Title: The City on the Cloud

Author: L. Taylor Hansen

Date of First Publication: October 1930

Type: Short Story

Place of Publication: Wonder Stories

Characters: No Character

Themes: POSTHUMAN; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS

Critical Summary: The story begins with an unnamed narrator being approached by an unknown miner. The narrator is a professor, and the miner has approached the professor in order to learn about mirages and settle an argument with his mining buddies. The professor first explains to the miner how mirages work, going into the science in order to help the miner understand. As the miner begins to take hold of the concept, he begins to open up about what really brought him to the professor.

The miner confesses that he has seen a city in the sky, and by the professor’s definition, this city has to be the reflection of a world on another planet. While the professor does not believe the miner, he humors the man and encourages the miner to explain what he has seen. The miner describes a city with great buildings more than 100s of stories tall, with pavements stretching between each floor.

The miner then excuses himself, leaving the professor confused and unsure. While the miner thanks the professor for his help, the miner seems convinced that his argument has too many loopholes to win against his mining buddies.

The short story is written by a female author who used a male pseudonym in order to get published initially. Not only does she create a city and life on another planet, but she also creates monsters that live on that planet via descriptions of a great green flying creature that lands on the city while the miner is watching. The story is also posthuman in that it is showing another world that could potentially destroy Earth, or be Earth’s future.

Administrative Notes: Elizajane Wright, CSUF; Annette Morrison, CSUF (editor)