-very-ethical scientists influence their chimpanzee subjects—accidentally, to be sure, but no less profoundly for all that. A strong start to the book, from a major author.
"Written in Water," story by Tanith Lee.
One of the three. A lonely woman meets a man from the stars... who weeps at her kitchen table.
"The Meat Box," story by Daniel Gilbert.
Tending vat-grown meat is Neil's job, and he's very good at it, but what he really wants is to go Out Down, to Earth where the starter comes from, to spread the Good Word. But desperate times call for desperate measures, as the saying goes...
"Ifrit," story by R.A. Lafferty.
By now it has become apparent (or should have done, anyway) that some of these stories have only a tenuous connection to religion or spirituality.
"Contamination," story by Richard Bowker.
A Catholic priest far from Earth must decide whether—and how—to profess his faith to Ansus Hver, "the native chieftain in this region" (p.74) on the planet Anthor. Though shorter and overall rather less dark in tone, Bowker's story brought to my mind Mary Doria Russell's excellent novel The Sparrow.
"Instant With Loud Voices," story by Alan Dean Foster.
Can one ask an AI a question (no, not that one) that it would truly suffer over answering?
"Firestorm," story by Steve Rasnic Tem.
New technologies demand new gods. There's a little too much history in this one—it's only barely fictional—but maybe, if we're lucky, it's not prophetic as well.
"Be Fruitful and Multiply," story by F. Paul Wilson.
An unpleasant story to read, and not just for its repeated (if understandable in context) use of the word "queer" as a pejorative.
"The Emigrant," story by Joel Rosenberg.
Orthodoxy and interpretation.
"Angel of the Sixth Circle," novelette by Gregg Keizer.
Now this is how you lose the time war... in conflict between sectarian assassins in centuries past. The biggest danger here (as it is so often) comes from those who begin to enjoy their work.
"Judgment Day," story by Frank Ward.
If God—definitely a Western version this time—is really Up There, somewhere, perhaps we humans could eventually send a space ship to meet Him.
By accident.
Oops.
"The Theology of Water," novelette by Hilbert Schenck.
If there's one bright spot in the universe, why not two?
"Hamburger Heaven," story by Nicholas Yermakov.
The Afterlife turns out to be—literally—what you make of it.
"A Green Hill Far Away," novelette by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
The faith that Catholicism will survive for centuries, and survive travel into space, is a recurring theme in Perpetual Light.
For what technologies bring us miracles, big or small?
And, speaking of small miracles,
"Small Miracles," story by Mel Gilden.
"Relativistic Effects," novelette by Gregory Benford.
Benford's never been much of a guy for religiosity, and neither is his protagonist Nick, who is crew on a runaway starship that's going fast enough to skip through time.
"God's Eyes," story by Craig Shaw Gardner.
An unstoppable alien invasion, scattered human survivors, contamination... and transformation.
"St. Joey the Action," story by Shariann Lewitt.
The second of the three. This one's about organized crime in Chicago, back when gin was contraband and a man's word meant something. One of the funniest stories in Perpetual Light. Although they're very different in detail, Frankie's voice in this one reminded me of the guy in "Bernie the Faust," by William Tenn, which if you ain't read it you oughta...
"The Magi," novelette by Damien Broderick.
I struggled with this one. An apostate Jew, now a priest in the future Catholic Church (that again), survivor of Jerusalem, is confronted with an alien artifact that shakes his beliefs both new and old, leading to multiple crises of faith. Medieval obsessions—angels dancing on the heads of pins—and the Latin phrase "reductio ad absurdam" came to mind.
"Lest Levitation Come Upon Us," novelette by Suzette Haden Elgin.
Third of the three. A light-hearted Southern-style romp about a dutiful wife with an inconvenient affliction: the attention of the Almighty. Her solution is both logical and hilarious.
"The Rose of Knock," story by Alan Ryan.
The editor couldn't resist including one of his own, but 'tis a fine tale, of a gilded rose and a pair of biters bit—or pricks pricked, as it were.
"Confess the Seasons," novella by Charles L. Grant.
Albert Einstein famously said "God does not play dice with the Universe." But, of course, as many have observed, there are other games.
"A Private Whale," novelette by Brian W. Aldiss.
The final story in Perpetual Light is not really a revelation—Aldiss was no St. John—but it is a summation, which concludes the book with these lines:
I think that Perpetual Light has, to a great extent, been left behind (heh) by developments in the field of sf, and by changes in society in general. Nevertheless, it was an illuminating reread, and ultimately I wasn't sorry I pulled this one into the light of day just one more time.
Rec. for: Iconoclasts and apostates
Editor Alan Ryan begins his Introduction to Perpetual Light this way:
"I'm perfectly certain in my own mind that God is alive. I'm less certain that He's well."And he goes on to observe,
Speculative fiction—including everything from "hard" science fiction at one end of the spectrum to dark fantasy and horror at the other—seems to me eminently well suited to examine the questions raised by thoughtful people about God and religion.
—Introduction by Alan Ryan, p.1
Perpetual Light brings together twenty-three sf stories on the theme of religion. But... I don't think this anthology has aged very well since its publication in 1982. In these stories, almost exclusively, "God" means Jehovah (aka Yahweh), specifically, or one of the spinoffs thereof. Humanity's many other religions need not apply. And, only three of the writers appearing here are women—"author" means "man," almost exclusively, and "straight white man" at that. Other sorts of representation are... imperceptible.
This was, perhaps, par for the course forty years ago—and I will confess that I didn't really notice it myself, the first time I read Ryan's anthology in the far-off year 2000... but upon rereading Perpetual Light in the 21st Century, its myopia seems more obvious.
After Ryan's brief Introduction, we get right to the stories. (I've adapted the Table of Contents straight from Goodreads, this time.)
"The Pope of the Chimps," novelette by Robert Silverberg.
Some not-very-ethical scientists influence their chimpanzee subjects—accidentally, to be sure, but no less profoundly for all that. A strong start to the book, from a major author.
"Written in Water," story by Tanith Lee.
One of the three. A lonely woman meets a man from the stars... who weeps at her kitchen table.
"The Meat Box," story by Daniel Gilbert.
Tending vat-grown meat is Neil's job, and he's very good at it, but what he really wants is to go Out Down, to Earth where the starter comes from, to spread the Good Word. But desperate times call for desperate measures, as the saying goes...
"Ifrit," story by R.A. Lafferty.
"You know that everything in professional wrestling is a trick."But then reporter Henry Inkling meets an exception.
—p.63
I write only, "He is a good person," and if that is not exciting, then we will do without excitement this day.
—p.69
By now it has become apparent (or should have done, anyway) that some of these stories have only a tenuous connection to religion or spirituality.
"Contamination," story by Richard Bowker.
A Catholic priest far from Earth must decide whether—and how—to profess his faith to Ansus Hver, "the native chieftain in this region" (p.74) on the planet Anthor. Though shorter and overall rather less dark in tone, Bowker's story brought to my mind Mary Doria Russell's excellent novel The Sparrow.
"Instant With Loud Voices," story by Alan Dean Foster.
Can one ask an AI a question (no, not that one) that it would truly suffer over answering?
"Firestorm," story by Steve Rasnic Tem.
New technologies demand new gods. There's a little too much history in this one—it's only barely fictional—but maybe, if we're lucky, it's not prophetic as well.
"Be Fruitful and Multiply," story by F. Paul Wilson.
An unpleasant story to read, and not just for its repeated (if understandable in context) use of the word "queer" as a pejorative.
"The Emigrant," story by Joel Rosenberg.
Orthodoxy and interpretation.
"Angel of the Sixth Circle," novelette by Gregg Keizer.
Now this is how you lose the time war... in conflict between sectarian assassins in centuries past. The biggest danger here (as it is so often) comes from those who begin to enjoy their work.
"Judgment Day," story by Frank Ward.
If God—definitely a Western version this time—is really Up There, somewhere, perhaps we humans could eventually send a space ship to meet Him.
By accident.
Oops.
"The Theology of Water," novelette by Hilbert Schenck.
If there's one bright spot in the universe, why not two?
"Hamburger Heaven," story by Nicholas Yermakov.
The Afterlife turns out to be—literally—what you make of it.
"A Green Hill Far Away," novelette by Michael P. Kube-McDowell.
The faith that Catholicism will survive for centuries, and survive travel into space, is a recurring theme in Perpetual Light.
For what technologies bring us miracles, big or small?
And, speaking of small miracles,
"Small Miracles," story by Mel Gilden.
"This is not much of a miracle, as miracles go."
"Next time have a bigger problem."
—p.248
"Relativistic Effects," novelette by Gregory Benford.
Benford's never been much of a guy for religiosity, and neither is his protagonist Nick, who is crew on a runaway starship that's going fast enough to skip through time.
"God's Eyes," story by Craig Shaw Gardner.
An unstoppable alien invasion, scattered human survivors, contamination... and transformation.
"St. Joey the Action," story by Shariann Lewitt.
The second of the three. This one's about organized crime in Chicago, back when gin was contraband and a man's word meant something. One of the funniest stories in Perpetual Light. Although they're very different in detail, Frankie's voice in this one reminded me of the guy in "Bernie the Faust," by William Tenn, which if you ain't read it you oughta...
"The Magi," novelette by Damien Broderick.
I struggled with this one. An apostate Jew, now a priest in the future Catholic Church (that again), survivor of Jerusalem, is confronted with an alien artifact that shakes his beliefs both new and old, leading to multiple crises of faith. Medieval obsessions—angels dancing on the heads of pins—and the Latin phrase "reductio ad absurdam" came to mind.
"Lest Levitation Come Upon Us," novelette by Suzette Haden Elgin.
Third of the three. A light-hearted Southern-style romp about a dutiful wife with an inconvenient affliction: the attention of the Almighty. Her solution is both logical and hilarious.
"The Rose of Knock," story by Alan Ryan.
The editor couldn't resist including one of his own, but 'tis a fine tale, of a gilded rose and a pair of biters bit—or pricks pricked, as it were.
"Confess the Seasons," novella by Charles L. Grant.
Albert Einstein famously said "God does not play dice with the Universe." But, of course, as many have observed, there are other games.
"A Private Whale," novelette by Brian W. Aldiss.
The final story in Perpetual Light is not really a revelation—Aldiss was no St. John—but it is a summation, which concludes the book with these lines:
He believed in God. And technology. And miracles.
He believed in everything.
You will find what you seek
—p.435
I think that Perpetual Light has, to a great extent, been left behind (heh) by developments in the field of sf, and by changes in society in general. Nevertheless, it was an illuminating reread, and ultimately I wasn't sorry I pulled this one into the light of day just one more time.
June 15, 2017
Absolutely excellent collection of science fiction/fantasy/horror/speculative fiction dealing with the nature of religion and faith, especially how it interacts with science, and how changes in future societies would shape faith and belief. Only available through third party vendors, but definitely worth the price.
December 29, 2020
Uneven but overall enjoyable. Some stories were pretty to very good! I think two or three were skips/semi-skips, most due to offputting prose style. I get that they’re all dealing with very abstract ideas and philosophies but does the prose have to be abstract? Lmao. I went back and realized these stories are from the 80s and some sort of presaged later works. One was literally Assassin’s Creed: Spanish Inquisition. Another was soooo It Follows. As for the themes purportedly tying all them together that was hit and miss, and they fell all across the sci-fi/speculative spectrum. Also my copy has a totem pole and Buddha on the front but the religious themes were very much Christian and very Catholic in imagery, and occasionally Jewish
November 7, 2025
So, have you ever had a book stuck in your head, but you can’t remember the name or who wrote it? Irritating, isn’t it?
About 40 years ago, I read a sci-fi short story about a religious Jew who had volunteered to be part of a mission to establish human habitation on the moon. He had no scientific skills (he was a butcher) but felt an absolute necessity to go to the moon. I won’t give away the ending, but it stuck with me.
Over the years, I’ve tried a few times to track down the story. I have friends who are well-versed in the genre, but they couldn’t help out. I even found someone who specializes in sci-fi written by Israelis (who knew?), but no luck.
I’d pretty well given up when a few weeks ago, entirely by chance, I found “The Science Fiction and Fantasy Stack Exchange.” They had a place where folks could ask questions, so I asked “has anyone ever come across a story about …...”
I got a response in less than five minutes! Mystery solved!
So, I told you all that because, having found the collection, it seemed a shame not to read the whole thing.
“Perpetual Light” is a collection of sci-fi stories organized around the theme of religion. Like most collections, the entries are a mixed bag. Some are great, others, less so. But, if you are looking for stories about monkeys to develop their own religion, computers that take on Christ-like attributes, sad sack angels, religious Jews looking for a one-way ticket off the planet and Chicago gangsters who have been elevated to sainthood, then this is the book for you.
Hard to find but I can say, based on personal experience, worth the wait!
About 40 years ago, I read a sci-fi short story about a religious Jew who had volunteered to be part of a mission to establish human habitation on the moon. He had no scientific skills (he was a butcher) but felt an absolute necessity to go to the moon. I won’t give away the ending, but it stuck with me.
Over the years, I’ve tried a few times to track down the story. I have friends who are well-versed in the genre, but they couldn’t help out. I even found someone who specializes in sci-fi written by Israelis (who knew?), but no luck.
I’d pretty well given up when a few weeks ago, entirely by chance, I found “The Science Fiction and Fantasy Stack Exchange.” They had a place where folks could ask questions, so I asked “has anyone ever come across a story about …...”
I got a response in less than five minutes! Mystery solved!
So, I told you all that because, having found the collection, it seemed a shame not to read the whole thing.
“Perpetual Light” is a collection of sci-fi stories organized around the theme of religion. Like most collections, the entries are a mixed bag. Some are great, others, less so. But, if you are looking for stories about monkeys to develop their own religion, computers that take on Christ-like attributes, sad sack angels, religious Jews looking for a one-way ticket off the planet and Chicago gangsters who have been elevated to sainthood, then this is the book for you.
Hard to find but I can say, based on personal experience, worth the wait!
November 15, 2022
A massive (almost 500 pages) anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories, all dealing in some way (in many ways, actually) with God and religion. It was quite fascinating to see so many takes on the subject.
July 7, 2022
Some good stories, some okay, and some not so great. Like most anthologies.
July 3, 2016
This book had several good short stories, and one great story, right in my wheelhouse, "Hamburger Heaven" by Nicholas Yermakov. I found some of the stories tedious, but most worked in the "heavenly" motif fairly smoothly. I rate "Hamburger Heaven" right up there with "The Little Black Bag", as one of my all time favorite short stories.
March 9, 2009
Ironically, in the introduction to this book, the editor states, "There have been anthologies of short science fiction dealing with religion before. In general, they have not been all one might have hoped or expected."
Well, add one more to the list.
Well, add one more to the list.
November 19, 2011
This is a decent collection of speculative fiction dealing with religious themes nominated for the Locus Award for best collection.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews