(Lewis' political program: when democracy is being subverted, do not campaign either in or out of Parliament but wait for Merlin to return and the gods to descend.)
At the end of Poul Anderson's Operation Chaos, Thor, Athena and an Aztec god defeat the demons.
At the end of Anderson's Operation Luna, Native American gods defeat Asiatic demons.
At the end of Anderson's A Midsummer Century, King Arthur and Gwyn ap Nudd defeat the Roundheads.
Four wish fulfillments, pure and simple. There are many conflicts in Britain right now. If Arthur were able to return, which side would he take? Would he impose an overwhelming military solution in favor of the status quo? I would be extremely unhappy with such an outcome. Society has to move forward - somehow.
James Blish reversed the conventional "happy ending." At the end of his Black Easter, the demons win Armageddon. Then Blish wrote a sequel...
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And the way to "move forward" is NOT by centralizing yet more and more power in the state and atomizing and leveling society and individuals into a flattened, amorphous, undistinguished mass.
And a really BIG way of moving forward would be to open up new frontiers OFF Earth.
Ad astra! Sean
Arthur doesn't defeat the Roundheads; he more or less just helps.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree, Arthur helped to inspire or rally the Royalists and then to shatter the morale of the rebel Parliamentarians.
Ad astra! Sean
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