The King of Ys anticipates the Dark Ages, but we know what comes after that.
Dominic Flandry anticipates the Long Night, but we know what comes after that.
The Time Patrol will oversee another million years of human history, but we know that something good will come after that.
The two themes are doom and hope. As SM Stirling writes, "...hope and tragic stoicism..." (p. 91).
Greg Bear writes:
"For both Eon and The Forge of God, Poul helped me design the right orbits for astronomical objects. Karen supplied me with tips on history and various Greek usages and words." (p. 10)
And:
"The Broken Sword strongly influenced my vision of the Sidhe in Songs of Earth and Power." (p. 11)
Hard sf, informed by history and Greek, and fantasy. Orbits and the Sidhe. Would I be wandering too far off the reservation if I acquired these three works by Greg Bear and posted about them here? While appreciating Bear's novels on their own merits, I would also be looking out for any Anderson influences, comparisons or parallels because the blog is and remains Poul Anderson Appreciation.
There will be delay. The immediate future comprises:
driving friends and family where they need to go;
a funeral on Friday afternoon;
a meditation day and evening moot on Saturday;
Bruges, Monday to Friday;
a family visit with a barbeque, a trip to the Lake District and an evening pub meal, Saturday to Saturday.
Meanwhile, I will try to get one or two of those books.
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