Sunday 20 November 2022

Mannschenn Drive And Standing Wave

The Dark Dimensions.

It seems that the Rim Worlds have three means of FTL. The main means is the Mannschenn Drive and the other two are mentioned somewhere earlier in this text. (Addendum: I think I got this wrong. One FTL and two something else.)

"Flandry looked at Grimes. His face was pale. He said, 'So this is your Mannschenn Drive. I think I prefer our Standing Wave.'" (Chapter 15, p. 223)

Flandry's people do not call their quantum hyperdrive the Standing Wave. However, it turns out that the Standing Wave does have some relevance to Poul Anderson. See here. (Scroll down.) Certain kinds of phrases come to be repeated in sf discussions of FTL. "Hyperdrive" is overused.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

At least Anderson worked out a carefully described rationalization of "hyperdrive." And one which still satisfies me--and probably many other readers.

Ad astra! Sean