I have just reached a point in James Blish's
The Star Dwellers where the hero's mentor, Howard Langer, comments on space opera and could even be referring directly to Poul Anderson's Dominic Flandry series. However, I discussed this passage in March 2013. See
here. I found the post by searching the blog for the phrase, "Utter nonsense..."
See also the combox for that earlier post. By now, it is possible that a third sf author has written a novel taking into account the kinds of interstellar conflicts described both by Anderson and by Blish. I have not kept up with more recent sf but still find plenty to discuss from the Campbell era.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I looked up the link to that old blog piece of yours referring to the fictional Dr. Langus' "utter nonsense" comment, which I disagreed with. And added another comment to that old piece of yours.
I wondered if you had Jerry Pournelle's Co-Dominium timeline in mind as that third SF writer speculating about interstellar conflicts. Rather oddly, perhaps, we see war in the Co-Dominium world largely as fought on land, not space.
S.M. Stirling also handles war very well, albeit mostly on land, rather than in space. Can't think of many other SF writers who handled war as thoroughly as did Anderson, Blish, and Stirling
Sean
Sean,
I did not have anyone specific in mind but Pournelle and Stirling qualify.
Paul.
Paul and Sean:
David Drake, to the point that he, like Stirling, is sometimes referred to as a "god" of military-focused SF. Mostly on planet surfaces, yes; see, however, his *RCN* series, which is like Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin books but in space rather than the Napoleonic Wars.
John G. Hemry a.k.a. Jack Campbell, whom I've mentioned before here. Major starship maneuvers in *The Lost Fleet*; ground combat in *Stark's War*; a mix of both in *The Lost Stars* (a semi-sequel to *The Lost Fleet*). Hemry was a U.S. Navy officer, and it shows.
David Weber's *Honor Harrington* stories have the flavor of *Horatio Hornblower* (note the initials) in space.
Kaor, Paul and DAVID!
Paul: agree, as regards Pournelle and Stirling.
David: DRAT! I completely forgot about Dave Drake, and I should not have! It's mostly his Hammer's Slammers stories I'm familiar with, not his RCN stories.
John G. Hemry/Jack Campbell and David Weber? I'm ashamed to admit I'm not familiar with these writers examples of military SF. Darn!
Sean
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