aristocracy and reform on Hermes;
"Communism" (or state capitalism) in China;
the peacefulness or otherwise of a powerful extra-solar alien;
the trustworthiness of armed nation-states.
We address controversial issues because Poul Anderson does. His credible and concrete characters take opposed sides. He spares us the morally simplistic good guys-bad guys routines of ERB and EE Smith.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree with most of your comments here. I would only add that I enjoy reading Burroughs' Barsoom stories, even tho I concede they can look simplistic and one sided when compared to Anderson's works. But even ERB's Barsoom stories can have unexpected depths and nuances when you look for them.
Sean
Post a Comment