Seventeen hundred years after Laurinda Ashcroft's time, Mahu, Captain Rahman, Chief Enactor of the realm of Tahalla, prevails upon the Regnant to appoint his, Mahu's, favorite, Arkezhan, Captain Socorro, as Supreme Steward of the Darvic Games even though, by the customary five-year cycle of succession, the Supreme Stewardship should, on this New Century's Eve, have gone to Socorro's enemy, Wei, captain of Clan Belov.
Can you get excited about who is Supreme Steward? Neither can I. We read about these elaborate customs only in this single chapter. Poul Anderson knows how to convey decadence. The next time that we see mankind, in Chapter VIII, it is effete and almost extinct.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Again, this reminds me of late Heian Japan, where court intrigues often revolved around such seemingly minor things. IOW, Anderson was again showing us how real human being behave, not indulging in Utopian and unconvincing fantasies.
Ad astra! Sean
People can get excited about -anything- to do with group identity and status competition. Hence their killing each other over sports teams -- chariots or soccer, in different millenia.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Absolutely! From the warring factions of the Blues and the Greens in the Eastern Roman Empire to the soccer hooligans plaguing the UK.
Your THE GENERAL books mentions how the capital of the Civil Gov't, East Residence, has a "canidrome." But we never did get to see any giant dog races there. Or warring chariot race factions uniting to attempt overthrowing Governor Barholm Clerett!
Ad astra! Sean
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