Troubled Times Now And Then

If we read about troubled times while living in troubled times, then text and life resonate. Once, when I was reading on a train, the train stopped so I thought, "Counter-revolutionaries have blocked the line!," projecting whatever I was reading. The exotic future of Poul Anderson's Orion Shall Rise shares crucial issues with our turbulent present:

ecological concerns;

the viability of a space program;

opposition to nuclear power;

national rivalries;

threats of war;

a missionary ideology -

- a longer list than I had expected.

 

In CHAPTER TWENTY, various forces gather:

in the unnumbered opening section, the Skyholm usurper confers with his Gaean guru and a political supporter;

in section 2, the fugitive Terai enters a village, commandeers the radio and calls for help;

 

in 3, Domain leaders conspire against the usurper;

 

in 4, we are back with our Mong viewpoint character, Vanna Uangovna, and your friendly neighborhood blogger must read on to find out what happens next.