The James Blish Collection: Cities in Flight brings together the first two installments of one of science fiction’s most ambitious and philosophically rich sagas. With They Shall Have Stars and A Life for the Stars, Blish lays the foundation for a future where entire cities break free from Earth and roam the galaxy in search of survival, opportunity, and meaning.
In They Shall Have Stars, Blish envisions a near-future Earth stifled by political decay and stagnation. Against this backdrop, scientific pioneers—driven by hope and desperation—develop technologies like anti-death drugs and the gravity-defying “spindizzy drive” that will later make space-faring cities possible. This opening volume blends hard science with political intrigue, showing how the seeds of utopia often sprout in dystopian soil.
A Life for the Stars shifts focus to a teenage boy swept up by a flying city and thrust into the unknown. His journey from reluctant passenger to willing explorer mirrors humanity's own leap from the familiar to the infinite. Blish captures the wonder of space travel alongside the emotional realities of displacement, growth, and discovery.
What distinguishes the Cities in Flight series is Blish’s blend of scientific credibility with poetic vision. His world-building is both intellectually rigorous and grand in scope—drawing on real physics, sociology, and historical analogy to create a believable interstellar civilization.
Contents:
They Shall Have Stars
A Life for the Stars
