The Weeping Sky Lee Harding 1977

Dustjacket synopsis:
"'A multitude of possible worlds' ... Do these words indicate the truth behind the mysterious Wall that is stretched across the valley? The Wall that glows with such a supernal splendour above the shallow lake beneath it, and yet appears as insubstantial as the dew?

In a time and place that seem remotely familiar, two Scientists, Master Asquith and his pupil, sixteen-year-old Conrad le Jeune, ride from the College at Abingdon to carry out their investigation beneath the very eyes of the Church: for the valley of the Wall is close by the Monastery of St Germaine. And in their quest for the truth they encounter a knight of the realm, Ramon de Vargas and his daughter, Donella - an encounter that is to involve the young student in a desperate venture beyond anything he had imagined, leading him at last to the terrifying Fortress at the end of time.

"Is the Wall in truth the 'miracle' the Abbot of St Germaine declares it to be, a vision of supernatural beauty; or is it a creation of the Devil, a scabrous, weeping wound suspended in the sky? It is left to Conrad to discover the truth, as he treads at last a desolate plain haunted by half-human creatures.

"In The Weeping Sky, Lee Harding presents an intriguing and eerie tale, deftly creating a possible world beyond the time and space we know."

First Paragraph:

And so they came at last to an enchanted valley.

They had been advised to time their arrival for late afternoon, when the sun was low behind the transparent face of The Wall, and the valley stained with the terminal colours of the day.

Awed by this sudden brilliance, the two horsemen reined their mounts to a standstill. They became motionless silhouettes limned with an unnatural light, oblivious of the crowd of gawping onlookers surging around them. They sat thus for some time before the older man was moved to address the youth who rode with him.

"Well, Conrad," he said softly, "Would you not say this thing before us is a ... miracle?"

From the Cassell Australia hardback edition, 1977.

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Last modified: October 8, 2003.