Wednesday 19 March 2014

Movements Through Time

Poul Anderson, The Corridors Of Time (London, 1968).

When the Warden Hu takes Lockridge and Auri from 1827 BC to the fortieth century, they leave the Danish time corridor in the seventh century AD because, after that date, the Rangers are more active and there is a greater danger of meeting them in the corridor.

At the time of the seventh century gate, Frodhi rules the Danish islands and the mainland is at peace, the Vanir "...still at least coequal with the Aesir." (p. 133) Later, in the Viking period, the Rangers will drive the Wardens back, hence the increased danger in the corridor. They fly above snow and clouds into Christian Germany.

From there, two corridors transport them to a Warden anteroom, no underground passage but a spacious chamber with rich carpet, red drapes, four armed guards and, taken from a cabinet, diaglossas for the period. They float up a shaft into the palace: acre-wide patterned floor; high jade and coral columns; future flowers around a fountain; a mandala in a transparent vaulted roof; clear walls showing gardens, terraces, orchards, parks, hills, summer, deer, a mammoth; inside seven youths and seven maidens, slim, beautiful, nude, chorusing, "Welcome..." (p. 137)

First impressions: Auri must think that she is in the home of the Goddess and Lockridge must feel confident that he is indeed on the right side in the time war.

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