What happens to a boat that is struck by a missile?
"The boat cracked like a twig..." (p. 466)
And what happens to its crew?
"...its crew whirled up..." (ibid.)
Up? Yes, these are winged Diomedeans. It is as natural for them to go up as it would be for us to go down. Reading about aliens, we must remember their alienness. (In a comic book adaptation of ERB's A Princess Of Mars, two green Martians addressed each other as "Tars" and "Tarkas," respectively. I thought, "That's wrong. Tars Tarkas is one guy." Then I thought, "It's right! How does a green Martian earn a second name?")
"...a squad from Trolwen's aerial command pounced, there was a moment's murderous confusion and the Drak'honai had stopped existing." (ibid.)
So, first, sink the boat, then, attack its escaping crew in the air. Van Rijn sings and dances with the ballista captain although he knows that the battle will not be settled by a single incident.
He has persuaded the Lannachska to make boats of ice which are both unsinkable and impervious to enemy flamethrowers whereas the flamethrower crew remain pervious to arrow-sleets and their uncontrolled canoes can then be rammed. War remains "thrilling" to read about even though it would be hell to experience.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, battle and combat would almost certainly be hellish to me. I have read descriptions, in works by both Anderson and Stirling, of the fierce joy in battle many warriors have felt. But I suspect you have to be YOUNG to experience that kind of joy.
Also, a distinction has been made between SOLDIERS and warriors, with the former considered superior to the latter. Training, experience, a sound grasp of tactics, strategy, and LOGISTICS (the art of supplying and feeding an army or fleet), will nearly always enable soldiers to defeat warriors.
Sean
I've known people who enjoy combat; it's a minority taste, but then so are a number of extreme sports.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
As both you and Poul Anderson have shown, I know there are people who take PLEASURE in combat. It seems a rather odd thing to take pleasure in, considering how you might be KILLED. But, yes, there are extreme, very dangerous sports. I think professional soldiers don't take that kind of pleasure, that combat is simply a necessary means for carrying out their jobs? And that combat is something to regret. At least that seems to be the attitude taken by many soldiers in the works of Jerry Pournelle, Poul Anderson, and your own stories.
Sean
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