E. G. Von Wald 31 min read

Whenever Tensor has one of his 'spells,' a fine violet drizzle sifts down and lichens threaten to sprout across the Prime's beautiful landscapes, and it's been happening ever since the aliens came.

E. G. Von Wald's 1954 story spins a whimsical social-SF tale from beings whose moods literally control the weather. Light, inventive golden-age SF. Read it for a charming story where emotional weather is quite real, and first contact has thrown the whole climate off.

In its time

Published in 1954, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

31 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).

Illustrated by

Paul Orban