"'...I've no illusions about my own class either, or my own way of life. You frontier people are the healthy ones. You'll be around - most of you - long after the Empire is a fireside legend.'"
-Poul Anderson, "Hunters of the Sky Cave" IN Anderson, Sir Dominic Flandry: Last Knight Of Terra (Riverdale, NY, 2012), pp. 149-301 AT Chapter VIII, p. 206.
Flandry strengthens certain planets in the hope that they will survive the Empire and some do. See here. I like the idea of the Empire as a fireside legend. That suggests a later sub-series in which raconteurs round a fire retell the Flandry stories, including "Hunters of the Sky Cave," in legendary form.
We have got into finding passages about Flandry's good eating and drinking so here is another. When Flandry announces captain's dinner:
"'Very good, sir,' said Chives. 'I took it upon myself to bring along some live Maine lobster. And I trust the Liebfraumilch '51 will be satisfactory?'" (Chapter VIII, p. 204)
Flandry explains to Kit that Shalmuans have more sensitive palates and cannot go wrong on vintages. (It should make a difference that Chives is extraterrestrial and is not just Jeeves with green skin.)
Regarding spiritual/philosophical questions, a friend recommended Mooji.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I would expect there to be some legends about Dominic Flandry after the Empire fell! And tales about the mighty Emperors of the past as well. After all, "The Star Plunderer" says the Founder of the Empire, Manuel Argos, had become a legend even during his lifetime. And there were great Emperors after him, such as Manuel the Wise or Isamu the Great.
Shalmuans do seem to have been fond of either signing up as space hands on star ships or opening restaurants or entering another being's personal service!
Sean
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