Monday, 26 May 2014

Parallel Histories

How did various colonized planets fare during the Time of Troubles and how did that period affect their subsequent histories? The Aeneans developed military traditions. They rally and demonstrate beneath the memorial to Brian McCormac who cast out non-human invaders. His descendant, Admiral Hugh McCormac, rebeled against a corrupt Sector Governor and tried to become Emperor.

On Dennitza, Stefan Miyatovich cast back reavers. His descendant, Bodan Miyatovich, became Gospodar and was suspected of planning to secede from the Empire.

Gwydion, cut off by the Troubles, remained isolated for twelve hundred years during which the Empire rose and fell and the Gwydiona ceased to be human.

There are probably other examples but these three provide interesting parallels and contrasts.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

Did the Gwydiona truly cease to be human? My thought was that they became insane due to the addiction they developed to the baleflower plant.

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

Sean,
They became insane briefly once a year. Otherwise, they were unhumanly sane:
"'...I don't believe they are the same species. Not any more.'" FLANDRY'S LEGACY, p. 653.
"'...their psychology isn't truly human.'" p. 654.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

I checked the relevant portions of THE NIGHT FACE, from which you took these comments of Raven. On second thought, I have to agree with Raven and you that, at the very least, the Gwydiona, tragically, were arguably no longer truly human.

I also skimmed thru "The Sharing of Flesh" to see if that story contains mention of the renascent post Imperial, post Long Night insterstellar civilization interdicting Gwydion from contact with other worlds, for its own safety. I didn't find mention of such a prohibition, however, altho I'm almost sure it's mentioned in one of the post Imperial stories.

Sean