Earth Abides

"'While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.'" (Gen. 8.22)

This may be the enduring message of Poul Anderson's Mother Of Kings (New York, 2003). Another chapter begins by referring to a seasonal change:

"...as the days lengthened, Hrut's mood darkened."
-Book Five, Chapter V, p. 427.

Frankly, lengthening days are more interesting than the darkening mood of a character introduced only a few pages previously. The cast is vast and many have died violently. One guy's bad mood is anticlimactic. The emphasis on nature continues:

"Snow melted; brooks brawled; buds unfolded in a mist of pale green; sunlight sparkled on wet grass; homebound birds filled heaven with wings and cries. Hrut took to walking off whenever he had time free." (ibid.)

Savoring melting snow, brawling brooks, unfolding buds, sparkling sunlight, wet grass and homebound birds, we do not yet know what Hrut's problem is and might not be in a hurry to find out. Having read on and found out, I googled to check whether Anderson was inventing an incident for Gunnhild's later life or was incorporating a story from the sagas. Of course, the latter.