Terry Brooks'
sequel to Poul Anderson's "The Queen of Air and Darkness" contradicts Anderson's story on the past of Rustum - how long have human beings been there? - and also on the planet's expected future. Colonists and natives are not learning from each other but are still in conflict. Human populations remain sunk in superstition and denial with some individuals preferring illusion to reality. The natives, able to breed new organisms, have found ways to infiltrate human society. If anything, the text implies that this alien subversion of humanity is to be preferred.
A themed anthology is inevitably a mixed bag. Usually, I am interested in one writer's contribution but not in all the contributions. Of the three Time Patrol stories in
Multiverse, only one approaches authenticity.
I was impressed with Nancy Kress's contribution when I had reread it properly and will probably reread some of the others.
Onward, Earthlings! (And others.)
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I strongly suspect it was Stirling's contribution to MULTIVERSE, a Time Patrol pastiche titled "A Slip In Time" which is the story you found most authentically true to Anderson's vision. It was to me!
Incidentally, when I was thinking about this comment, I almost wrote "A STITCH In Time," which actually sounds almost plausible! Fortunately, I checked my copy of MULTIVERSE. (Smiles)
And I liked how "A Slip In Time" gives us an alternate view of Austria-Hungary. This time as not being either doomed or dominated by Germany.
Sean
Sean,
You strongly suspect correctly.
"A Stitch In Time" is an excellent circular causality time travel short story by John Wyndham.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I thought so, re "A Slip In Time"!
Now that was intriguing, there actually was an SF story called "A Stitch In Time," by John Wyndham, a British SF writer best known for THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, which I have read. I think I discussed that book here somewhere, mostly to express some criticisms I had of the story.
Sean
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