In Anderson's Planet Of No Return, Chapter 13, Lorenzen finally understands enough of the Rorvan language to realize that the psychomed, Avery, is conspiring with one of the Rorvan. In Chapter 14, the Martian who wondered whether the Rorvan had souls now wonders whether they are:
"'...without original sin...'" (p. 96)
- an issue that we have encountered before. See Times Three.
We approach the culmination of Planet Of No Return and have some other Poul Anderson novels lined up to reread.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
For me, I plan to soon start rereading THE BYWORLDER. And then maybe QUESTION AND ANSWER/WORLD WITHOUT STARS.
It was curious how Anderson's sympathetic depiction of Captain General Sidir, Yurussun Soth-Zora, and their beliefs in THE WINTER OF THE WORLD made rereading that book so unexpectedly difficult for me (as discussed in other comments). So much so that I'm strongly inclined to think the REAL, if tragic heroes of that book was Sidir and Yurussun.
Sean
Sean,
They were would be conquerors so I cannot sympathize with them.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
ALL peoples have been conquerors at one time or another, if the opportunity and means was ever available to them. And SOMETIMES the longer term consequences of a conquest were beneficial. If such things are going to happen anyway, my view is we had better hope the conquerors are reasonably decent people. And, given my belief on how flawed and imperfect human beings are, I see no reason not to expect conquests to happen in the future as well.
It's also my view Poul Anderson would have agreed with what I said above. Because he had no illusions about human beings. As he said in one of his letters to me, "conquests happen."
Sean
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