can be complete in two volumes;
cover millennia of future history;
begin in the aftermath of a nuclear war;
feature an organization that addresses the long term development of mankind and that presides for a while over a sterile utopia.
Are these parallels accurate and are there any others? I have read some Instrumentality stories in the past but have not been drawn into the series. In fact, it does not sound as realistic or plausible a history as any of Poul Anderson's several future history series. However, blog readers who have read both series in full might say more.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
I liked the Instrumentality stories (including the novel NORSTRILIA) and read them more than once. But it was long enough ago that I can't honestly comment in detail about them. But I liked the sense of "ancientry" I felt from reading about both the Instrumentality and Old North Australia (Norstrilia, for short). Yes, for a long time the Instrumentality, from the best of intentions, tried to force mankind to be "happy," using drugs like the life extending "stroon" imported from Norstrilia. And, in the interest of stability, banned religions, including Christianity (which went underground to become the faith of the animal derived "underpeople"). And I love how poetic many of the titles of the Instrumentality stories are: "The Crime And The Glory Of Commander Suzdal," "The Dead Lady Of Clowntown," "The Ballad Of Lost C'Mell," etc.
Sean
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