Thursday, 15 March 2018

Roar, Glimmer And Jasmine

The opening paragraph of Poul Anderson's "The Plague of Masters" assaults the senses. Emerging from a spaceship, Dominic Flandry encounters:

roaring, reverberating rain;
shining quicksilver rain globules;
glimmering concrete;
warm wet air;
smells like jasmine and rotting ferns.

Our old friends, the "at least three of the senses," are back with a vengeance. In fact, there are four: sound; light; physical sensations; odors. This planetary environment is the opposite of cold, dry Altai, where we have just been.

Onward with Captain Flandry.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I think some thought should have been given to the text describing some of Flandry's thoughts before he decided to go and investigate Unan Besar on his own initiative. I mean bit where he reflected the leaders should give more time to sifting thru reports and checking out mysteries. Alas, too many Terran leaders weer too lax and fun seeking for such hard work.

Sean