The Best of Edmond Hamilton by Edmond Hamilton

When he awakens, he finds himself in a hospital bed, a doctor and a beautiful young woman standing over him. One night, as David is approaching an orchard, he hears a loud noise and feels a searing pain in his head.

Sometimes he flies above cities and wonders how people can live so closed in and crammed together. He sleeps in trees, and during the night, he raids orchards. His life passes pleasantly, and he is happy. The doctor dies unexpectedly when David is in his late teens.ĭavid takes to the skies and begins to follow migratory birds. He is restricted to flying above the island, although his heart is with the migratory birds. He wants to leave the island, but the doctor doesn’t want him to until he is older. David’s wings unfurl, and when he is twelve he begins to fly. Trying to keep David from becoming a freak to be exploited by the media, he retires to an island with David, a nurse/housekeeper, and a caretaker. The doctor who did the delivery has them x-rayed and discovers they are wings that haven’t yet broken the skin. The boy has some odd growths on his back. David’s father dies before his is born, and his mother dies a few hours after his birth. The story concerns a boy, David Rand, whose parents were caught in what is only described as an electrical explosion, but they were exposed to some unidentified form of radiation. Just so you know, I’m going to discuss this story in detail, so expect spoilers. Fortunately, The Best of Edmond Hamilton is in print, although the cover illustration of the current edition (see below) isn’t nearly as good.

“He That Hath Wings” is one of Hamilton’s best works, so I was surprised to find that it hasn’t been reprinted very often.

This year I want to look at “He That Hath Wings”. Last year for his birthday, I looked at “ Monster-God of Mamurth“. Original appearance Weird Tales July 1938Įdmond Hamilton was born on this date, October 21, in 1904.

The Best of Edmond Hamilton by Edmond Hamilton