Thursday, 9 July 2020

Brannock And Intelligence Prime

Genesis, PART ONE, VII.

Brannock converses with Intelligence Prime:

"Communication went between them at nearly photonic speed. It ended in consummation.
"But this is too abstract for a mortal mind to appreciate. Let the exchange therefore be rendered, however inadequately, as a dialogue." (p. 88)

But who is describing these far future events to a mortal mind? When Brannock has been united with Intelligence Prime, the latter will be alone on a planet so far from Earth that:

"Sol was invisible among its stars after dark." (p. 85)

I think that the omniscient narrator and his audience should be as unobtrusive as possible. The reader should contemplate only the events on that extra-solar planet and should not be asked to reflect on the process of narration.

Brannock says that he has known only:

"'Some scattered stars out in the hinterland of one galaxy among - how many? - billions.'" (p. 88)

Thus, although he does not use the phrase, "one spiral arm," Brannock joins the ranks of the Anderson characters who reflect on the smallness of known space. See here.

The intelligences scattered throughout  the galaxy communicate electromagnetically, neutronically and gravitronically. If one of the Christian Brannocks that have become memories within greater intelligences is resurrected in emulation, then eventually that experience will be fully shared with all.

3 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Technically or artistically, what you said here about it being a flaw to ask readers of GENESIS "...to reflect on the process of narration" might be true. But I don't recall being troubled by that in my previous readings of the books. And I doubt as well that many other readers were disturbed by the point you raised.

Btw, this is not the first time we see Anderson using the phrase "Intelligence Prime." That was used long before by him in THE WAR OF TWO WORLDS (1959). The first paragraph of the preface has this: "Intelligence Prime, lord of the Solar System, opened the window..."

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

That is why THE WAR OF TWO WORLDS came up when I searched the blog for "Intelligence Prime."

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

That's quicker and more rational than depending on memory and thumbing thru my Anderson books! (Smiles)

Ad astra! Sean