Saturday 12 September 2020

Birds And Other Life

The Shield Of Time, PART THREE, 13,212 B.C.

Wanda Tamberly, She Who Knows Strangeness, and Aryuk of the Tulat walk inland across open marshy country carpeted with herbs interrupted by occasional willows, reindeer moss and invasive birch:

 "Two hawks cruised the wind, theirs the only wings in sight; grouse, ptarmigan, and the rest must be lying as low as the muskrat and lemmings. The mammoths moved slowly, feeding..." (I, pp. 145-146)

As ever, we appreciate Poul Anderson's descriptions of nature, of abundant life long before the advent of civilization and of yet another two hovering birds of prey.

(Hopefully, problems with the New Blogger have ended.)

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

If my recollection is correct, Anderson was here making use of speculations that the Proto-Indians were not the first humans to reach the Americas. That a few archaic Caucasians were the first to live there. Which, if true, I thought rather ironic when I first read THE SHIELD OF TIME.

Ad astra! Sean