"Rivers and snow-peaks gleamed afar. The skies were thronged by winged life." ("Tiger By The Tail," p. 256)
Rivers are not discolored by chemical wastes. Snow has not melted. The smaller organisms on which the fliers feed are not becoming extinct.
Scotha has avoided one set of problems but embraced others. Flandry, able to see how females and aliens are treated, sows dissent in the royal-imperial court during his first audience with King Penda whose son, the crown prince, Cerdic, values ancient austerities whereas his stepmother - standing beside the throne! - and the alien ambassadors would appreciate some physical warmth so Flandry suggests the installation of radiant heating in addition to the traditional hearth fires which are insufficient to dispel the chill from the vast, dim hall.
Flandry's aims are to draw attention to discomforts and to incite disagreement about proposed innovations, anything to bring down this house of cards.
2 comments:
There are plenty of earthly cultures where there wouldn't be any women in the throne room at all.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Scotha avoided doing much environmental damage because the Scothanians did not have to begin and Industrial Revolution from scratch. Which meant avoiding many mistakes and dead ends that way.
I noticed how Queen Gunli STOOD rather than sat besides King Penda on her own throne. But in my previous readings of "Tiger By The Tail," I put that down to Scothanians simply having their own customs.
I agree with Mr. Stirling, and the modern/current examples I thought of how badly women could be treated were what we see in almost all Muslim countries. Altho Hindus too can be pretty bad in how women are treated.
Ad astra and Happy New Year! Sean
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