-SM Stirling, On The Oceans Of Eternity (New York, 2000), p. 80 -
- reflects:
"The clear thock of steel in wood echoed across the meadow...for the first time ever, he thought with an edge of wonder that never quite faded." (p. 84)
The First Expedition and the first sound of steel in this part of North America - in this timeline. The phrase, "the first time," gains a new significance in a multiple timelines scenario. There are many first times.
Who was first on the Moon?
Cavor and Bedford;
Armstrong and Aldrin;
Valeria Matuchek.
Armstrong and Aldrin were first - in Jerry Pournelle's CoDominium future history.
What was the name of the pilot or astrogator in "The Man Who Sold The Moon"? Harriman was the title character and financier.
There had been a succession of landers on the Moon in CS Lewis' "Forms Of Things Unknown." Jenkin is about the fifth.
In Larry Niven's Wrong Way Street, an astronaut on the Moon finds an alien time machine - and thus becomes the First Man on the Moon.
In Poul Anderson's "The Light," American explorers of the Moon learn that Leonardo da Vinci had been there before them - whereas, in Robert Heinlein's The Door Into Summer, da Vinci was Leonard Vincent, Time Traveler. I often say that Anderson gives the impression of exploring every option but here he does so with the illustrious assistance of Robert Heinlein.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
As a Poul Anderson fan I esp. enjoyed his short story about Leonardo da Vinci being unexpectedly the first man on the Moon. I know he was a protean genius, but how on Earth could have done that? It had to be something totally unexpected he invented or discovered to do that!
And I like the tie in of "The Light" to Heinlein's THE DOOR INTO SUMMER. I'll have to check to see if I have that book.
Sean
Post a Comment