In The Issue...
On pp. 105-106, Blish writes that:
Jack Vance's "The Dragon Masters" is a far future fantasy with blade weapons, armor, animal mounts and magic;
Poul Anderson had written several works in this vein but with a reasonable rather than a magical tone;
Anderson knew that explanations in terms of modern physics are as mystical as the grimoires;
for example, he explained the unluckiness of fairy gold in terms of a nuclear transformation.
To which of Anderson's works does Blish refer?
On p. 107, Blish lists Anderson as a writer of "...'hard' science fiction, firmly based in technology..."
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Kaor, Paul!
James Blish was referring to Anderson's THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS. I mean the incident where, after the giant was killed by the rising of the sun, Holger Carlsen not only declined to loot the giant's purse but had everybody move quickly away from from the giant's body. Precisely because of the radiation emitted by those nuclear transformations.
Sean
Sean,
Thanks. I wasn't sure. A Cappen Varra-related story is called "Fairy Gold."
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I thought of "Fairy Gold" as well, but it did not fit the parameters you used. That story is purely a fantasy whereas Holger Carlsen (an engineer by training) used his scientific knowledge to realize the danger posed by the dead giant's body.
Sean
Paul:
In contradiction of Mr. Blish, I would've said The Dragon Masters does NOT use magic, but "sufficiently advanced technology." The "dragons" are captured aliens who've been modified by (limited) biotechnology and selective breeding to serve humans, while the alien invaders have likewise altered captured humans into their slave/animal troops and mounts.
Now, Vance's "The Miracle Workers" does involve the use of magic, although the "miracle" of the title is instead an application of scientific principles. At the end, one senior "Jinxman" muses dolefully that "the jinxmen of the future will be sorry affairs. How will they go about demon-possession? With a cog, a gear, and a push-button. How will they cast a hoodoo? They will find it easier to strike their victim with an axe."
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