"...was a terrible foe who might well put a host to flight, but if too many men came at him for too long, he would die. It would happen very fast if they offered to Thor and the god chose to help them."
-Poul Anderson, War Of The Gods (Tor Books, New York, 1999), p. 19.
Will Thor intervene against a giant?
Maybe.
Will the US or UN intervene in the Middle East?
Maybe.
Will the Space Patrol intervene in the Second American Revolution?
No. It is an internal disorder.
Will the Terran Empire intervene on Starkad or on Brae?
Yes (good) and yes (bad).
Essentially the same question in a mythical narrative, in current affairs and in two future histories, beginning and ending with Poul Anderson. How neat is that?
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I DISMISS the utterly useless and futile UN with the utmost possible contempt! And, whether we want to or not, the US will HAVE to intervene in the Mid East. I simply wish we did so EFFECTIVELY, rather than in the ineffectual, half-hearted way we see Obama doing it. Either do it right or not at all is my view!
And the Empire intervened in Jihannath, Altai, Unan Besar, etc. And, by and large, those interventions were benefictial.
Sean
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