In Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic History, "Gypsy," like "Quixote and the Windmill," is a welcome change of pace from heroes versus villains fiction. In "Quixote...," two unemployed men get drunk while the unemployed robot wanders the Earth. In "Gypsy," a number of married couples raising families have experienced life on an endless interstellar voyage and on a planetary surface, decide that they prefer the former and found the Nomad culture which, when it has been joined by men and women who had worked in the Stellar Union Coordination Service, will carry knowledge of science, including psychodynamics, through the Third Dark Ages into the Galactic civilization of "The Chapter Ends." Thus, Anderson's first future history series attains after all an unanticipated unity.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Well, I don't mind heroes versus villains stories. But tastes differ!
I have a doubt, however, about the practicality of a nomadic, space borne culture living and traveling in FTL space ships. Would enough people want to live like that when, given FTL, it would seem so much more convenient to live on planets. I can see such a nomadic culture possibly working if space travel had to use STL technology, as we see in Anderson's Kith stories.
And I would like readers to know I have dissenting views about "The Chapter Ends"! (Smiles)
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
You can say that every time it is mentioned.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Ha! Thanks!
Ad astra! Sean
Though unless they had very advanced 3-D printer equivalents, I would be dubious that that small a population could produce the spare parts and so forth needed to keep a starship going. For that matter, ditto the relatively high tech of the sparsely settled colony planet they set up.
As Adam Smith pointed out, the size of the market (hence, population) sets the limits on the possible division of labor and specialization.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Your comments here strengthens the skepticism I have about the practicality of something like what we see in "Gypsy" actually happening. At least not for several more generations. Harbor would NEED to keep it's one and only star ship till it was capable of building such ships.
Ad astra! Sean
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