A Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber

“A Pail of Air” is a 1951 science fiction short story by Fritz Leiber. It is about a family living on an Earth so cold that the atmosphere has been frozen.

The Inspiration of Angels

Ever since I heard that Jason Sanford based his latest award winning story on “A Pail of Air” I have had a hankerin’ to read it. Thanks to his link I have now done so, and I must say that I am very impressed! Hmm… can you guess what I am going to read next?

Non-spoiler Summary in a Nutshell

Harry is a survivor. After a wandering, stray star moved through the solar system and stole Earth from the Sun the world became a very cold place. Then after the water and air froze everyone died off, except for Harry’s family. Luckily they were able to build a “nest” where they kept a fire continually burning – both for warmth and to thaw the buckets of oxygen to keep them alive. But after seeing a strange light on one of their oxygen gathering trips they begin to wonder if they really are alone after all.

My Two Cents…

• I loved that “A Pail of Air” was told from a young boy’s point of view. That only helped add to the mystery and wonder of the setting.
• The tone of this story is great! The author really captures the eerie feeling of being on a cold, uninhabited world.
• As I read this story I couldn’t help but be reminded of the part in Dan Simmons excellent Endymion where Raul and Aenea visit the ice planet Sol Draconi Septem – very cool stuff!

Interesting Tidbits About This Story:

• Page Count: 9
• Word Count: 5,791
• Did you know that Fritz Leiber spent a couple of years touring with his parents’ Shakespeare company? Yep. You can learn more about this fascinating science fiction author on Wikipedia.
• Special thanks to Jason Sanford for recommending this awesome story!

Where You Can Find A Pail of Air:

• This story was originally published in the December 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.
• “A Pail of Air” is also included in the recent anthology Fritz Leiber: Selected Stories.
• You can read a free online version of this story at Webscription.

Craving More Stories?

If you liked “A Pail of Air” then you might also enjoy Omnilingual – a story about scientists who uncover an ancient Martian city, by H. Beam Piper.

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