FLAG VI

In Poul Anderson's For Love And Glory, a character who has lived for centuries continually uses phrases and expressions that are comprehensible to the reader but not to the younger characters. At the end, a reference to Macbeth and Duncan, between characters who do know ancient literature, becomes a way to warn of treachery without being understood by anyone else.

Events happen very fast right at the end. I am not sure which side fired first. We are made to think that the viewpoint characters are meeting their end.

All the loose ends are tied together. The questions: Where are the Forerunners now? and: What is happening at the galactic center? can receive the same answer. Also: What is that artificial intelligence on Earth doing? leads to the answer: communicating with the Forerunners. We were given a clue, the Enigma, earlier.

The novel reads like the beginning of a series. Our male and female viewpoint characters have begun a partnership, will continue to live through indefinitely extended lifespans and are able to benefit from scientific knowledge gained both at the black hole collision and at the Forerunner observation base. They and we still have not seen the Forerunners but the galactic center is the best guess as to that race's present location.

The text of the novel ends but exploration of the universe continues.