time expeditions are few because the energy and environmental costs are high;
an immense energy concentration is necessary to warp the continuum;
they knew of a mysterious and monstrous prehistoric energy release and intended to pass close by it for a boost but passed too close;
because of a defect, they had drawn some higher animals along (only higher animals because of the "mentation" - amplified neural currents);
because of faulty insulation, the energy release interacted with their warp fields and blew out their interior power cybernets;
the radiation blast was lethal;
because other time travelers will investigate that energy release a year after the vehicle's crash landing, the stranded unwilling travelers should try to contact them for rescue;
the energy release is the volcano that destroys the island of Atlantis.
Addendum: Near the end of a month, I complete a round number of posts on Poul Anderson Appreciation, then publish a few posts on other blogs although, judging by the number of page views, most blog readers do not go there. See Time And (Sex In) Space.
11 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
The thought I had here was how, even in the future, advanced technology can be sometimes defective and break down. And how, even then, we have to watch out for people being careless about quality control and safety inspections.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I've been wondering how Poul Anderson's stand alone time traveling novels might be "packaged" in a COMPLETE COLLECTED WORKS. I would suggest that THE CORRIDORS OF TIME, THE DANCER FROM ATLANTIS, and THERE WILL BE TIME could form one volume of a COLLECTED WORKS.
Yes, there are complications, however. THERE WILL BE TIME sort of ties in with ORION SHALL RISE and the three Maurai short stories. Or could these short stories comprise a separate volume with ORION? Or would that make for too thick a volume, considering how ORION is a long novel? And I would put the Maurai shorts ahead of ORION in such a volume, because, in terms of internal chronology, they came before the novel.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I have news for you and all interested readers. While browsing Poul Anderson's son in law Greg Bear's blog I found out that Anderson's widow, Karen, died on March 18, 2018 (aged 85). Memory eternal!
Mrs. Anderson wrote poetry and some solo stories of her own, besides being a co-author with Poul Anderson of THE LAST VIKING and THE KING OF YS.
Sean
Paul:
I've tried, on two separate occasions now, to leave comments on some of your other blogs. When I click to Preview my entry, the system wipes it. I just lost the comment I was going to put on Time and (Sex in) Space. Entered it again, and it vanished again. The second time, I thought to keep a copy, as follows:
Paul and Sean:
There's a reference to Madame Cepheid, who runs a Go game in which the pieces are live girls, in "Hunters of the Sky Cave," and in A Knight of Ghosts and Shadows Flandry thinks of having Chives phone "the nearest Cepheid agency" to get him some casual female companionship. From which I conclude "Madame Cepheid" is probably a franchise rather than a single procuress.
Kaor, DAVID!
It seems, unfortunately, you may be enduring some of what I had to go thru for a few months. That is, combox comments of mine would mysteriously disappear after I uploaded them. I hope this does not become as much of a problem for you as it was for me.
When I was writing the comment in which I quoted from ENSIGN FLANDRY I did remember the bit about the Go game using live "pieces" at the pleasure house mentioned in WE CLAIM THESE STARS. But I did not think it was necessary to quote that bit. But I overlooked the "Cepheid agency" mentioned in A KNIGHT OF GHOSTS AND SHADOWS.
Yes, it's possible "Madame Cepheid," if a real character, was running a business with several franchised casino/brothels.
Sean
David,
Sorry to hear about your problem. I used to receive comments by email as well as in the combox. When Sean's comments disappeared from the combox, they nevertheless arrived here as emails so I copied from the emails to the combox. Now, because of a change in European law, I no longer receive comments as emails.
Paul.
At least I got emails of comments on Poul Anderson Appreciation, maybe not on the others.
Kaor, Paul!
I admit to feeling some anger that a so called "law" of the "European Union" now prevents you from receiving combox remarks as emails. The only law that should apply is that of the United Kingdom. And that is esp. so since the UK is renouncing membership in the EU!
Sean
Kaor, to all Interested!
Finished rereading Poul Anderson's THE CORRIDORS OF TIME. Next comes Christian Davenport's THE SPACE BARONS, a nonfictional account of the new generation of ambitious space entrepreneurs. Shades of D.D Harriman, Nicholas van Rijn, and Anson Guthrie!
Sean
Kaor, Sean!
Karen Anderson was, like the rest of us, bound to die one day, but I regret her death. She is no longer with us, and I will never meet her to say that I enjoyed her stories and poems in THE UNICORN TRADE, and was a great fan of her husband, and that, as it happens, I once allowed a patent application from an inventor named Karyn Anderson. Unless there is a great sf convention in the sky . . .
Best Regards,
Nicholas
Kaor, Nicholas!
I agree with what you said about the late Mrs. Anderson and the examples of her works found in THE UNICORN TRADE.
Regards! Sean
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