This story is like a Star Trek episode imported into the Technic History. Humanoid aliens, Arzunians, indistinguishable from human beings - so that actors would not need any make-up -, teleport into the Ganymede. The Arzunian woman, Valduma, knows Donovan from his previous trip inside the Black Nebula. He and she spend time together. In fact, wasn't there a Star Trek like this? We have asked this question before. See here. (Scroll down.) See also "Catspaw." "Sargasso..." is best thought of as a play within the play.
For the next week and a half, we will be away from home so it remains to be seen what will become of blog posts.
8 comments:
I think it's more that "Star Trek" and Poul's -early- stories were both drawing on a lot of fairly standard pulp-SF cliches.
That's it: Cliches Incorporated.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree with Stirling's comment, to which I would add Anderson soon transcended, no, transformed those pulp-SF tropes.
I hope you and Mrs. Shackley enjoy that holiday!
Ad astra! Sean
For Planet Stories, it's a pretty solid piece, actually; started off pretty standard "Expanding Empire Overruns Formerly Independent World" which was a nicely-buffed standard SF trope and then veers off to Lovecraft Nebula by way of Barsoomian swords and blasters.
IIRC, the aliens were humanoid, but a lot more alien than, say, "most" humanoid aliens; kind of an "elder race" mix of elves, vampires, and what not, and dressed up with at least some effort at the "aliens who think like aliens" criteria.
Plus, it is about the only piece in the entire Technic "canon" that shows an expanding, confident, Empire - which lays the foundation for why loyalty to such could transcend the excesses of the Flandry-era imperium.
And the female naval officers, including the warship's commander, even though she has more in common with the '50s than the 21st Century, was a nice bit of progressivism for the time; better than most of Anderson's peers, and long before Honor Harrington et al.
Anderson could have gone back to the well with that setting and characters; kind of shame he did not.
Kaor, Dave!
Interesting comments. I basically agree with them.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
Thank you.
Paul.
Sean - Thanks. Compared to some of the wild and weird "aliens with powers" that came before (Van Voght's or Campbell's, for example) the Arzunians aren't all that wacky...
Kaor, Dave!
I agree, but Anderson soon moved away from such tropes, including the ones seen in "The Chapter Ends," about which Paul and I have debated. Anderson's preference was the rational use/understanding of "super powers," as seen in the OPERATION books and THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS.
Ad astra! Sean
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