Saturday 17 November 2018

Fenn And James Ching

Fenn:

"Fenn's eyes went toward the glare-hidden stars. The Lunarians at Proserpina and Alpha Centauri - and now fugitive stories of Terrans at three new suns, whole new worlds, and the galaxy open to them - As he had done before, uncountably often, he choked down his craving and concentrated on the business at hand."
-Poul Anderson, The Fleet Of Stars (New York, 1998), 4, pp. 44-45.

Jimmy:

"(Oh, treetop highways under the golden-red sun of Cynthia! Four-armed drummers who sound the mating call of Gorzun's twin moons! Wild wings above Ythri!)"
-Poul Anderson, "How To Be Ethnic In One Easy Lesson" IN Anderson, The Van Rijn Method (Riverdale, NY, 2009), pp. 175-197 AT p. 183.

"...a journeyman merchant of the Polesotechnic League...the go-to-hell independence in his face, which turned me sick with envy."
- op. cit., p. 184.

Different history, different galaxy, same wanderlust - which I do not share. I want women and men but not necessarily me to be out there. Nor do I want to die as far as possible away from my home planet especially since it is the only environment anywhere in the universe that I am adapted to live in.

5 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I don't know if I would act on it, if the opportunity was offered me, but I have more sympathy for the longing of Fenn and James Ching to get OUT there into the universe than to be content with a placid life.

Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
However, space travel and placidity are not the only two options.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

What other options are there, really? I would still prefer something like Anderson's Technic Civilization, during either the heyday of the Polesotechnic League or the Empire at its height.

Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,
Well, I'm mentally and physically active, not placid, now.
Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Good! For I had this bit from Chapter 18 of THE ENEMY STARS, near its end: "For no people live long, who offer their young men naught but fatness and security." A view I absolutely agree with!

Sean