However, fiction writers do not usually rub our noses in their villains' cruelty for page after page as SM Stirling does in Under The Yoke (New York, 1989). I have quoted several relevant passages and could quote more now but it gets a bit sickening. It is all too possible that some readers could derive sadistic pleasure from the Drakas' treatment of their serfs. Since the violence is extreme and without consent, such a response is inappropriate - and clearly not the author's intention.
Stirling uses alternative history sf to ask: how bad might a society get while continuing to function as a society? Poul Anderson showed us a history dominated by a Greek culture that had institutionalized child abuse and no less than four timelines without a scientific revolution, three in the Time Patrol universe and one in "The House of Sorrows." Both no Christianity and a Christian theocracy lead to no science. As the Greeks might say, everything in balance and nothing to excess.
The Draka push the limits of a sustainable society. Conquering Europe, they transfer serf cadre to the conquered territories and ship Europeans to their heartland for donkey-work, thus provoking a massive uprising with Civilian casualties, a mob turned back from the free zones only by flame-throwers, a whole mine gassed, survivors lobotomized and shipped out and:
"'...three big factory compounds out of order, jus' when demand fo' industrial motor systems is gettin' critical.'" (p. 339)
Another example: a Security Strategos would like to monitor Citizen movements more closely but, of course, Citizens would not want that. Meanwhile, an OSS man poses as a veteran whose injuries have impeded his speech - thus concealing his lack of a Draka accent.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I actually have recently thought of Poul Anderson's novel THE CORRIDORS OF TIME and of how both the Rangers and the Wardens were eventually shown to be, in somewhat different ways, bad and unworthy of being served. And if you insisted on me choosing which of them was at least slightly better, I would pick the Rangers. Because they don't seemed to have practiced ritualized cruelty as part of their Nature Goddess religion or philosophy.
And one of those timelines which did not lead to a true science was because the state dominated and absorbed the Church (THE SHIELD OF TIME, "Amazement Of The World").
A pity the revolt you mentioned did not succeed! But I can see how hard it would be for the leaders to more carefully plan for such a rebellion, right in the heart of the Domination and intensive scrutiny by the Security Directorate. I think Stirling meant this to show how CLOSE the Draka came to biting off more than they could chew and collapsing in the immediate post war years.
Sean
Sean,
I will be busy this afternoon but hope to post this evening.
And THE STONE DOGS should be in the post.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Noted! And I am looking forward to your comments about the final parts of UNDER THE YOKE and then THE STONE DOGS. I simply hope THAT book doesn't take as long to reach you as did UNDER. And, of course, to comments about possible analogies and comparisons to the works of Poul Anderson.
A bit more than half way thru Anderson's A CIRCUS OF HELLS. It's a relief to turn to the Empire after contemplating the Domination!
Sean
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