In Poul Anderson's Technic History, our first sight of the planet Merseia is through the eyes of David Falkayn. This Master Merchant of the Polesotechnic League had appeared in three earlier stories and Merseians had appeared in a few earlier-written Dominic Flandry stories so "Day of Burning," whose action begins with Falkayn confronting Morruchan Long-Ax, Hand of the Vach Dathyr, interconnects originally separate narrative strands, thus making a pivotal contribution to a complex future history series.
Falkayn, like Abrams centuries later, sees the audience chamber of Castle Afon. In both cases, we see Merseian symbols and ceremonial but through the eyes of a human being.
8 comments:
Paul:
Trump's universe is also better than ours because there Russia is friendly to the United States ... or at least to its chosen-by-God dictator, who is a stable genius.
In our universe, Semyon Bagdasarov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, exclaimed on a Russian television news program: “The United States is the enemy. It is our enemy. It is a hostile state that aims to destroy our country ... We are at war!” [Source: The Daily Beast, "Russia’s State TV Calls Trump Their ‘Agent’", 16 December 2019]
I prefer not to discuss politics on this blog, but I felt this needed to be pointed out.
David,
Thanks. I also don't want to get into the details of politics, at least not here, but I think it is interesting to compare different PERCEPTIONS of the world to different PARALLEL worlds.
I am mainly focusing at present on Anderson's presentations of the planet Merseia as seen by different characters.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul and DAVID!
It does make me wonder what might have happened if Tsarist Russia had not been destroyed by WW I and Lenin and his gang seizing power? One of the things I remember about Solzhenitsyn's AUGUST 1914 was his thorough evocation of what life was like, both high and low, in the Russia of that year. In so many ways, esp. because of the reforms of Peter Stolypin, Russia was changing for the better, including even in politics. However slowly and grudgingly I think Russia was becoming a normal country, becoming a constitutional monarchy. Another ten years of peace and I think it would have become impossible for fanatics like Lenin to grab power there. Russia would have been spared the brutality and paranoia of Lenin and Stalin.
Ah well, this is just another of the many "what ifs" of history! Unless we can go to an alternate universe we can't possibly know what would have happened absent the Sarajevo Assassinations. We do get some idea of what Anderson thought of Lenin in "Details."
Ad astra! Sean
Oops! I should have said in my first sentence above: "...if Tsarist Russia had not been destroyed by WW I and Lenin and his gang NOT seizing power?"
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
I think we usually get the meaning when you miss a word or two.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Yes, I agree! But, I feel the need to correct such mistakes of mine to make sure people don't misunderstand what I meant.
Ad astra! Sean
There's a strong flavor of Japan to Meresia as Poul shows it, aesthetically as well as in its political organization.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree. And the racism of the Roidhunate, one of its most unfortunate aspects, reminds me of the similar xenophobia many Japanese had for non-Japanese.
Ad astra! Sean
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