Past Times collects:
"Welcome" (temporal stasis)
"Eutopia" (alternative histories)
"The Light" (space travel)
Thus, eight items, including four time travel stories. Also relevant are "The Man Who Came Early" and "Time Heals," which are in other volumes on shelves upstairs. The NESFA collections of Poul Anderson's short stories include at least two, not very significant, time travel stories.
Years ago, I read a story in which:
there had been a nuclear war;
a future hive intelligence sent a time traveler to its past/our present;
this time travel agent prevented the war (?) and the existence of the hive intelligence.
I remember neither the title nor where I read it. I thought that this story was by Poul Anderson but have found no trace of it.
9 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I remember "Wildcat," a very grim story. And I think it can be considered a preface to "Epilogue."
I'm rather fond of "The Little Monster" and "The Light."
Might it be possible the story you were trying to remember was "Epilogue"?
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
No. That is completely different. I must be mistaken in attributing the other story to Anderson.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
It was just a thought. I didn't really think you somewhat vaguely had "Epilogue" in mind.
Ad astra! Sean
What you described sounds like "Courier of Chaos". A member of the future hive mind is sent back to investigate what caused the extinction of most life on the planet along with the "Old Race"--whose relics have puzzled these beings for ages. He discovers the source of the catastrophe and the rest follows.
I hope this helps!
Lee,
Thank you. That is clearly the story. Do you remember any more details and which anthology it was in?
Paul.
Kaor, Lee!
Dang! I don"t think I've even heard of "Courier of Chaos" before! What you said about hive minds did stir up recollections of Frank Herbert's HELLSTROM'S HIVE, a novel about genetically modified humans becoming units of an "embryonic" hive mentality.
Ad astra! Sean
From what I recall (been a bit) This future race holds all information in the race memory and does not use any other form of record-keeping. They find odd symbols carved in the stone they excavate and speculate that this is some poor substitute for what they have--all they know is that the Old Race had worked stone and cement and maybe had reached use of metals.
When the investigator (Ushtu) reaches the past he is able to communicate with the two beings he meets (telepathy allows him to read their minds and learn enough of their language to speak with them--oral speech is not done where he comes from). There's a project in the works by the State (where this State is and who runs it is never revealed) that may result in chain reaction that ignites the atmosphere. Apparently it DID happen, triggering the "Desert Era" and leaving room for new species to evolve. Ushtu decides that the Old Race is worth saving (he's not sure if this is the time where they end or maybe it's in a few thousand years. He prevents the test from taking place and promptly vanishes.
I found it in the anthology "Things" https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1029688367&searchurl=an%3DPoul%2Banderson%26sortby%3D17%26tn%3DCourier%2Bof%2Bchaos&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title1
Lee,
Thank you. I don't like Ushtu vanishing but obviously I would have to reread the story to assess it properly.
Paul.
Kaor, Lee!
Thanks for summarizing "Courier." Alas, it still rings no bells with me. Also, I would have to read the story to properly judge it.
Ad astra! Sean
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