Friday 9 November 2018

Rebels And Rubicons

Poul Anderson, Harvest Of Stars, 36.

"Often the prospect of powerful help from outside was what impelled such rebels to cross their Rubicons. Guthrie's speech -" (p. 330)

(Recently, a right-wing propagandist in Lancaster referred to "the Rubicon" and some of my comrades had to find out what he meant!)

"England's disadvantage is Ireland's advantage!"

"O! The French are on the sea..." (see here.)

In Poul Anderson's Technic History
Diomedean revolutionaries hope in vain for help from Ythri;

Ivar Frederiksen wonders whether either the Domain of Ythri or the Roidhunate of Merseia will help Aeneas against the Terran Empire;

however, Erannath of Stomgate Choth on Avalon spies on Aeneas for both Domain and Empire;

Ivar learns that he must choose between Empire and Roidhunate.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I knew what this "right wing propagandist" meant by the "Rubicon." I have read Caesar's GALLIC WAR and CIVIL WARS.

And I'm reminded of how American rebels sought French help during the US War of Independence. Politics has a way of turning former enemies into allies!

What the Diomedean revolutionaries had a hard time understanding was that the Domain had no fundamental quarrel with the Empire and indeed thought of Terra as an urgently needed ally for checking the ambitions of Merseia. And that was also true of Ivar Frederiken and other malcontents on Aeneas.

Yes, Firstling Ivar had to face facts, the Empire was not as bad as he thought it was and Merseia would never be any friend of Aeneas. That meant he had to come terms with the Empire and make his peace with it.

Sean