Review of Fire in the Sky

Fire in the Sky is a children’s story that can capture the imagination of adults. The plot is fairly simple and there are no great cliff-hangers, but through the story of little Henry, von Schmid surprises us with a new perspective on life and the world.

Henry, the infant son of a German count, is kidnapped and hidden in a robbers’s lair - a massive cave. There the poor boy begins to grow up. He forgets about his mother, their lovely home, flowers, grass, even sunshine and rain. He never sees these things; the only understanding he has of them comes from the toys one of the robbers brings to him. Imagine his delight - his wonder - when one day he escapes from the cave and, for the first time he can remember, 

steps on grass! He is soon befriended by a hermit who helps him to understand all the wonders around him. The question is will Henry be reunited with his mother and will his father return from the wars to see his son? 

There are a few thorny issues in this otherwise wonderful story. The notion of hermits is troubling, especially when the hermit, who is so sagacious and trustworthy otherwise, says that he thinks he can best serve the Lord at his hermitage, rather than staying with Henry and continuing to help him. This idea of serving the Lord without serving fellow men, of being “not of the world” and “not in the world” was common enough in partly-Reformed partly-Roman Catholic Germany, but it is something that may require discussion. Another troubling point is the round-abouting that the Countess does when writing to her husband about Henry. Some children may see it as out-and-out lying. Depending on your point of view, they may be right. Nevertheless, the lessons Henry learns about creation make this story worth reading - and enjoying. 

Title: Fire in the Sky

Author: Christoph von Schmid

Original Book Printed: circa 1840 under a different title

This Printing: 2011

Pub: Lamplighter Publishing

ISBN: 1-58474-022-1

Chapters: 15

Pages: 77

Pages/Chapter: ~5

Additional Stories: A Lesson From the Sea (Short Story)