The opening scene is of an Ythrian passing overhead in splendor, sunlight bronzing his feathers, his black-trimmed crest and tail white like the surrounding snowpeaks. The highest mountains on Avalon are called the Andromedas by human beings, the Weathermother by Ythrians. The moon, Morgana, when full, hides the light of most stars.
There is more here but it is time for me to visit Ketlan. I will be back later.
8 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
The humanly colonized planet Aeneas was also carefully described by Poul Anderson in THE REBEL WORLDS and most of all in THE DAY OF THEIR RETURN. I would have included Aeneas in the list alongside Avalon, Hermes, and Dennitza.
Sean
Sean,
I don't think of Aeneas as very scenic.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
But I think of Aeneas as having a certain austere beauty.
Sean
Sean,
It does. And it is fertile near the Flone.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I might include Vixen as well, even if the northern hemisphere of that planet is not desirable for human habitation. And is Altai too cold and dry for your taste? And what did you think of Unan Besar?
Sean
Sean,
Vixen is not uniformly hospitable.
Altai is cold and dry.
Unan Besar is jungle and swamp.
Hermes, Avalon and Dennitza sound good.
Paul.
A planet is a very big place; one with a human-compatible biosphere is likely to be fairly varied.
The TV series "Stargate" had an episode where the interstellar team come through the Stargate into cavern of ice, and then fight their way to the surface to fine a bleak howling wasteland of glaciers.
"It's an ice-world!" one of them exclaims.
It turns out they're fairly close to an American base in Antarctica.
Dear Mr. Stirling and Paul,
Mr. Stirling: AGAIN, you expressed more clearly what I would have said in a more awkward and long winded way. Humanly habitable extra-Solar planets are very likely to be widely variable, even on one planet. And many would be colonists are probably not going to be picky if they can still live and survive on somewhat unsatisfactory worlds. Esp. if they don't have to fight with other humans for the planet. Which was exactly what Oleg Khan said was the case with the original settlers of Altai.
Paul: but Unan Besar had its share of beauty. Think of the majestic Trees of Ranau.
Sean
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