He is credited with coining the term gas giant, in the story 'Solar Plexus' as it appeared in the anthology Beyond Human Ken, edited by Judith Merril. His first published story appeared in 1940, and his writing career progressed until he gave up his job to become a professional writer. After the war he became the science editor for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company. In the late 1930's to the early 1940's, Blish was a member of the Futurians.īlish trained as a biologist at Rutgers and Columbia University, and spent 1942–1944 as a medical technician in the U.S. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling Jr. James Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Detailed descriptions of the technologies used is provided, including cosmological calculus. Amalfi directs New Earth residents to compete with the aliens to prevent their manipulation of the cosmic future. It's possible to modify developments emerging from this singularity. An alien culture also investigates this phenomenon which will engulf galactic space & end in a big bang. In less relativisticaly-distorted space between two galaxies evidence of a collision between two universes is detected, a matter-antimatter reaction revealing reality's cyclic nature. NY is installed on this planet & projected out of the Milky Way to the Greater Magellanic Cloud.Ī Clash of Cymbals follows the New Earth planet undertaking the 1st intergalactic transit. Chris becomes a NY resident, an Okie city under Mayor John Amalfi.Įarthman, Come Home describes Amalfi's NY, culminating in the installation of a spindizzy drive system on a planet & its use defending Earth against attack from Vega. Many cities reject terrestrial jurisdiction, make interstellar journeys & operate trading economies. F.i., mining factories with associated towns can be moved to bodies of ore on Earth or on local planets. Development of antigrav spindizzy drives enables large objects to be enclosed & moved. The book details technology, giving mathematical explanations of the principles behind antigrav drives & chemical bonding illustrations for reactions in the IceV material used building a fixed-point bridge on Jupiter for testing.Ī Life for the Stars follows the adventures of Chris, a farm boy coopted into a space travelling city. Bliss Wagoner is executed by an oppressive regime after he's made the technologies allowing humanity to escape Earth available to all. The Western democratic model becomes intolerant, resembling the Soviet. They Shall Have Stars describes socio-political conditions as technology transforms society: anti-agathic drugs, deferring ageing, & anti-gravity, allowing faster-than-light travel.

Cities in flight by james blish