When the Sky Falls: A Human History of Shooting Stars

Author Jade Angeles Fitton

'A burst of brilliance' – Cal Flyn

'Made me look at the night sky in a completely different way.' – Will Millard

When the Sky Falls is a global cultural history of shooting stars spanning from the prehistoric to the present day, and exploring beliefs, superstitions, and the relationship between humanity and meteors throughout time.

Structured across four parts – ‘Art, Culture and the Meteor’, ‘Utilising Space Rocks’, ‘Belief and Superstition’ and ‘Shooting Stars’ Influence on History’ – the book explores the varied influences the shooting star has had on our global culture and history from the governing of kings, queens and emperors, to folklore, superstitions, myths, art, music and literature, not to mention the various scientific advancements and applications that meteors have allowed.

In the present day – an era largely devoid of superstition and belief – more than anything else, a shooting star symbolises hope: an irrational excuse to make a wish in an increasingly rational world. Despite (or perhaps because of) light pollution decreasing our ability to witness the night sky in the 21st century, the shooting star retains its magic. For anyone – from the tired Russian drivers who witnessed the Chelyabinsk Event in 2013, to the amateur stargazer catching a glimpse of a falling Perseid – a shooting star tearing through the black still feels like a little miracle: this book tells their captivating story.

About The Author

Jade Angeles Fitton is an author, journalist, and poet with a special interest in nature writing, cultural history, and folklore. Her critically acclaimed debut, Hermit: A Memoir of Finding Freedom in a Wild Place (Hutchinson Heinemann), was published in 2023, and her other writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Times, The Spectator, Vogue, The New Statesman, and many more. She lives in rural Devon.

Publish Date: September 08, 2026
Format: Hardcover
Category: Literary Collections - Subjects & Themes - Animals & Nature
Publisher: Batsford
Trim Size: 5-1/3 x 8-1/2
Pages: 224
US Price: $22.50
CDN Price: $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-83733-065-2

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Reviews

'A burst of brilliance. I learned so much from this beautiful book of stardust, skyfall and celestial symbology.' – Cal Flyn

'Made me look at the night sky in a completely different way.' – Will Millard

'An incredible collection of the deeply universal yet deeply personal experience of witnessing a shooting star. A testament to the never-ending creativity and individuality of the human imagination as it grapples with the great unknown.' – Ben Edge, author of 'Folklore Rising'

'A perfect book of miracles' – Stephen Ellcock

'A sparkling, millennia-spanning constellation of vignettes about the myriad ways humans have interpreted these heavenly messengers. When the Sky Falls confirms Jade Angeles Fitton as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary non-fiction.' – Stu Hennigan

‘A scintillating journey exploring how celestial bodies in transit have shaped ancient belief, folklore and culture across continents and centuries.’ – Tom Vowler

‘When the Sky Falls is a luminous galactic travelogue - slender, elegant, and rich - carrying the reader through myth, history, and human longing with the lightest of touches and the deepest of insight {...} It is a book to read greedily, then return to endlessly, leaving you with the thrilling sense that when you reach the final page, your journey has only just begun.’ – Joe Gibson

'A bright star of a book.' – Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean

‘A rich and elegantly written miscellany, at once expansive across human history whilst reminding us of the fleeting fragility of our own existence, mirrored in the falling stars we wish upon.’ – Tiffany Francis-Baker

'A book of wonder and astonishment.' – Anna Selby

'A glittering tapestry of astral stories.... An examination of the fact that sometimes, truth is more wondrous than fiction.' – Tom Allan

'Non-fiction written with a poet’s pen, this is a book for every reader – dreamer, academic and storyteller alike.’ – Jodie Rhian Matthews

‘An inspiring interstellar journey through time, space and place, which soars like a shooting star through the imagination.’ – Phoebe Smith