During their period of local interplanetary travel, the Yonderfolk would have established a scientific base on the neighboring terrestroid planet, where human spacemen are currently marooned, and Captain Argens reflects that:
"...it would have been an unlikely coincidence if that base happened to have been anywhere near here." (p. 60)
The time projector in Anderson's "Flight to Forever," like the Time Machine in HG Wells' The Time Machine, remains stationary on the Earth's surface while "moving" backwards or forwards in time. Wells' Time Traveler spends several days in 802, 701 A.D. before deducing what has possibly happened to Earth and mankind since the late nineteenth century.
By contrast, Martin Saunders in the time projector experiences a series of unlikely coincidences. Often, when he pauses on his flight into futurity, there is someone on hand to tell him what has happened. Language problems are soon solved by the donation of a "psychophone." In 50,000 A.D., the remnant of the Galactic Empire has relocated not only to a planet in the galactic periphery but even to a fortress in sight of the time projector and Saunders uses time travel technology to restore the Empire.
Cosmically coincidental.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
It would have DEFLATED the plot of WORLD WITHOUT STARS if the "Meteor" had crash landed near any base of the Yonderfolk! A short story at most, not a novel.
And the weaknesses you discussed as regards "Flight to Forever" are what you have to expect from a new writer still learning how to write effective stories. Even then, PA was able to make that story interesting enough that its flaws only became apparent, with most readers, in hindsight.
Sean
Sean,
The base wasn't still there, either. The Yonderfolk had gone on to interstellar travel with the space jump.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
So, even if Captain Argents and Hugh Valland had reached that base, they would have been disappointed. Unless some means of contacting the Yonderfolk was found there.
Sean
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