Tiring for a while of what seemed to have become an endless series of visions of Mars, I instead contemplated Poul Anderson's works as a whole, here, then focused on another part of those works, the part that describes the corridors of power controlling the massive defense apparatus of the Terran Empire.
My attention is now hovering above Dominic Flandry's timeline although I am unsure how much I will find to post about that has not already been posted about. In any case, I will now close for today or rather for yesterday since it is nearly 1.00 AM.
Glory to the Emperor!
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I don't mind repetitions by you! I'm enough of an of Poul Anderson to find them enjoyable. But I do see your point.
And, you could as I lately did with sensory deprivation, write an article about a particular idea you find in any of Poul Anderson's books. E.g., one thing about the telepathic genius Aycharaych which has stuck in my mind was him saying in WE CLAIM THESE STARS, "How I pity immortal God." A truly stunning and presumptuous thing to say! But why and how could he have said that?
I hope you don't mind me suggesting reading another S.M. Stirling book: CONQUISTADOR, which is, I think, his last major stand alone novel. And one of the characters in this book is a fan of Anderson!
Glory to the Emperor! Sean
Sean,
More Stirling is on my agenda but I like to keep circling back to Anderson since this blog is inspired by him.
I did briefly comment on that statement by Aycharaych and will find and link to the comment.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And I will be interested in your comments about that astonishing comment by Aycharaych. To say nothing of being interested in what you say about whichever of the books of Stirling you read next.
Sean
Sandra Miesel quoted a line from *The Broken Sword* that may be what Anderson was getting at when he had Aycharaych speak of pitying God:
"'Happier are all men than the dwellers in Faerie--or the gods, for that matter.... Better a life like a falling star, bright across the dark, than a deathlessness which can see naught above or beyond itself.'"
She also cited Aycharaych wondering in *A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows*, "What depth does the foreknowledge of doom give to your loves?"
It seems as if Aycharaych doesn't believe God is omniscient enough to fully grasp our mortal feelings. God can watch, Aycharaych thinks, but never inwardly understand, never grok (thanks, Robert Heinlein!) -- and THAT'S why Aycharaych feels He's to be pitied.
There's an echo of sorts to the line at the end of *The Rebel Worlds* where the tripartite Didonians pity humans, "who are not beasts but can think, and thus know that they will never know oneness."
Dear Mr. Birr,
But I believe God CAN "grok" the lives, minds, hearts,feelings, thoughts, etc., of mankind and all other non human races. And, as a Catholic I believe God PROVED that He can grok human beings by sending His Son to become man and die on the Cross for our salvation.
But, yes, Aycharaych certainly does have a very limited idea of what God is. As for the tripartite Didonians, their error seems more a failing imagination, one which can be corrected as they become more learned.
Sean
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