13,212 B. C., I: Wanda Tamberly has become friendly with the Tulat but the Cloud People arrive.
II: Red Wolf of the Cloud People plans to exploit the Tulat.
1965 A. D.: Tamberly reports to Ralph Corwin.
13,211 B. C.: Exploitation of the Tulat begins.
1990 A. D.: Tamberly appeals to Manse Everard.
13,212 B. C., I-XV: Corwin and Tamberly dwell among the Cloud People.
13,210 B. C.: Aftermath for the Cloud People.
1990 A. D.: Aftermath for Tamberly, with Everard.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Maybe Anderson left notes among his papers showing what were the sources he used for writing the "Beringia" section of THE SHIELD OF TIME, but I have to think, because of Stirling's comments, that errors were made here. The Tulat people should not have been as primitive as we see them. They should have achieved at least an Old Stone Age level of technology by the time the Paleo-Indians arrived.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: also, if they were there, the evidence would be unambiguous. Human beings faced with an open land frontier -- uninhabited territory -- typically double in numbers every 25-35 years, which means that even a small number of initial settlers becomes large quickly. And they can adapt to different environments quickly too, within a few generations.
A few hundred initial migrants would become hundreds of thousands all the way to Patagonia within 1,000-2000 years.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Instead, Anderson hypothesized the Tulat people were as implausibly few as they were primitive. Another error, alas!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But are they errors or just what could reasonably be thought at the time? We learn more about, Mars, Venus, the universe, physics, the past etc. Sf dates in that sense but still remains good sf.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
That is true. I am sure Anderson was going by the best knowledge available to him on such matters while writing THE SHIELD OF TIME in the late 1980's.
Ad astra! Sean
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