Thursday 6 June 2019

A Short But Thorough Novel

Poul Anderson's The People Of The Wind is a short but thorough novel. In Chapters I-VI, various groups and individuals prepare for the war between Terra and Ythri:

Stormgate Choth on Avalon;

the First and Second Marchwardens of the Lauran System, the former newly returned from consultations on the home planet;

Tabitha Falkayn/Hrill of Highsky Choth, representing northern Oronesia, and Christopher Holm/Arinnian of Stormgate Choth, representing western Corona, cooperating to defend the Hesperian Sea;

Eyath and Vodan of Stormgate;

Ekrem Saracoglu, Imperial governor of Sector Pacis, based on Esperance, and Fleet Admiral Juan de Jesus Cajal y Palomares, from Nuevo Mexico;

orbiting Pax at 10 a.u.'s, the Planet-class cruisers, Thor and Ansa;

the crew of Ansa's Meteor boat, Hooting Star - Lieutenant (j.g.) Philippe Rochefort, fire control officer CPO Wa Chaou of Cynthia and engineer-computerman CPO Abdullah Helu from Huy Braseal;

Rochefort and Eve Davisson, the latter bearing the same surname as an Esperancian that had worked with Nicholas van Rijn;

a holographic conference between Matthew Vickery, President of the Parliament of Man, Liaw of the Tarns, Wyvan of the High Khruath, Ferune of Mistwood, First Marchwarden of the Lauran System and Daniel Holm, Second Marchwarden.

In Chapter VII, Terra attacks.

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

To my surprise, it was only when I read this blog piece that I belatedly realized that the Eve Davisson of THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND might well be descended from the same family as the Joyce Davisson we met in "Territory."

I remember how First Marchwarden Ferune was VERY dissatisfied by those consultations on Ythri. He and Daniel Holm expressed anger over how the people on Ythri didn't seem to realize Terra was not one of the bandits, barbarian raiders, buccaneers, petty warlords, etc., which had characterized the Troubles. And that the methods which had worked then would not work against the Empire.

I don't know if you ever saw it, but the Gregg Press edition of THE PEOPLE OF THE WIND includes an introductory essay by Sandra Miesel. One of the points she made was how Poul Anderson was partly inspired by an incident in the Franco/Prussian war of 1870-71. Anderson visited the city of Belfort in north eastern and learned of how, led by an unusually able and determined governor, that city held out so vigorously and strongly against the Prussian, even after a long siege, it was not captured by the Prussians. Hence, that city was not included with the rest of Alsace/Lorraine when those territories were ceded to the new German Reich at the peace settlement.

Sean