Poul Anderson's Technic History suddenly became more immediately relevant to its current readers with the late (1981) addition of "The Saturn Game," set much closer to our present and featuring interplanetary although not yet any interstellar space travel. Before this belated addition, the Technic History had begun with "Wings of Victory," (1972) set some time, maybe, in the twenty-second century and featuring the interstellar Grand Survey, a very different kind of science fictional scenario although one that was familiar enough to Anderson's readers from sf in general and from, e.g.,
Star Trek in particular. ("Wings..." even mentions a planned comparison of experiences by different Survey crews after
five years.) The first four stories collected in
The Earth Book Of Stormgate, beginning with "Wings...,"
were the first four instalments of the Technic History but then the first
five stories in
The Technic Civilization Saga, Volume I, beginning with "The Saturn Game," became the first
five instalments.
Sf that addresses important issues periodically regains relevance depending on what is currently happening in the real world. Thus, Simon Bolivar is discussed in the Time Patrol story, "Ivory, and Apes, and Peacocks," and Venezuela is currently in the news or at least competing for space in the news with several other major conflicts!
"Ivory..." also mentions Solomon and shows us Hiram of Tyre. (For both, see here.) "Brave To Be A King" shows us Cyrus the Great. It may be thought that none of these three ancient rulers is currently relevant but it occurs to me that they might be regarded as perennially relevant by regular Bible readers? Sf readers spend a lot of their time in speculative futures. Bible readers spend perhaps even more time in a theologically interpreted past. And we all meet in the present.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I certainly hope the nasty and vile Chavista regime in Venezuela, humiliated by Pres. Trunp, soon falls!
Even more importantly the theocratic Shia dictatorship in Iran, confronted by what looks like a full-scale uprising, will hopefully fall. I suspect untold millions of Iranians feels totally disillusioned with thinking Islam has the answers to their problems. As Jerry Pournelle wrote on page 6 of MPERIAL STARS: THE STARS AT WAR (Baen Books, 1986): "Cyrus the Great found no mean place in the Bible, and to this day there are those in Iran who wish he or one like him would come again." And on page 7 Pournelle wrote "...and who can say the ayatollahs will last forever?"
MIGA! Sean
Sean,
I certainly hope that a lot of nasty and vile regimes soon fall. Your condemnations are very selective.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Selective and accurate: I hope Putin's dictatorship in Russia, the abominable Maoists in China, and the weird Kim family despotism in N Korea all soon fall.
The revolt against the loathsome Islamic Republic in Iran reminded me of Isaiah 45.1-4: "Thus saith the Lord to my anointed Cyrus, whose right hand I have taken hold of, to subdue nations before his face, and to turn the backs of kings, and to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee, and will humble the great ones of the earth. I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and burst the bars of iron. And I will give thee hidden treasures, and the concealed riches of secret places, that thou mayest know I am the Lord who call thee by thy name, the God of Israel. For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my elect, I have even called thee by thy name. I have made a likeness of thee, and thou hast not known me."
And this was only one of many favorable mentions of Cyrus the Great and Persia in the OT. Even Alexander the Great, who conquered Persia, admired Cyrus.
MIGA! Sean
Sean,
Do think that Cyrus is a relevant figure now?
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, because I looked this up and many Iranians still revere Cyrus the Great. Any post-Islamic Republic regime might seek inspiration from Cyrus. Such as his policies as regards religious tolerance and decentralized governance.
MIGA! Sean
Far out that there is relevance in the Time Patrol as well as in futuristic sf.
Kaor, Paul!
However implausible it seems I hope the chaos in Iran leads to massive revulsion against Islam, with many Iranians concluding that it and Sharia law has been choking and strangling them.
MIGA! Sean
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